Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even if you tell your au pair to follow CDC, state, and local guidelines, I guarantee you that you will still be feeling very uncomfortable with what the au pairs are up to if you and your family have been cautious. Au pairs basically will act like COVID doesn't exist but occasionally wear a mask (not always properly).

Bars? Hey, they're open at reduced capacity, so au pairs can go, right?
Restaurants and drinking? Same as above and definitely maskless because they're consuming food/drink. Are the wait staff going say something to their customers if their chairs aren't distanced? Nope.
Tinder and other apps? Well, that's not the same as a "gathering" so why would this not be ok?
Travel? Also open, so why would you have a problem with it?

Then, the vaccine also makes them COVID-proof, right? Why would you have any restrictions if they're vaccinated. So what that they *might* transmit the virus still... some evidence says vaccinated people likely don't too... therefore this shouldn't impact how au pairs are living their "best life" here...

All of the above (PP is a rockstar!). And guess what? If your family does get COVID our your au pair is not adhering to your rules, your agency and your LCC will give you the trope, "well, maybe you are not right for the program". I am beyond disgusted by our agency and LCC at the moment

Anonymous wrote:Even if you tell your au pair to follow CDC, state, and local guidelines, I guarantee you that you will still be feeling very uncomfortable with what the au pairs are up to if you and your family have been cautious. Au pairs basically will act like COVID doesn't exist but occasionally wear a mask (not always properly).

Bars? Hey, they're open at reduced capacity, so au pairs can go, right?
Restaurants and drinking? Same as above and definitely maskless because they're consuming food/drink. Are the wait staff going say something to their customers if their chairs aren't distanced? Nope.
Tinder and other apps? Well, that's not the same as a "gathering" so why would this not be ok?
Travel? Also open, so why would you have a problem with it?

Then, the vaccine also makes them COVID-proof, right? Why would you have any restrictions if they're vaccinated. So what that they *might* transmit the virus still... some evidence says vaccinated people likely don't too... therefore this shouldn't impact how au pairs are living their "best life" here...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even if you tell your au pair to follow CDC, state, and local guidelines, I guarantee you that you will still be feeling very uncomfortable with what the au pairs are up to if you and your family have been cautious. Au pairs basically will act like COVID doesn't exist but occasionally wear a mask (not always properly).

Bars? Hey, they're open at reduced capacity, so au pairs can go, right?
Restaurants and drinking? Same as above and definitely maskless because they're consuming food/drink. Are the wait staff going say something to their customers if their chairs aren't distanced? Nope.
Tinder and other apps? Well, that's not the same as a "gathering" so why would this not be ok?
Travel? Also open, so why would you have a problem with it?

Then, the vaccine also makes them COVID-proof, right? Why would you have any restrictions if they're vaccinated. So what that they *might* transmit the virus still... some evidence says vaccinated people likely don't too... therefore this shouldn't impact how au pairs are living their "best life" here...

All of the above (PP is a rockstar!). And guess what? If your family does get COVID our your au pair is not adhering to your rules, your agency and your LCC will give you the trope, "well, maybe you are not right for the program". I am beyond disgusted by our agency and LCC at the moment

Anonymous wrote:Even if you tell your au pair to follow CDC, state, and local guidelines, I guarantee you that you will still be feeling very uncomfortable with what the au pairs are up to if you and your family have been cautious. Au pairs basically will act like COVID doesn't exist but occasionally wear a mask (not always properly).

Bars? Hey, they're open at reduced capacity, so au pairs can go, right?
Restaurants and drinking? Same as above and definitely maskless because they're consuming food/drink. Are the wait staff going say something to their customers if their chairs aren't distanced? Nope.
Tinder and other apps? Well, that's not the same as a "gathering" so why would this not be ok?
Travel? Also open, so why would you have a problem with it?

Then, the vaccine also makes them COVID-proof, right? Why would you have any restrictions if they're vaccinated. So what that they *might* transmit the virus still... some evidence says vaccinated people likely don't too... therefore this shouldn't impact how au pairs are living their "best life" here...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i think its very case by case and my requirements have shifted since this whole thing began so don't have anything to share, but i wanted to point out the 1005 top most important vital thing I have learned about this: I need my AP to be HONEST with me about COVID. I need her to tell me if she found herself in situation that wasnt safe/where she didnt follow the rules. I need her to tell me if she is feeling too restricted and wants to have a compromise on one of the rules. I need her to tell me if one of the "safe" au pairs we have previously given her permission to hang out with was potentially exposed. What has really hurt our HF/AP relationship through all this is that she at times was not following the rules and didnt tell us which has completely eroded our trust even though she is a great au pair who is wonderful with our kid.

+1. Ours followed our rules (our DS is medically vulnerable so we need to play it extremely safe), but just didn't tell us when she was having a hard time and got really resentful so our great relationship just imploded. I would have much rather she said "SOS, I'm having a hard time with these restrictions that you told me about and I agreed to, but it's still hard". We could have had an amicable rematch. Instead, she kept it in and then lashed out at the very end.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i think its very case by case and my requirements have shifted since this whole thing began so don't have anything to share, but i wanted to point out the 1005 top most important vital thing I have learned about this: I need my AP to be HONEST with me about COVID. I need her to tell me if she found herself in situation that wasnt safe/where she didnt follow the rules. I need her to tell me if she is feeling too restricted and wants to have a compromise on one of the rules. I need her to tell me if one of the "safe" au pairs we have previously given her permission to hang out with was potentially exposed. What has really hurt our HF/AP relationship through all this is that she at times was not following the rules and didnt tell us which has completely eroded our trust even though she is a great au pair who is wonderful with our kid.

+1. Ours followed our rules (our DS is medically vulnerable so we need to play it extremely safe), but just didn't tell us when she was having a hard time and got really resentful so our great relationship just imploded. I would have much rather she said "SOS, I'm having a hard time with these restrictions that you told me about and I agreed to, but it's still hard". We could have had an amicable rematch. Instead, she kept it in and then lashed out at the very end.

Anonymous wrote:i think its very case by case and my requirements have shifted since this whole thing began so don't have anything to share, but i wanted to point out the 1005 top most important vital thing I have learned about this: I need my AP to be HONEST with me about COVID. I need her to tell me if she found herself in situation that wasnt safe/where she didnt follow the rules. I need her to tell me if she is feeling too restricted and wants to have a compromise on one of the rules. I need her to tell me if one of the "safe" au pairs we have previously given her permission to hang out with was potentially exposed. What has really hurt our HF/AP relationship through all this is that she at times was not following the rules and didnt tell us which has completely eroded our trust even though she is a great au pair who is wonderful with our kid.

Anonymous wrote:Would anyone be willing to share their Covid related guidelines for their au pair? I understand this will vary greatly from family to family. We are thinking of matching with an au pair and wondering what we should tell her / outline in our ‘handbook’ regarding this. We usually have our au pair candidate read our ‘handbook’ before they decide if they want to match w us. We had an au pair in 2020 but they left in April so we have never really had an au pair during Covid times. Just wondering what others are doing either with your current au pair or an au pair you are expecting shortly. Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:Just demand they arrive with proof of having been fully vaccinated.