Do most AP expect more than the $200 stipend?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's what I don't understand. Do AP not notice they are not paying for their visa, flights to US, flights to local airport, and training, and that there are employed people right and left in helping them through the process? there is health insurance?Surely they also join the program because all that is paid for and gives them the means to come when they otherwise couldn't. People are obviously not going to all that trouble and expense out of the fun of it. The agencies are a business and HF pay To keep them in business. 3 meals a day is a lot to pay for, especially in our resort town where everything is jacked up. No car payment. No rent for a room that would go for $700 here. Often invited to go along with paid travel and often asked what foods they like. The whole things seems on paper like it should be a good arrangement. In the end the au pair is not going to save me $$$ from the cost of the live-out nannies in the US that I have employed but I want my kids to know other cultures and experience people from different places. I see it as a win win but it sounds like APs are going to be like having a surly teenager around who is entitled and resentful - not what I was going for here in this

Do you know all the things AP pays? APs pay visa fees and health insurance.

My AP told me her costs were around $600. TOTAL. That's very little for a year of all expenses being paid for in exchange for up to 45 hours/week of work (less than many Americans work each week). I do think the agencies are out to get a lot per AP from each host family in addition to the expenses they cover, but to say the APs are paying for a lot is just silly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That's what I don't understand. Do AP not notice they are not paying for their visa, flights to US, flights to local airport, and training, and that there are employed people right and left in helping them through the process? there is health insurance?Surely they also join the program because all that is paid for and gives them the means to come when they otherwise couldn't. People are obviously not going to all that trouble and expense out of the fun of it. The agencies are a business and HF pay To keep them in business. 3 meals a day is a lot to pay for, especially in our resort town where everything is jacked up. No car payment. No rent for a room that would go for $700 here. Often invited to go along with paid travel and often asked what foods they like. The whole things seems on paper like it should be a good arrangement. In the end the au pair is not going to save me $$$ from the cost of the live-out nannies in the US that I have employed but I want my kids to know other cultures and experience people from different places. I see it as a win win but it sounds like APs are going to be like having a surly teenager around who is entitled and resentful - not what I was going for here in this

Do you know all the things AP pays? APs pay visa fees and health insurance.

My AP told me her costs were around $600. TOTAL. That's very little for a year of all expenses being paid for in exchange for up to 45 hours/week of work (less than many Americans work each week). I do think the agencies are out to get a lot per AP from each host family in addition to the expenses they cover, but to say the APs are paying for a lot is just silly.

$600 is 3 weeks pay for most of these girls! That's $15k to me.

[Anonymous]

We round up to $200 but have never paid more than that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

$600 is 3 weeks pay for most of these girls! That's $15k to me.

3 weeks AU PAIR pay, not the same as 3 weeks of what her wage may have been before she became an au pair... or for most of these girls it's usually paid by their parents. When I told my AP we pay about $8k in upfront costs plus her weekly stipend she was shocked. So I don't think most APs have a clear idea of what it costs host families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

$600 is 3 weeks pay for most of these girls! That's $15k to me.

3 weeks AU PAIR pay, not the same as 3 weeks of what her wage may have been before she became an au pair... or for most of these girls it's usually paid by their parents. When I told my AP we pay about $8k in upfront costs plus her weekly stipend she was shocked. So I don't think most APs have a clear idea of what it costs host families.

As was raised, why on earth would they care? My employer paid a headhunter for me but I'll be damned if that means I'll take a cut in my pay or bonus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

$600 is 3 weeks pay for most of these girls! That's $15k to me.

3 weeks AU PAIR pay, not the same as 3 weeks of what her wage may have been before she became an au pair... or for most of these girls it's usually paid by their parents. When I told my AP we pay about $8k in upfront costs plus her weekly stipend she was shocked. So I don't think most APs have a clear idea of what it costs host families.

As was raised, why on earth would they care? My employer paid a headhunter for me but I'll be damned if that means I'll take a cut in my pay or bonus. [/quot

Apples to oranges comparison. I quit.

To answer the OP, from my understanding/experience APs do not expect more than the stipend. Sure, there are some who feel it is too little for what they contribute but it seems like most think $200/week pocket money is a great perk when they're living all expenses paid in the US for a year. I've had both nannies and au pairs and I used to be a nanny for years before I was married and had kids. I made $10-15/hour and I was a college educated American with special skills (and this was in the late 90s/early 2000s). No way did I live as nicely as my au pair does now even if she "only" makes $4.50/hour if you break it down by 45 hours/week (that's also not counting her education costs of up to $500). I was paying rent, utilities, food, books, transportation and all other costs from my salary. I'm not saying some people don't abuse the system, but for most of the au pairs I know and certainly for my own, they have a good gig here and if they expect more then I would consider that they haven't thought about all that goes into the program and what other benefits they are getting in addition to their stipend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

$600 is 3 weeks pay for most of these girls! That's $15k to me.

3 weeks AU PAIR pay, not the same as 3 weeks of what her wage may have been before she became an au pair... or for most of these girls it's usually paid by their parents. When I told my AP we pay about $8k in upfront costs plus her weekly stipend she was shocked. So I don't think most APs have a clear idea of what it costs host families.

As was raised, why on earth would they care? My employer paid a headhunter for me but I'll be damned if that means I'll take a cut in my pay or bonus.

Exactly. They want a living wage, especially if they live-in. That's really a difficult situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My AP told me her costs were around $600. TOTAL. That's very little for a year of all expenses being paid for in exchange for up to 45 hours/week of work (less than many Americans work each week). I do think the agencies are out to get a lot per AP from each host family in addition to the expenses they cover, but to say the APs are paying for a lot is just silly.

You are aware that $600 can be A LOT of money for a young adult right out of school or from a country where the salary for a ya (if they even have a job, looking at the 25%+ unemployment rate of young adults in Spain or Portugal or Greece) is not that of a similarly qualified ya in the US? You are also aware that the costs for the AP differ by country and agency and can actually go into the thousands (including visa fees, travel to the nearest embassy etc.)? You are aware that some agencies make their APs pay for their health insurance (that includes CC who charge $625 for their health insurance alone)? And they pay all this upfront without knowing if they will be able to complete their year? They lose all their (most likely hard earned) money if they can't complete their year. Plus any only half-intelligent AP should make sure they have enough money put away before coming to the US to cover a one-way ticket home... just in case.

Is the program expensive for HFs? Yes. Would it be nicer if those thousands of dollars could go into the AP's pocket? Yes.
But APs pretty much pay for getting a job (imagine your employer telling you that they can only hire you if you are willing to pay them a month or two of your future salary upfront... we'd all cry pyramid scheme), a job they will get paid to do (and come on, $5 an hour which the have to be taxes from is not a lot - yes I know, the perks... the car, the room, the food, it all adds up for all of us but APs do not get rich by watching our children) but come on. If it wasn't worth it for us families we wouldn't do it. We'd pay a professional nanny to watch our kids even on a split schedule and simply pay her as if she was working full days if we really hated the program (and its cost) so much. It's still financially or personally worth it for us for some reason. Millions of other families have figured out a way to live their lives without APs, we could too, if we wanted to or had to.
And in the end we always have more pull. If we didn't join those agencies with their "ridiculous" fees the agencies couldn't charge them. We are customers. If the customers decide the price of a product isn't worth it for them, the price will decrease or the product will disappear. Obviously the money we give the agencies is still worth it to us or we wouldn't be doing it. There are other options. Less convenient maybe but convenience is also something we pay for. Every day. By buying our coffee at Starbucks instead of making it at home. Or getting pizza delivered instead of spending time on cooking dinner.

[Anonymous]

The intent of the program is not to come to the USA to "get rich". This is not a career. It's a 1-2 year exchange program. Live with a family, take classes, babysit, and travel smartly (youth hostels). If AP doesn't want that, she shouldn't come as an AP.

[Anonymous]

The "living wage" comparison is ridiculous. When APs have to pay all of their living expenses -- i.e. rent, groceries, utilities, car, car expenses (maintenance, gas, insurance), and incidentals out of their stipends, then it should become a living wage. Until then, the "living wage" poster clearly doesn't know what the term is supposed to mean.

[Anonymous]

The "living wage" comparison is ridiculous. When APs have to pay all of their living expenses -- i.e. rent, groceries, utilities, car, car expenses (maintenance, gas, insurance), and incidentals out of their stipends, then it should become a living wage. Until then, the "living wage" poster clearly doesn't know what the term is supposed to mean.


Yes, this. Thank you. That is because "living wage" poster is a disgruntled AP who needs to leave the program, find a "living wage" job, her own place to live, her own car, phone, tutition, food, utilities, etc, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:


The "living wage" comparison is ridiculous. When APs have to pay all of their living expenses -- i.e. rent, groceries, utilities, car, car expenses (maintenance, gas, insurance), and incidentals out of their stipends, then it should become a living wage. Until then, the "living wage" poster clearly doesn't know what the term is supposed to mean.


Yes, this. Thank you. That is because "living wage" poster is a disgruntled AP who needs to leave the program, find a "living wage" job, her own place to live, her own car, phone, tutition, food, utilities, etc, etc.

Exactly. Most APs do not come to the US for an AP year thinking they will be making significant money. The stipend is just that - a little extra to give them spending money during a year when their other costs are covered. For many of them it will be more than they're used to getting at home, after expenses. Most young people who need money-making jobs are not looking to be au pairs - unless they are coming under false pretenses and plan to find extra jobs or overstay their visas because they want to stay in the country (which is rare but does happen).

[Anonymous]

I absolutely paid more when my AP was wotking a full 40hrs a week. Not sure if she expected it, but it was the ethical thing to do. Now that we use only 20hrs a week, i pay $200, but do give spot bonuses.

[Anonymous]

We pay $196 by direct deposit every Thursday. We also give a $25 monthly stipend for other small living expenses and reimburse for some food extras if the Au Pair doesn't want to eat dinners with us (we've hosted a lot of Thai au pairs who politely never want dinner with us!) Our Au Pair works about 25 hours per week in the school year and 45 in the summer (most weeks unless kids have camp).

Only one Au Pair complained because her friend's host family was paying $250 per month. I wish families would stick to the $196 and compensate in other ways if they think the Au Pair deserves it (restaurant gift cards, "bonus" payments, movie tickets, etc.) They ALL compare what they get and the weekly stipend is the easiest thing to make consistent across families.

$800 per month of spending money when you don't have to pay rent, heat, A/C, phone, internet, cable, laundry, or food is a pretty good deal. Even if you spend $100 per month on tampons and other things the host family doesn't provide...you've got more money in a month than I do to spend on fun. All of our AP's have gone on fun trips with friends and bought more clothes than they could manage to take home...and still had cash at the end to bring home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


The "living wage" comparison is ridiculous. When APs have to pay all of their living expenses -- i.e. rent, groceries, utilities, car, car expenses (maintenance, gas, insurance), and incidentals out of their stipends, then it should become a living wage. Until then, the "living wage" poster clearly doesn't know what the term is supposed to mean.


Yes, this. Thank you. That is because "living wage" poster is a disgruntled AP who needs to leave the program, find a "living wage" job, her own place to live, her own car, phone, tutition, food, utilities, etc, etc.

Exactly. Most APs do not come to the US for an AP year thinking they will be making significant money. The stipend is just that - a little extra to give them spending money during a year when their other costs are covered. For many of them it will be more than they're used to getting at home, after expenses. Most young people who need money-making jobs are not looking to be au pairs - unless they are coming under false pretenses and plan to find extra jobs or overstay their visas because they want to stay in the country (which is rare but does happen).

Every single AP i've had says exactly this - that they do not come here as an AP for the money. All have been young women who genuinely like to spend time caring for children (usually they are the big sibling/cousin) and who wanted to come experience life in the USA with an American family for a year (or two). All have said the money is plenty for them to do fun things (several have done amazing travel months to the West Coast), to buy clothes, fun makeup, see a few concerts, and take the bus into NYC for low cost fun almost every single weekend (we are right outside NYC). Comparing this to an American nanny gig, and "living wage" is apples/oranges.