Rematch advice?

[Anonymous]

I have searched the thread but don't see much in terms of advice about rematching. How do you find someone good in a short period of time? Do most people pick from APs already in the states? Or do you go back to a full search? I am so nervous about picking the wrong person again since the first one seemed so great on email and Skype and then didn't actually want to be an AP when she got here....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have searched the thread but don't see much in terms of advice about rematching. How do you find someone good in a short period of time? Do most people pick from APs already in the states? Or do you go back to a full search? I am so nervous about picking the wrong person again since the first one seemed so great on email and Skype and then didn't actually want to be an AP when she got here....

Go to Aupairmom for that kind of advice. All you will get here on DCUM is trolls telling you how much you must suck and how you're exploiting poor helpless girls…

[Anonymous]

Hi OP. I'm in rematch too. I've been through it once before and ended up with the best au pair we've had yet. Don't stress and don't hurry and pick someone that you never would have picked otherwise just because you feel you have to hurry. Work on getting alternate childcare arrangements in place for a month so that you can take your time.

From what I've heard, it's kind of split between taking a rematch and taking an out-of-country. Of course, if you start all over again, you definitely will have to wait 4-6 weeks until arrival, so if that's not do-able, then don't even look at the new au pairs.

Make your LCC work for you. That's the one thing I hate about rematching is how dependent you are on the LCC sending you potential matches. I really wish I could search the database of rematches myself, but you can't. So check in with your LCC frequently, let her know exactly what you're looking for etc.

What agency are you with? This is the reason we choose big agencies. And yes, check out aupairmom.com.

[Anonymous]

When I went into rematch, our LLC was able to find a girl who met our criteria through her network - she was in NYC and was with a family that wasn't suited for au pairs. We matched within a couple of days of going into rematch.

Cultural Care also lists rematch and extension au pairs on their website under immediate availability.

[Anonymous]

OP, we went through rematch last year when our beloved AP got hurt and had to go home. We called upon our regional director to do a lot of the work for us. We gave her a list of our non-negotiables and had her pre-screen to save me timee. We also had her identify all APs, cross country, in the pool who fit our criteria (often they only look regionally at first) and had her share with us crucial info that doesn't appear on the application:1) the AP's reason for rematch 2) the HF reason for rematch 3) the LCC's version of events and 4) any additional notes on the AP and HF. These data points really filled out hte picture for us and saved me a lot of time. Yes, if you post on greataupair, you will get a lot of hits, but why fall in love with the application and pictures of an AP whose two previous HFs have said she doesn't bond with children? Or whose previous HF said she wasn't safe behind the wheel (if you need a driver)? Both of these are actual bits of info we got from the background notes on APs whose applications otherwise looked great. So I would get this info immediately before trying to go this alone.

We got a good (not great) AP in rematch, but it's true that excellent ones do exist. Take your time, stick to your must-haves, and otherwise have hope. We have been in the AP program a long time (8 years) so we also know that there are many ways to be a good AP for our family, and we try to keep an open mind when reviewing applications (beyond our must-haves). Good luck!

[Anonymous]

We also did a rematch after our au pair decided she wanted to go back to her country to enroll in the university. We worked with our agency to find someone immediately. She started one week after the other au pair left. If was very fast. Our rematch au pair is good and we're happy with her. I did have to find alternate care for a week though.

[Anonymous]

When we went into rematch earlier in the fall, I did explore in-country potential candidates but wasn't happy with the options at that time. So we selected an out-of-country candidate and waited a month for her to arrive. I wish I could say it was all roses with our new AP but it's not. It's to the point where I might be washing my hands of the AP program. Then I remember that I would need to double the monthly cost to get a live-in nanny and I feel helpless. I am just NOT happy with current AP or the previous AP (who we put into rematch for serious negligence). I have low standards as it is, so this is disheartening.