Matching Difficulties

[Anonymous]

Matching seems especially difficult this year, pool is smaller and lots of competition for the same AP. For the first time, we have having difficulty matching, it always comes down to two families and we are not the chosen one. Is is standard to offer a lot of extra perks/pay right now? I understand this for extensions/rematches, but for your standard 18 year old out of country AP, it does not seem like the best way to find a good fit. We have a good situation to start with regarding hours, private floor/bath, car use and so forth. I also pay extra during the pandemic, but have not been advertising this.

[Anonymous]

There must be something making you less attractive. Number of kids? Covid rules?

Like with anything, if you really need an AP, don’t hold back what you are willing to offer. Supply and demand.

[Anonymous]

Supply and demand but hold fast to what is important to you. We can not compromise on COVID safety, so that's a non-starter. If you don't want to advertise more pay upfront now, you can say that the pay will go up after 3 months.

[Anonymous]

We successfully matched with a good, but not perfect candidate who aligned with our covid rules. We didnt offer any extra $. Good luck, they are out there!

[Anonymous]

We matched recently with a home country au pair offering nothing extra in terms of signing bonus or extra money. We have 3 kids home school and follow cdc covid-19 rules ( tight). We had to expand our country of origin and look into different agencies to find someone. Keep looking, good luck!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We matched recently with a home country au pair offering nothing extra in terms of signing bonus or extra money. We have 3 kids home school and follow cdc covid-19 rules ( tight). We had to expand our country of origin and look into different agencies to find someone. Keep looking, good luck!!!

This is great advice. We are finding the home country candidates to be far less entitled about COVID rules than the rematch and extension pool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We matched recently with a home country au pair offering nothing extra in terms of signing bonus or extra money. We have 3 kids home school and follow cdc covid-19 rules ( tight). We had to expand our country of origin and look into different agencies to find someone. Keep looking, good luck!!!

This is great advice. We are finding the home country candidates to be far less entitled about COVID rules than the rematch and extension pool.

Well, that makes sense since girls from out of country have no idea what it will be like to be locked in with her employer, what it will be like not to see friends, etc.

Trust me, when they get here, they won't be happy. But good luck anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We matched recently with a home country au pair offering nothing extra in terms of signing bonus or extra money. We have 3 kids home school and follow cdc covid-19 rules ( tight). We had to expand our country of origin and look into different agencies to find someone. Keep looking, good luck!!!

This is great advice. We are finding the home country candidates to be far less entitled about COVID rules than the rematch and extension pool.

Well, that makes sense since girls from out of country have no idea what it will be like to be locked in with her employer, what it will be like not to see friends, etc.

Trust me, when they get here, they won't be happy. But good luck anyway.

I agree with that, I think getting a an out of country AP right now when you have very tight COVID rules and no perks is a recipe for disaster and likely to lead to a quick rematch.

I also think it’s fair for APs to expect extra compensations for working in a much more difficult environment than what they initially signed up for and for giving up on the freedom to do what they want in their free time and be monitored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We matched recently with a home country au pair offering nothing extra in terms of signing bonus or extra money. We have 3 kids home school and follow cdc covid-19 rules ( tight). We had to expand our country of origin and look into different agencies to find someone. Keep looking, good luck!!!

This is great advice. We are finding the home country candidates to be far less entitled about COVID rules than the rematch and extension pool.

Well, that makes sense since girls from out of country have no idea what it will be like to be locked in with her employer, what it will be like not to see friends, etc.

Trust me, when they get here, they won't be happy. But good luck anyway.

I agree with that, I think getting a an out of country AP right now when you have very tight COVID rules and no perks is a recipe for disaster and likely to lead to a quick rematch.

I also think it’s fair for APs to expect extra compensations for working in a much more difficult environment than what they initially signed up for and for giving up on the freedom to do what they want in their free time and be monitored.

A lot of APs are coming from countries that are just much smarter about covid than we are. I’ve heard comments about how dumb and selfish some American families are.

[Anonymous]

I'm the 15:59 poster - we were VERY explict on our covid practices and she spoke to our current au pair about the realities. I am comfortable that she at least understands intellectually what it will be like, though agree its possible she will chafe a bit once she gets here. One adaptation we made to our expectations was to go with a younger AP than we normally seek in order to have someone who was living with her parents rather than on her own. My thinking is that this would be closer to the experience she will have at least for the first few months of her time with us (pre-vaccines likely) - she arrives in July.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the 15:59 poster - we were VERY explict on our covid practices and she spoke to our current au pair about the realities. I am comfortable that she at least understands intellectually what it will be like, though agree its possible she will chafe a bit once she gets here. One adaptation we made to our expectations was to go with a younger AP than we normally seek in order to have someone who was living with her parents rather than on her own. My thinking is that this would be closer to the experience she will have at least for the first few months of her time with us (pre-vaccines likely) - she arrives in July.

Great idea! I am also stressing that vaccines will not be widely available for awhile. I had one candidate ask will all this be necesssary once vaccines are available, so I told her how delayed everything has been with vaccination--and how, yes, you still need to mask up even after you get the vaccine. Doesn't help that some au pairs and host families seem to think that the vaccine is a passport to pre-COVID life.

[Anonymous]

For us, we would use all 45 au pair hours pre or post pandemic ( two full time physician household) so for us, the environment is not any more difficult pre or post, salary will stay three expected amount. Normal perks with bonuses earned, not entitled. Covid rules that follow science, so yes, go out and walk, see your friends outside with masks on. I don't think this is a recipe for distaster. Our current au pair has been with us for 1 year no problem even in all this covid crap. I think just finding the right match and maturity level. Not some entitled young woman looking to travel the world to find herself in a gap year, but someone who wants to come to the US for the cultural experience and with set goals of what they are going to gain out if this ( our new match is going to get her master's in language and work in tourism in her home country, her motivation is to gain better English not to travel the US in a pandemic). If I was going to pay way above price and offer these crazy sign on perks and leaving bonuses, I'd hire a domestic nanny with actual experience who doesn't have to live with us. I enjoy the cultural exchange and flexible affordable care the au pairs can offer and I'm turn think we are a very kind family that can attract candidates without having to flash gold at people.

[Anonymous]

We didn’t pay over stipend and our aupair is covid safe. Match with what you are comfortable offering and requiring.