Our first AP was a disaster, total princess, thought it would be a vacation vs a job, etc. All the classic issues. We ended up rematching and found a second year AP who was in the middle of a rematch herself. She was amazing, we sponsored her once her year was up, and she's a dear family friend working in the area and on the way to permanent residency. One thing that kind of took me aback at first in the interview process but I think was actually a huge green flag was she had a ton of questions about our parenting style and home life. She really wanted to make sure we were compatible with our expectations before committing, which I appreciated. I do think they will be more picky in the second year so if you have a complicated or challenging situation (several kids, etc) then you might need to compensate in other ways like more pay, car for personal use or other things.

I prefer them. They know what they need to be happy in a posting, and the power dynamic is a lot more balanced. Sometimes talking to au pairs in home country, I feel like they are trying so hard to get here that they are really selling themselves vs assessing if our family is the right fit for them. I find year 2 au pairs are more grounded and more likely to result in a comfortable match for everyone. That said, then you don’t have the option to renew when you love them, so that’s a downside!

depends. the one i had thought we should be moving mountains for her and then she burnt out quickly

It really depends on the individual circumstances.

Some au pairs want to experience a different city. Some are "back in circulation" because they aren't good au pairs. Some want much higher stipend, more perks, etc.

You definitely will want to ask the previous family for feedback, and you definitely want to screen heavily for burnout, entitlement, work ethic, and other reasons.

I have had 2 second year APs. They were both great. One wanted to try a different state. The second one was because the family no longer needed an AP. Both hit the ground running. It was awesome.

Talking to 2nd year au pair tomorrow that seems great. But we have 4 kids albeit older 8-13 yr olds and not LA or NY. Fingers crossed. I keep getting so many rejections but our current au pair speaks highly of us .

If you live in a highly desireable place and/or offer lots of perks and/or only have one kid and an easy schedule, that is probably why you might receive interest from a 2nd year AP. If not, Id be skeptical of motivations and definitely speak to the prior Host Family.

They tend to think they are a hot commodity b/c they have experience. They will be more demanding b/c they are trying to even the score for what they perceive as they did not receive in year 1. Screen carefully

Not having to do social security, drivers license etc sounds so good… What is your experience with Year2 APs? Worth it or good reasons they are back in circulation?