Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All four of my au pairs have been able to meet their requirements for around $500. None of them have taken college courses though. Montgomery County has an ESL program that was actually free (though books were $100), there are courses through the Smithsonian museums that were $40 each, etc. It can be done. Your LCC should be able to assist.

Longtime HM here - what are these $40 each Smithsonian classes? Our LCC has lists of available classes, but not these.

I'll ask my au pair. They were day-long classes at some of the museums. They seemed to be pretty useless (unless you're really into the topic, of course), but a good way to just check off the credits.

Mine did those too, plus the Niagara Falls trip that is popular.

Anonymous wrote:How many classes count toward the 6 credits au pairs need for their educational requirement? AP is currently taking 1 ESOL class worth 3 credit hours at the community college, and my husband seems to think that is enough to fulfill her requirement. I think she needs one more class. Does anyone know?

You've gotta ask your LCC. It depends how many hours of instruction your AP is getting out of the course. Ours will get 3 credits for her 6 week ESL class. She'll need to take a second course.

How many classes count toward the 6 credits au pairs need for their educational requirement? AP is currently taking 1 ESOL class worth 3 credit hours at the community college, and my husband seems to think that is enough to fulfill her requirement. I think she needs one more class. Does anyone know?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All four of my au pairs have been able to meet their requirements for around $500. None of them have taken college courses though. Montgomery County has an ESL program that was actually free (though books were $100), there are courses through the Smithsonian museums that were $40 each, etc. It can be done. Your LCC should be able to assist.

Longtime HM here - what are these $40 each Smithsonian classes? Our LCC has lists of available classes, but not these.

I'll ask my au pair. They were day-long classes at some of the museums. They seemed to be pretty useless (unless you're really into the topic, of course), but a good way to just check off the credits.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All four of my au pairs have been able to meet their requirements for around $500. None of them have taken college courses though. Montgomery County has an ESL program that was actually free (though books were $100), there are courses through the Smithsonian museums that were $40 each, etc. It can be done. Your LCC should be able to assist.

My au pair has taken those free courses through the county but they didn't count for the requirement because they have to be from an accredited college....

Huh. It counted for my au pair. Maybe we're talking about something different?

Anonymous wrote:All four of my au pairs have been able to meet their requirements for around $500. None of them have taken college courses though. Montgomery County has an ESL program that was actually free (though books were $100), there are courses through the Smithsonian museums that were $40 each, etc. It can be done. Your LCC should be able to assist.

Longtime HM here - what are these $40 each Smithsonian classes? Our LCC has lists of available classes, but not these.

Anonymous wrote:All four of my au pairs have been able to meet their requirements for around $500. None of them have taken college courses though. Montgomery County has an ESL program that was actually free (though books were $100), there are courses through the Smithsonian museums that were $40 each, etc. It can be done. Your LCC should be able to assist.

My au pair has taken those free courses through the county but they didn't count for the requirement because they have to be from an accredited college....

All four of my au pairs have been able to meet their requirements for around $500. None of them have taken college courses though. Montgomery County has an ESL program that was actually free (though books were $100), there are courses through the Smithsonian museums that were $40 each, etc. It can be done. Your LCC should be able to assist.

IME, $500 only covers all 6 credits if the first three credits are ESL classes, which you can definitely find on the cheap. Our 2nd AP is starting with an ESL class, which she genuinely does need, and if she improves enough from that, she'll take a regular class at the local community college.

Our first AP was a native English speaker and her first class at the community college ate up $400, but that included several enrollment fees that she wouldn't owe next time, so the second class would have been about $280. I was planning on offering to cover the extra, but she didn't get around to taking it, despite our pleas.

Alternatively, there are also cooking classes specifically for APs and budgeted as such. I imagine that would only be appealing to some one who's English is already good and who already has her degree.

Yep. There are english classes that are like $125 for the semester.

What do APs in the DC area do for their education requirement? I know that part of the agency fee is $500 to cover the education expenses, but can you really find anything that provides 6 semester hours for $500 in this area? If it costs more, do host families tend to cover it the excess, or does the AP cover it him/herself?