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[quote=Anonymous]I'm the PP who had the "infant qualified" AP who clearly had never cared for a baby.

Just to expand on it - She actually stayed with us for the full two years.  When I realized she did not have experience with infants, I was frustrated, but I also knew that she was willing to learn.  Our family was bonding to her and I didn't want to go through a rematch.  So I taught her how to care for a 4 month old.  It worked out.

As we got closer over the next two years, I learned more of her story.  Some of these au pairs really don't have options in their home countries, and they are desperate to get out.  Being able to say they are infant qualified helps them get in front of more candidates.  In our case, our AP had a close family friend with a young daughter, so AP represented that she had cared for the child since birth.  The real story is more like, she saw this kid for holidays and stuff.  The family friend vouched for the AP because again, the family friend wanted AP to get in the program and start a better life.

I share this story because I think it's terrible that the agency represents "infant qualified" when they do so little to verify it! Yes, my AP and her friend likely lied to the agency about her qualifications.  But I feel like the agency could have sniffed it out if they'd done more.  I made a mistake relying on the agency's representation that she was infant qualified.

If I could go back in time, during interviews, I'd ask more open ended questions - how have you supported a mom breastfeeding?  How have you handled getting a 4 month old on a schedule?  How have you handled diaper rash? To sniff out how much experience they really have.[/quote]

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