French Au Pairs

[Anonymous]

Has anyone here had any experience with french APs?
I will be hosting for my second year. The first year I was looking for a french AP however my matching specialist discouraged me, she told me that they tend to be young and have a high rematch rate I ended up with a great Brazilian AP, I wouldn't mind another Brazilian AP but I am wondering if I should really give up my dream of getting a french AP? I am french speaker and I speak french to my kids, so I would like them to get more fluent. Has anyone had similar experience as my matching specialist mentioned. FYI I have 3 kids and one infants, so it not an easy gig but I do offer a decent package.
Thanks

[Anonymous]

We are on French ap #4, one per year for 4 years. I also have 3 kids and my youngest was an infant the first 2 years. We have never rematches. I have heard of a couple of ap’s friends rematching but the reasons have been varied and seem to come from both sides. Our French aps have all been 20-22 except one who was 19 and was definitely the least “mature” in terms of childcare and roommate abilities but she was fun and a quick student and generally a good ap.

I’ve never found any use for my “matching specialist”. We are always explicit in that we wil only look at French au pairs with a couple of other criteria and they never listen to those when making their suggestions. I suggest you do what you want, look carefully at French candidates and consider anyone who meets your needs. We are also a French speaking family but don’t require the ap to speak with the kids. We know some who do but it’s defini more difficult to find a good ap who will do this - they don’t have much opportunity to improve their English if they do this and some seem resentful. Still, we’ve found just having another French speaker has increased the kids’ interest in the language and culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are on French ap #4, one per year for 4 years. I also have 3 kids and my youngest was an infant the first 2 years. We have never rematches. I have heard of a couple of ap’s friends rematching but the reasons have been varied and seem to come from both sides. Our French aps have all been 20-22 except one who was 19 and was definitely the least “mature” in terms of childcare and roommate abilities but she was fun and a quick student and generally a good ap.

I’ve never found any use for my “matching specialist”. We are always explicit in that we wil only look at French au pairs with a couple of other criteria and they never listen to those when making their suggestions. I suggest you do what you want, look carefully at French candidates and consider anyone who meets your needs. We are also a French speaking family but don’t require the ap to speak with the kids. We know some who do but it’s defini more difficult to find a good ap who will do this - they don’t have much opportunity to improve their English if they do this and some seem resentful. Still, we’ve found just having another French speaker has increased the kids’ interest in the language and culture.

OP here, thank you! What agency are you with? it seems like the selection of french au pairs is small with the two agencies I am registered with. So your french APs don't speak french at all around the kids?

[Anonymous]

We have been with Cultural Care because they seem to have the largest pool of French applicants. Not thrilled with them as an agency but I tried searching through the other smaller ones and ended up with very few candidates.

We do have them speak French with the kids but not exclusively and we parents always speak English (unless there’s a language miscommunication) so they have lots of time to practice their English.

[Anonymous]

We have a French AP and she is wonderful. We have hosted 6 APs and she is one of the best. I would definitely consider hosting a French AP.

[Anonymous]

Our French AP was 21, a college graduate and was happy to speak French with our family. (She was also a complete and utter disaster as an AP but I think that was related to her personality, not her nationality).

[Anonymous]

Our first au pair was French, and I continue to tell her (three years later) that she ruined the au pair program for us -- because she was SO AMAZING and wonderful, and is so beloved by our family, that no one else will ever compare. She was truly phenomenal in all ways, and just came back to visit our family after being back in France for a year and a half. We love her and just wish we could have kept her forever.

So...my vote is definitely on the "French au pairs can be amazing!" side.

[Anonymous]

We had back-to-back rematches with 2 French candidates. Really different issues, and I honestly don't think it was because they were French. But I do notice that CC has many, many more French applicants than when we first started, and I don't think they're taking on more exceptional ones -- meaning the pool is flooded with candidates that are fine, but you want to suss out their weaknesses and be candid about your needs.

[Anonymous]

We had a French ap (one of 6) and our only rematch. She was from the country in France and had culture shock here in the city. Nice girl, just generally a terrible AP for our family. She rematched with a family in the country and finished her year.
My only feedback on them is despite what they Putin their application many of them do smoke. More than our Germans or South American aps it seems.

[Anonymous]

I am a former French AP
I do come from the country side and coming to the US was a culture shock to me and my host family expected me to understand everything like I had been living in the US forever.
They had very little patience.
I finished my year with them but they honestly ruined my once in a lifetime experience. Some families don't realize some of us have been dreaming of this experience for years before joining the programme.
I won't go into more details about my host family but their lack of patience was only a detail in their chaotic home.

For those of you who would like to get a French AP, I would recommend you pick a girl that studied English at University or that will after her year in the US. They really come for the experience and to learn English. Not like some girls who only want to fill their Youtube Channel with their new adventures, go out and meet guys etc.
Be careful also about girls from larger cities like Paris, some of them might be used to have some help at home and won't be happy to help out with housework. While it's not always like this, this is something you should be careful about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a former French AP
I do come from the country side and coming to the US was a culture shock to me and my host family expected me to understand everything like I had been living in the US forever.
They had very little patience.
I finished my year with them but they honestly ruined my once in a lifetime experience. Some families don't realize some of us have been dreaming of this experience for years before joining the programme.
I won't go into more details about my host family but their lack of patience was only a detail in their chaotic home.

For those of you who would like to get a French AP, I would recommend you pick a girl that studied English at University or that will after her year in the US. They really come for the experience and to learn English. Not like some girls who only want to fill their Youtube Channel with their new adventures, go out and meet guys etc.
Be careful also about girls from larger cities like Paris, some of them might be used to have some help at home and won't be happy to help out with housework. While it's not always like this, this is something you should be careful about.

Thank you for the tips!

[Anonymous]

We had one French au pair and she was our only rematch. She wasn’t particularly warm, and was very uninterested in doing the less exciting parts of the job (preparing kids lunches, helping with their laundry, etc). She made no attempt to bond with the kids and took her meals in her room. She didn’t seem to want to be with us in any sort of family way. It was so unlike other experiences we have had with South American au pairs. We will never choose a French au pair again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had one French au pair and she was our only rematch. She wasn’t particularly warm, and was very uninterested in doing the less exciting parts of the job (preparing kids lunches, helping with their laundry, etc). She made no attempt to bond with the kids and took her meals in her room. She didn’t seem to want to be with us in any sort of family way. It was so unlike other experiences we have had with South American au pairs. We will never choose a French au pair again.

It is not that she was French - it was her personality! Our French AP was the complete opposite. Incredibly engaged and committed to getting to know each child as an individual, very hands on and helpful in all respects, incredibly responsible, very close to our family and just an absolute gem. On the flip side, we hosted a South American AP who disappeared the moment she wasn’t working, had zero bond with our kids, and was a prolific liar. When she left (rematch after 9.5 months, after one too many major lies), she didn’t even bother to say goodbye to our kids. Whereas our French AP spent her last week taking every chance she had to be with our children, and still sends birthday videos and Christmas gifts.

[Anonymous]

We've had 7 au pairs, current is our first French Au Pair. She's very mature and responsible and organized but I think that's just her personality.

She did admit that most French young women smoke at least occasionally (she said she has about 2 cigarettes per month). We've never smelled it on her or her friends so we don't care. She also goes out with her friends more than any AP we have ever had. Like every single night although she's only ever out past midnight on the weekends. That said, she's not unsocial with us, enjoys dinner with us most nights and cooks for the family 2-3x per week.