Are the monthly au pair meetings really mandatory?

[Anonymous]

Our AP has been here three months but hasn't attended any of her group's monthly meetings so far. In every instance, it has been because the LCC either planned the meeting for an event that was cost- or interest-prohibitive (such as October's hauntfest which would have required AP to pay $25 admission), or she doesn't give enough notice for the meeting (notifying AP of the meeting with just one day's notice). AP and I both have tried reaching out to LCC for details about future meetings, but no response so far. I contacted our regional director to request being moved to a friend's AP group (whose LCC has actually been really kind and even invites AP to her group's meetings), but I was told it isn't possible. So I'm just wondering if we/AP will get in some sort of trouble if she continues to miss meetings. As I see it, LCC is the one not complying with the rules, but even her boss doesn't seem to think it's a big deal. AP has made plenty of friends already and would be content to never attend a meeting, but I just want to be sure we aren't setting ourselves up for trouble somehow.

[Anonymous]

The "trouble" that your au pair may be setting herself up for is if she ever needs support from her LCC (particularly in a rematch situation, which all of us know is possible even if no one wants to think about it) the LCC will have very little incentive to help her if she has had no contact with your au pair. It's in your au pair's best interest to have a relationship with her LCC, and the easiest way to develop a good relationship with the LCC is to attend meetings. In rematch situations, our LCC has been able to reach out to other LCCs to find out about candidates. The recommendation is much stronger if the response comes back as "I just LOVE ______, she's always so friendly to new au pairs and I can tell she's been having a hard time with her host family even though she's careful to not bad mouth them." If the response comes back as "She seems nice but I haven't spent any time with her because she keeps skipping meetings" the recommendation sounds much different.

That being said, if she's a mediocre LCC she might not be much help anyway. If the neighbor LCC is with the same agency you are developing a relationship with her might fill in this gap, although any rematch would still have to be run through your own LCC. For similar reasons, I'd urge you not to "burn bridges" with the LCC on your own, as you'll need her support (if not now, in the future) if you ever go into rematch yourself.

Our LCC happens to be fabulous but I know others are not. Ours sends out a schedule of cluster meetings about 4-6 months in advance - we at least have the dates of all but one meeting through June. She told us up front that the March meeting is the annual meeting where the au pairs tour the Capitol, so she won't know which Saturday until she can get the tickets in January. However, she's been an LCC forever, so many of her meetings are "known in advance." The February meeting, for example, is always the meeting where she serves snacks and has someone come in and talk about filing taxes.

I don't think it's unreasonable for your to ask that your LCC at least give you date/times for 2-3 upcoming meetings now, even if she doesn't know details. As for one meeting that cost $25, I'd be curious if all of her meetings cost money, or if this is the single annual meeting that costs money (and most au pairs I know do go to some kind of Fright Fest, so she may have thought this was a cost she'd incur in any case, right or wrong).

[Anonymous]

I'd report your LCC up the food chain. I know being an LCC is not a high-paying job, but she's not doing the job she's being paid for. Call the front office and let them know -- and let them know as well that the RD blew your concerns off.

[Anonymous]

Our last Au Pair went to the first meeting after she got here and then not a single one after that, the whole year. She didn't like hearing so many Au Pairs vent about how terrible their families are, so she just chose not to go and just hung out with the friends that she enjoyed being with.

[Anonymous]

Depends on the agency, but our CCAP LCC is giving our current AP grief about low meeting attendance. She's threatened to interfear with extension efforts - I don't know if that's a real possibility, but sounds like, yes there could be trouble down the road if your AP just opts out altogether.

[Anonymous]

Yes, they are mandatory. It's in the DOS regulations.

(c) Program eligibility. Sponsors designated by the Department of State to conduct an au pair exchange program shall;

[...]

(6) Require that each local organizational representative maintain a record of all personal monthly contacts (or more frequently as required) with each au pair and host family for which he or she is responsible and issues or problems discussed;

However, to my knowledge there is no rule about cost or notification. "Interest-prohibitive" most likely won't count and as the monthly contact is a requirement I wonder if the cost shouldn't be covered by the HF.
Our meetings tend to happen at LCC's place and inexpensive to free. Our agency has a 10 out of 12 rule and they won't get their completion certificate if they don't show up to 10. Also no extension if they haven't been to 10 meetings.

[Anonymous]

Yes you have to pay for your AP to get to and from meetings. No you don't have to pay for $25 entrance fees. But honestly since it's 1/4 of her weekly pay you probably should.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes you have to pay for your AP to get to and from meetings. No you don't have to pay for $25 entrance fees. But honestly since it's 1/4 of her weekly pay you probably should.

How is $25 a quarter of $200

[Anonymous]

sounds like your LCC needs to be much better about meetings. Report it to headquarters. This is a mandatory part of the program and if she or he is being difficult about making it possible for the au pairs to comply with the law she's jeopardizing not only the au pairs visa but also the agency's certification. The monthly meetings are incredibly important in a program like this that has the potential for serious abuse.

Our LCC, with cultural care, is amazing. She holds a monthly meeting and an alternate, so au pairs can plan; she lets us know of meetings at least a month ahead. And they always include a cultural component to make sure that the APs are getting lots of the sorts of cultural exchange they should.

[Anonymous]

I see that this is an old message chain, however a lot of the responses are more opinion based than factual. In short no - it is NOT a requirement.

One user wrote that it is a DOS regulation to attend based on "(c) Program eligibility. Sponsors designated by the Department of State to conduct an Au Pair exchange program shall;

[...]

(6) Require that each local organizational representative maintain a record of all personal monthly contacts (or more frequently as required) with each Au Pair and host family for which he or she is responsible and issues or problems discussed"

However this is not true. The regulation states that a representative must have monthly contact. This is done via a monthly email to the Au Pair with a series of questions for the DOS. This does not require an in-person meeting.

Some agencies may have had the Au Pair sign a contract to which she agrees to attend meetings monthly, but if she does not have this in her contract (or if the contract does not state that she will be responsible for meeting costs) then she is not obligated to attend. Which multiple agencies do allow.

[Anonymous]

Our agency considers it a requirement for extension.
We had an LCC that had very pricey meetings - they were things that the APs generally wanted to do, and the LCC regularly suggested that the families pay for the events.

[Anonymous]

Those meetings aren't obligatory. I was attending less than 5 times because as you wrote Au pair has to pay for it, has to have free time, have transportation. Mostly new participants are comming. There are no repercussions or any influence on matters like rematch.
There is no need to pay 25$ and another 20$ for transportation. Company is trying to advertise places.
Actually ask your LCC are HPs obligated to pay for Au pair attendance if she would like to participate.

[Anonymous]

"Our agency considers it a requirement for extension.
We had an LCC that had very pricey meetings - they were things that the APs generally wanted to do, and the LCC regularly suggested that the families pay for the events."

Our LCC encourages attendance. HPs provide transportation. That is it. APs pay for their ticket to whatever special activity LCC organizes, but meetings are generally at her home with refreshments, so no cost to AP.

These LCCs who are always on HPs back to provide more perks would drive me insane!

[Anonymous]

Which agencies require the meetings?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The regulation states that a representative must have monthly contact. This is done via a monthly email to the Au Pair with a series of questions for the DOS. This does not require an in-person meeting.

None of our LCCs ever contacted any of out APs by email with questions for the DOS. Our agency does require in-person meetings (which we like, we consider LCC and AP meeting face to face important) and considers them a requirement for extension as well. However, all monthly meetings our LCC arranges are free or very inexpensive (like $5 for a trip to the pumpkin patch and going through a corn maze), scheduled at least a couple of weeks in advance and APs can be excused because they have to work or are on vacation. Our previous LCC also organized special activities that were more expensive but many APs wanted to do those were in addition to and not instead of the monthly meeting.