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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]wondering what things made you decide on matching with the family that you decided to finally pick?[/quote]

Mostly gut feeling. I talked to both my prospective HM and HD, both were very nice, friendly, open about the challenges the job would bring, we laughed a lot, had a similar sense of humor. We just talked for hours (first time nearly 3 hrs, second time another 1 1/2 hrs) and it never felt strange or forced.
Fixed schedule (7 am to 5 pm), AP car, all weekends off, busy, active.

[quote=Anonymous] Was there anything that you looked for specifically that you thought would make for a good experience?[/quote]

I was looking for a family with both parents working full time (not from home) that had a young child who was home all day - as I wanted a fixed schedule and weekends off. I also hoped for a family that was experienced with the program (not first AP) but not on the brink of burning out (not AP #14). I had an idea of what I thought I wanted, an idea of what I thought the "family of my dreams" would look like. Had you asked me when I signed up for the program, I would have said I was looking for a two-parent family with two children (aged 3 to 8) in the suburb of a large city (I was silently hoping for Chicago or Boston).

Even though you are not asking the question - I would never have thought that I'd pick a HF like mine.
The family I matched with had four children aged 1 to 13 (while I was open for all ages, "teenager" wasn't really on top of my list), in Bumf*** nowhere in the Midwest. Best. choice. ever. It wasn't all roses, of course, but generally it was a great experience for both sides, I think.

[quote=Anonymous]What were things that made you NOT want to match with a certain family?[/quote]

The first family to contact me was... odd. They did not offer any information about their family other than number and age of children, location and their religion.
They wanted me asap (two months before finishing high school - I was available from late June / early July, they wanted April, the mom did ask me if I couldn't quit school early - a family in which education valued that little and who expected me to drop out for a gap year would not have been a good choice for me, education is something I value highly), which simply wasn't possible. Their interview style was repeating the same question over and over and over again (What would you do if the youngest tried to touch the hot stove? [answer] What if he didn't stop? [answer] What if he still didn't stop? [I don't know... I have suggested redirecting, getting down on eye level... what do you want to hear? You haven't mentioned anything about how you discipline your children and I don't know the kids...). They also told me they didn't want their AP to travel (AP was coming to work, not to travel). That's pretty much all I remember - after an hour I didn't know the name of the children, what they enjoyed doing, what their schedule looked like, what their favorite color was...  
Oh and they told me their exAP (first AP) had just ran off, left a note on the kitchen table and disappeared over the weekend. That was why they needed a replacement asap.
I just didn't think they were a good match for me.

I don't think I would have matched with a family with an infant (< 6 months) and I don't think I would have matched with a family with only (pre)teens or a child 15+. 
I would not have matched with a family with more than two children at home all day (one of my friends was in a family with four children under the age of 5, including infant twins - I would have been a horrible choice for them). I would not have matched with a family that did not offer a fairly fixed schedule. I wouldn't have matched with a family in a suburb with no public transport without car access (during working hours and free time).[/quote]

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