I had planned to flash perks up front this time, but it's so hard to actually do it because I don't want to attract the wrong kind of candidate. Yes, I want them to answer my email and get on skype with me. But no, I don't want to coax them to do the job all year. PP's note about putting the perks into the initial note...maybe I should try that, because we're getting a lot of rejections. But it's hard.

I aggressively advertised the “host family that wants you as part of the family” aspect. We actually have a lot of perks but didn’t advertise them. Took 2.5 months and lots of connection declines but finally found someone great.

My au pair decided to extend with us so I got to be spared from the process this year. She was going to try to move to another family, and she interviewed a bit and then scrapped the idea. I think au pairs think its a pain to match too.

Aggressively advertising perks will get you farther with prospective APs, but you have to wonder the entitlement and maturity level of the type of AP who only responds if the perks are flashed in bright lights before they bother to read the family profile.

We can’t even get past the “accept connection” page. We just get the declined connection with the same generic “best of luck finding an amazing au pair!” message. Best of luck indeed....

I hate to say it but I now see how the perks play in as people have been saying. After connection we have a standard thank you email, general info and questions. We have been at about 66-75% response rate within 48 hours of them accepting our connection request and the generic email.

For the recent intro email, I added in the fact we pay for gym membership, a link to the small luxury SUV that is our AP's dedicated car and a couple other things and last 3 connections replied within hours asking to skype.

We have an easy gig, 2 school aged kids; walk to clarendon metro/bars and it CCAP seems to be getting harder and harder each year.

Even though our "perks" are in our profile putting it in the email seems to be the difference.

I'm with you OP. We're on our seventh au pair, and we offer a pretty good (i.e., easy) gig. We matched with our current au pair through the new process. It turned out to be a great match, but frankly, our three previous au pairs were great too, so I don't think it's due to the refined process. I came very close to switching agencies because the new process was a complete PITA. I sent the agency a pretty long list of suggestion/complaints.

OP here. I continue to be astounded by how many APs ignore connection requests. It's ridiculous. Even the pre-written response would be an improvement. This search is taking up way too much of my time.

Were in rematch with CCAP right now and I am looking only for au pairs who pretty closely match our remaining credit with CCAP. I won’t commit to another full term with them.

CCAP are you taking notes? Lots of HFs not happy. Step up your game!

Anonymous wrote:APC allows a more limited number of connections at same time. That helps cut down on perk shopping to some extent. And if you select option toninterview, au pair contact info is automatically available rather than waiting for au pair to decide whether to accept or to respond with the INCREDIBKY ANNOYING PRE-WRITTEN RESPONSE. (I really have the CCAP responses...aaaagghhh.)

That pre-written response kills me too. One of them clearly just copy/pasted from a previous note and didn't even change the family name to ours!

In terms of CCAP screening: I was interested in a candidate from France, and scheduled Skype. Then gave my current French AP read the profile. The profile in the music section listed two festivals that my current AP said are known just to have drug use by pretty much everyone there... Fast forward to Skype on Sunday at like 6 PM European time... I swear she must have been high... The answer to the question “why do you want to be an AP?” ended up in a loooong list of cities/states that she wanted to visit (not all in the US mind you!)... my husband, bless his heart, was trying so hard to be nice to her. I just couldn’t hang up fast enough!

Anonymous wrote:I would have stayed with them (CCAP) if the program director actually listened to my complaints rather than just "give me advice" on how to have an AP connection--things I was already doing. They were not willing to admit that they made a decision that was not going well---and that's just poor form. And some of the AP candidates were just not great---I had one who answered a skype video while driving!!! Another skyped with my child and then wrote to us saying what do we do when she doesn't pay attention to grown ups--and if my (4 yr old) wasn't listening to her on skype then how would the child listen to her as an AP? I mean, better screening before being admitted into the pool, please.

May I ask the PD’s first name? Our PD is truly driving me to leave. Same thing: tries to advise me on how to be a better host parent to an au pair that REALLY should have been kicked out of the program. This wasn’t the actual example but imagine if you’d told PD “au pair dropped the baby from ten feet in the air and then forgot baby was there for a while” and then the PD said “young person...cultural exchange...I think you need to reflect on whether you were clear enough in your communication, and reflect on whether you fully explained your expectations.”

Anonymous wrote:I would have stayed with them (CCAP) if the program director actually listened to my complaints rather than just "give me advice" on how to have an AP connection--things I was already doing. They were not willing to admit that they made a decision that was not going well---and that's just poor form. And some of the AP candidates were just not great---I had one who answered a skype video while driving!!! Another skyped with my child and then wrote to us saying what do we do when she doesn't pay attention to grown ups--and if my (4 yr old) wasn't listening to her on skype then how would the child listen to her as an AP? I mean, better screening before being admitted into the pool, please.

I just looked at a profile where under childcare experience, the AP listed "I babysat children unrelated to me". Under activities she writes: "I never babysat them, but we were surrounded by the children almost all the time at her place and spent time with them and her family." How on earth can that be allowed as an example? Being in the same house as your best friend's siblings is not childcare experience!

I would have stayed with them (CCAP) if the program director actually listened to my complaints rather than just "give me advice" on how to have an AP connection--things I was already doing. They were not willing to admit that they made a decision that was not going well---and that's just poor form. And some of the AP candidates were just not great---I had one who answered a skype video while driving!!! Another skyped with my child and then wrote to us saying what do we do when she doesn't pay attention to grown ups--and if my (4 yr old) wasn't listening to her on skype then how would the child listen to her as an AP? I mean, better screening before being admitted into the pool, please.