Anonymous wrote:Do au pairs really have to go back to their home country if they have an injury? Are there no doctors in the US?

I know this is a snide comment, but I will answer it seriously. It depends what the injury is. We have had APs who broke toes and fingers, and no, they didn't have to go home. But our AP who tore his ACL did have to go home, despite the fact that we wanted him to stay and were happy to house him while he recovered. We had an orthopedist lined up who took the AP high level insurance and was willing to do the surgery (he was a top surgeon - actually was the knee doctor for FIFA), but the insurance company would not guarantee that they would pay for the full surgery, only for the doctor's fees. In other words, we could not get a guarantee that they would cover the anesthesia, the nursing, the techs, etc. When we asked CCAP to step in and help us, suddenly the insurance company no longer would pay even for the doctor and now the AP's only choice was to go home for the surgery. The insurance did pay for a first class flight and a medical escort (AP was in wheel chair), but it was not the outcome we all wanted. That said, it took AP six months from surgery to be able to walk again (it turned out not to be just the ACL), and eight months til he could drive, so it turned out for the best that he went home, but we were really sad as he was a fantastic AP. Anyway, the lesson learned is that there are limits even to the upgraded insurance, and sometimes it works better for the agency (and, I will reluctantly admit, for the AP and HF as well) for the AP to go home if the injury is very serious.

Anonymous wrote:Do au pairs really have to go back to their home country if they have an injury? Are there no doctors in the US?

No, there are no doctors in the US. Not a single one. It's a real problem.

Do au pairs really have to go back to their home country if they have an injury? Are there no doctors in the US?

I'll echo the others in that we wound up expediting an overseas match after our lackluster AP told us at the last minute she didn't want to move cities with us. Our current AP is so great I feel like I'm bragging every time I talk about her.

Rematch is such a relief, once you rip the bandaid off. There's some au pair out there who is perfect for you.

Anonymous wrote:I haven't been with InterExchange but want to echo the PP on moving forward with rematch if you don't have the right fit. We have had to rematch twice -- the first wasn't technically a rematch as our AP had to go home for two months because of an injury and we got a short-term AP from the rematch pool. I worked closely with my LCC to screen and interview candidates and we got one of our best APs ever if only for two months.

The second time, our AP who had extended with us bailed at the last minute. I couldn't find anyone in the rematch or extension pool who would work for us, so we did a blazing fast OOC match and got our absolute best AP ever. Our departing AP was with us for 2 weeks and then we had to do a short-term sitter for 5 weeks, but it worked out really well and I don't regret it for a minute. Short-term inconvenience and expense was well worth it for a stable year with a rock star AP. I didn't skimp on reviewing profiles or interviewing -- I just did it all super-fast.

I am the PP, and we got a fantastic extension candidate out of our rematch with IE. Don't let the fear of rematch paralyze you. You may not find a gem right away, but there are some great APs out there who are probably better suited for your family.

I haven't been with InterExchange but want to echo the PP on moving forward with rematch if you don't have the right fit. We have had to rematch twice -- the first wasn't technically a rematch as our AP had to go home for two months because of an injury and we got a short-term AP from the rematch pool. I worked closely with my LCC to screen and interview candidates and we got one of our best APs ever if only for two months.

The second time, our AP who had extended with us bailed at the last minute. I couldn't find anyone in the rematch or extension pool who would work for us, so we did a blazing fast OOC match and got our absolute best AP ever. Our departing AP was with us for 2 weeks and then we had to do a short-term sitter for 5 weeks, but it worked out really well and I don't regret it for a minute. Short-term inconvenience and expense was well worth it for a stable year with a rock star AP. I didn't skimp on reviewing profiles or interviewing -- I just did it all super-fast.

This is the less pleasant part about InterExchange... Their rematch and extension candidates are presented manually to families. You cannot get a 'preview' of who is in the rematch pool like you would with CC or APC.

You may want to call the main office directly and speak with Portia who is the transition coordinator. I am not sure how much information she might be able to give you if you have not yet initiated transition, but I have found her to be kind and helpful and she might have some pointers for you, or at least let you know how many are in the rematch/extension pool.

One piece of advice.... I would not avoid rematch only because I am not sure who I might get next. Worst situation, you can expedite the arrival of a new OOC. The fact that you are seriously considering rematch tells me things are not going well with your AP, and although rematch seems daunting, if you have any doubt that the AP in your home is not suited for her role, then you need to move on for the sake of your family.

We are considering rematch. We are with Interexchange. The rematch stories sound pretty bad. Can we see the rematch aupairs before we decide?