obtaining a driver’s license

[Anonymous]

Our Au Pair holds an international driver’s license and is responsible driver.She was hired mainly to drive the kids around. She uses my husbands car and is currently driving the kids on her international license.she and the car is insured.She has a very busy social life where she drives all around the town with her AP friends. She is comfortable with the driving. Anyways, Virginia state says that you need to obtain a license within 6 months upon your arrival.The concern we have is that she has completed 5.5months of her contract and has still not obtained a US License.She has taken her drivers written test thrice now in Spanish and unfortunately has not been able to pass them.When we inquired on her drivers test situation and her plans or next steps.She said not to worry, she has it under control from advice from her AP friends.She also mentioned that there are APs out there who drive with their international license and the host families are fine with it and are flexible.She also mentioned when she passes the test, she would obtain a learner’s permit (like her friends have done) which extends her 6 month license requirement.Reading the DMV website it says for a learner’s permit, you need an adult that has a full license, sitting besides the driver while driving (which we cannot do).Within a 15/20 days she needs to take the written test and road driver’s test. We are really worried how this will impact our family.
Like any family household, we have a hectic schedules, DMV has insisted she now takes a class (which we will pay for 300 bucks or so) to even be eligible to sit for a written test for the fourth time.Should we wait it out for a month? or think of next steps?

[Anonymous]

You let this go for too long, and now you are in a jam. The big issue here is your insurance company - if she is in an accident when she isnt compliance with Virginia DL requirements, it could cost you. You should contact your LCC to get real guidance and not rely on your AP's social media network or on this chat!

I think you should at least curtail her use of the car until she gets this sorted out - she is pushing you around - I wouldnt believe a word she says about this stuff, you need to take control.

Its concerning she cant pass the written test in her native language - do you sense she is taking it seriously? Also, she needs to have skin the game, make her pay some portion of the class.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP. All of our aps have taken prepping for the written test seriously. They prioritized it and studied for it and all passed on the first go. Your AP is getting some bad info from her friends and is not taking this seriously. Use the insurance as a reason to cut back on her driving. She needs to take it seriously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our Au Pair holds an international driver’s license and is responsible driver.She was hired mainly to drive the kids around. She uses my husbands car and is currently driving the kids on her international license.she and the car is insured.She has a very busy social life where she drives all around the town with her AP friends. She is comfortable with the driving. Anyways, Virginia state says that you need to obtain a license within 6 months upon your arrival.The concern we have is that she has completed 5.5months of her contract and has still not obtained a US License.She has taken her drivers written test thrice now in Spanish and unfortunately has not been able to pass them.When we inquired on her drivers test situation and her plans or next steps.She said not to worry, she has it under control from advice from her AP friends.She also mentioned that there are APs out there who drive with their international license and the host families are fine with it and are flexible.She also mentioned when she passes the test, she would obtain a learner’s permit (like her friends have done) which extends her 6 month license requirement.Reading the DMV website it says for a learner’s permit, you need an adult that has a full license, sitting besides the driver while driving (which we cannot do).Within a 15/20 days she needs to take the written test and road driver’s test. We are really worried how this will impact our family.
Like any family household, we have a hectic schedules, DMV has insisted she now takes a class (which we will pay for 300 bucks or so) to even be eligible to sit for a written test for the fourth time.Should we wait it out for a month? or think of next steps?

You need to contact your LCC and have a sit down with your AP. Whatever plan she has come up with on the advice of her AP friends is not a plan that your family will likely feel comfortable with. The bottom line is that her job depends on the ability to legally drive your car and it's about to become a serious issue.
If she failed the test in Spanish, three times, she's not studying for it. I'm not sure why you are paying for the driving class because that is 100% her issue at this point. We had a very inexperienced driver from Colombia with poor english skills who passed the written test on the first try in spanish. She had to study.

You need to make it clear that her ability to drive is now on the line. You aren't going to be "flexible" when it comes to driving legally. A learner's permit means she can't drive after a certain time and can't drive anyone around until after she's had a certain amount of hours of driving documented. Unless she wants you or your husband to go along with her when she hangs out with friends, I dont' think she wants to use the learner's legally either.

I wouldn't wait it out. If she had failed it once, then be helpful and flexible. At this point, your work schedules are being jeopardized by her inability to be prepared for an pass the written exam.

[Anonymous]

thank you all for your candid responses and suggestions.This has been very helpful.

[Anonymous]

Ok. We were in a similar situation. Our first au pair, we had no clue how to navigate. Our LCC was completely worthless! Basically just shrugged and offered NO guidance. Our au pair went to the nearest driver's license bureau (not VA) and they told her she'd need to do the learner's permit for 6 months and have an adult (i.e. us) do like 50 hours of logged driving. They said it was her only option due to COVID, because they weren't doing in person driving tests.

We asked her to ask what other au pairs did. She reported back that most just drive on their int'l license. If they get pulled over, they just feign ignorance and hope the cop is likewise ignorant. Another au pair apparently was able to take and pass the in person test in a rural part of the state (about 1.5 hours away). We were going to do that, but kept putting it off and at this point she's only got a month left so we're just living on a prayer!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok. We were in a similar situation. Our first au pair, we had no clue how to navigate. Our LCC was completely worthless! Basically just shrugged and offered NO guidance. Our au pair went to the nearest driver's license bureau (not VA) and they told her she'd need to do the learner's permit for 6 months and have an adult (i.e. us) do like 50 hours of logged driving. They said it was her only option due to COVID, because they weren't doing in person driving tests.

We asked her to ask what other au pairs did. She reported back that most just drive on their int'l license. If they get pulled over, they just feign ignorance and hope the cop is likewise ignorant. Another au pair apparently was able to take and pass the in person test in a rural part of the state (about 1.5 hours away). We were going to do that, but kept putting it off and at this point she's only got a month left so we're just living on a prayer!

You are functioning professional adults, you can’t “live on a prayer” when it comes to black and white legal issues. If she is not in compliance legally, and she gets in to accident, that person will come after you, your assets, and more. You would be willingly letting her drive your vehicle uninsured (if she got in to an accident in your car past the date that she is legally able to drive in the US your insurance would not care if you still had her on the plan, they would be well within their legal right not to cover the accidents / damages that occurred. You can’t feign ignorance regarding how long she has been in the country because the insurance company will show that you added her to your insurance when she arrived in the country.

Come on host families, this is *not* something to play around with, this could have a direct legal and financial impact on you and your family.

I absolutely would make the Au pair cover half of her 1 week salary to pay for a portion of the driving course. She has to take the course because she has failed several times and she is not taking the test seriously.

[Anonymous]

An international drivers license is NOT an actual license. It’s a translation of the license they get in their home country. Some countries like South Africa have such lenient license rules that people can simply buy a license.

Most US insurance companies need all licensed drivers in your home to be on your insurance and have a legal license issued in the US.

I don’t blame an Aupair who tries to get around taking a drivers test but they are driving your kids! They need to understand the local driving laws.

This isn’t optional. You need to make sure the person who is driving your car is legal to do so.

[Anonymous]

If the au pair is driving without legit documentation, would your insurance even cover an accident if that happened? Ours would not. And on a related note, we cancelled a match because her driving documentation had lapsed, and she would have had to get a driver’s permit—which was a non-started for us because we couldn’t be in the car with her all of the times she needed to drive.

[Anonymous]

Enroll her in the class. Is her English good enough for it? Is she literate in Spanish? Can she take the test with a disability accommodation?
Can you study with her? I did that with my son & learned a few things.

[Anonymous]

You should have been clear to her from the start that she obtain the license within the time limit or you're rematching because you need a driver. She needs firm consequences and motivation. We had a Brazilian that failed 3 times, who immediately found a weekend course (more like $160, not $300) that she paid for, and finally passed the 4th time. She could drive, but had poor language skills and likely terrible study skills, so didn't understand it's a matter of rote memorization.

It needs to be crystal clear to both the AP and LCC that you will not tolerate illegal behavior (driving on a permit or without a state license after 6 months), so your only option will be to rematch. The legal and monetary costs of illegal activity could be significant. This is not just a matter of letting things slide. You will be liable for ANY accidents because the insurance will use this as an excuse not to pay and driving without a valid license in VA is a Class 2 misdemeanor punishable by jail up to 6 months and a fine up to $1,000 (plus towing of the car because the police won't let her drive home).