"Slave" poster - who are you??

[Anonymous]

"Have you ever spend 3 weeks alone with your children except of its first 3months? This program creates social pathology."

AP, you signed up for a cultural experience. Welcome to the USA and 12 weeks of maternity leave. If you don't want to care for children in the USA, I suggest you find another kind of cultural experience. Best wishes.

[Anonymous]

Great, family who have never taking care of kids alone except 3 months. What would you do without an Au pair programme? No wonder that HF will be fighting for it to exist. Tones of money and time saved. Monthly cost of preschool for one child for 4 hours cost 700$ whereas Au pair for many kids cost 783$ for 10h a day with a she sure where you can have 3 hour break in a day so Au pair works till late evening. HP inside of the house having free time while Au pair works. Ugly.
You can add fee for the agency, gas, electricity, water, some frozen food or I'll buy it by myself won't be waiting untill some will buy it for me. The rest is not really included.
You don't have to pay once a week- just equality of weekly stipend once after 2,3,4 weeks.
You don't pay for room HF gives a space. It can be a room or basement. You don't have to give separate bathroom. You don't have to provide cellphone. You don't have to provide tv. You don't have to provide transportation.

Still everything is fine according to to agreement.

Don't be surprised that the Au pair will be comming to do the job and nothing more.

You can't ask about taking care of pets. I came there taking there of children. I'm not there so you could save money on hotel for a pet.
Have some self respect HP because you supposed to be example for Au pairs.

It supposed to be cultural experience. Yes it was a bad one.
Getting weekly stipend - in the agreement it doesn't say when will you get the money. Read it online how many families is writing that the Au pair SHOULD REMIND THEM to PAY. Btw the company sends an email once a month with a question does the HF pays. Not ever week. Company should send this email every week to HF. It's not my duty to remind late 30, 40s or whatever to PAY when the JOB is done. If they are HIRING me.


Getting reimbursement for education. So the HF doesn't know that they have to pay? I wasn't the first Au pair. Des the Au pair has to remind them?


The kids were the best part of the programme and their pet but that was sick environment. Au pair is in lost position from the day that her foot steps in a house.
What is the role of the HF or agency for an Au pair?

[Anonymous]

Guess what. I had those informations in house guidebook but there weren't true. As an Au pair you or HF is not signing it. It's useless document. It was writes in superlatives all around and white lies. I'm wondering if you would be searching for an Au pair for your infant and another child that it's just a job. I bet you would like to color the reality. Im not going to be an Au pair twice but HP after one experience definitelly know what to expect and how to pull things on their side. Did you gain the confidence?

[Anonymous]

Just because YOU had a bad experience doesn't make ALL HF bad. I don't have pets, we set up direct deposit for stipend and education. SOmeday maybe you will actually be a mom and realize it isn't a crime to want and take some free time in your home. It's also OK to return to work. If people didn't work and/or spend time away from their kids then childcare jobs wouldn't exist.


You had a bad year. Being an AP wasn't for you. And many others love the program, extend, return, etc. Every year, despite the advent of social media, thousands of APs (more than there are HF) return. YOU don't like it, but you are not everyone.

[Anonymous]

Yes, people forget to do things and you have to remind them. It's normal. Welcome to adult life where you need to remind people, advocate for yourself, etc.

[Anonymous]

"Monthly cost of preschool for one child for 4 hours cost 700$ whereas Au pair for many kids cost 783$ for 10h a day with a she sure where you can have 3 hour break in a day so Au pair works till late evening. HP inside of the house having free time while Au pair works. Ugly."


APs are not trained preschool teachers. They are babysitters with inflated experience from babysitting a few hours in their home country.

Yes, you signed up for a 45 hour work week.

Yes, parents can have AP work so they can have free time. Adults are allowed to work, parent, AND have some free time...gasp!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, people forget to do things and you have to remind them. It's normal. Welcome to adult life where you need to remind people, advocate for yourself, etc.

NP. You should be ashamed of yourself. You need to remind children, not grown responsible adults. How many times a day does your boss need to remind you about your responsibilities? Shame on you.

[Anonymous]

I have to remind our "grown responsible adult" AP every day.

[Anonymous]

"You should be ashamed of yourself. You need to remind children, not grown responsible adults. How many times a day does your boss need to remind you about your responsibilities? Shame on you."

I am sure you never forget anything. Ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Monthly cost of preschool for one child for 4 hours cost 700$ whereas Au pair for many kids cost 783$ for 10h a day with a she sure where you can have 3 hour break in a day so Au pair works till late evening. HP inside of the house having free time while Au pair works. Ugly."


APs are not trained preschool teachers. They are babysitters with inflated experience from babysitting a few hours in their home country.

Yes, you signed up for a 45 hour work week.

Yes, parents can have AP work so they can have free time. Adults are allowed to work, parent, AND have some free time...gasp!

Spending 1,5 h a day with a child and weekends with half day driving somewhere or participating in child school event weekend having constant support from spouse also diminishing work of an Au pair seems like being great parent and a person.

Parent you make me realize that you have no idea what taking care of kids is. You have never fully experienced that.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry what I wrote line above.


Becoming an Au pair requires experience. Yes they don't have license in USA to perform jobs like teachers, psychologists, nurses, occupational therapists ect. However you can find graduates from those occupations that can't fake their experience. Ive noticed that in USA society is strongly divided depends on status. Don't judge someone who decided to be an Au pair because you don't know from what kind of family that person comes from.

According to forgetting, reminding.
Company should take care of right time of payment. I don't see its role beside obtaining visa. People from USA believe too much in agencies. Start believing and cooperating in your Au pair -it's the one that directly works for you.

If you have to constantly remaining-your Au pair probably doesn't listen, respect or doesn't want doing sth because her pocket money won't rise or thinks that HP is neurotic, it's not important or she has too much work or your expectations are too high.

My HF were talking to the children standing above me.
X will help you doing...
X will go with you to....
X will give you...

Mostly there were irrelevant things.
Pretty disrespectful but when HP are out of the house the kid is mostly alone with Au pair and I hope that the stuff is not done because the child doesn't ask your Au pair nicely for her help.

Strong inviding in Au pair work/ live and HP entitlement are also factors that might me an indicating for slavery.

[Anonymous]

I pay just shy of $1100 for a full time (mon-fri 6:30-6:30) preschool that is excellent. I don't know anyone paying $700 per month for 4 hours. If they are, that's on the high end. I have two kids, one 3 and one 9, and I pay much less now that we've left the program. I'm sorry, but this program isn't cheap. It's less than a nanny, but for families with two kids or less- unless both are in full time daycare-- au pairs are not a budget option for childcare.

[Anonymous]

We pay about $3k more per year for au pair than we would for our school's extended care/summer program for 2 kids. And that's just the stipend and agency fee. It's cheaper than a professional nanny (which my 7 and 9 year old don't need) but more expensive than a part-time college student. We only ever use the 45 hours a few weeks in the summer and a few school break weeks. Otherwise they mostly work 25 hours per week.

All 4 of our APs have extended (except the one we have now who has only been here 3 months) and all have done fun trips and bought lots of clothes and still gone home with a nice nest egg. $200 per week when you don't pay for phone, internet, water, electricity, car, car insurance, food, laundry...is not a bad deal. 23 year old me had a $20/week budget for fun stuff and I worked more than 45 hours per week!

[Anonymous]

But the haters never acknowledge any of this and will go on and on about the slave salary that isn't supposed to be a salary. Yes, $200/week completely clear spending money isn't a bad gig.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Great, family who have never taking care of kids alone except 3 months. What would you do without an Au pair programme? No wonder that HF will be fighting for it to exist. Tones of money and time saved. Monthly cost of preschool for one child for 4 hours cost 700$ whereas Au pair for many kids cost 783$ for 10h a day with a she sure where you can have 3 hour break in a day so Au pair works till late evening. HP inside of the house having free time while Au pair works. Ugly.
You can add fee for the agency, gas, electricity, water, some frozen food or I'll buy it by myself won't be waiting untill some will buy it for me. The rest is not really included.
You don't have to pay once a week- just equality of weekly stipend once after 2,3,4 weeks.
You don't pay for room HF gives a space. It can be a room or basement. You don't have to give separate bathroom. You don't have to provide cellphone. You don't have to provide tv. You don't have to provide transportation.

Still everything is fine according to to agreement.

Don't be surprised that the Au pair will be comming to do the job and nothing more.

You can't ask about taking care of pets. I came there taking there of children. I'm not there so you could save money on hotel for a pet.
Have some self respect HP because you supposed to be example for Au pairs.

It supposed to be cultural experience. Yes it was a bad one.
Getting weekly stipend - in the agreement it doesn't say when will you get the money. Read it online how many families is writing that the Au pair SHOULD REMIND THEM to PAY. Btw the company sends an email once a month with a question does the HF pays. Not ever week. Company should send this email every week to HF. It's not my duty to remind late 30, 40s or whatever to PAY when the JOB is done. If they are HIRING me.


Getting reimbursement for education. So the HF doesn't know that they have to pay? I wasn't the first Au pair. Des the Au pair has to remind them?


The kids were the best part of the programme and their pet but that was sick environment. Au pair is in lost position from the day that her foot steps in a house.
What is the role of the HF or agency for an Au pair?

Seriously, you're whining that you get a whole basement? The LCC checks out the space to make sure it's acceptable, so take it up with them. And no, you are NOT entitled to a separate bathroom. The rest of us share bathrooms, why can't you? We don't even have a master bedroom/bath setup. Does that mean we can't have au pairs because our house is not acceptable enough for your princessy taste?

Also, APs are responsible for researching classes, registering, AND *gasp* asking for reimbursement. Actually, you shouldn't even be reimbursed. HF should pay directly to the school so you don't decide to skip the class and just spend the money you think you're so entitled to.

APs are here to work AND experience the country. Your posts show whininess about any work and not getting enough privilege handed to you for free. You're not entitled to a tv. But a cell phone? You should be asking what your plan includes and any limitations. OMG, the HF wants you to pay for overages from streaming YouTube all night long? YOU'RE DEFINITELY BEING ABUSED!!

Some APs do face abuse from HKs or neglect from HFs. This poster basically makes light of real abuse when she's more on the side of neglect and the worst of whiny millennialism.