Give Your Children the World!

Au Pair International invites you to consider a time tested childcare alternative: welcoming a young person from another country into your family as an au pair! The Au Pair Program offers an extra set of hands and an opportunity for your family to engage in a rewarding, year-long cultural exchange experience. Below you will find a top-level overview of the Au Pair International Child Care Program. For more detailed information please visit our website at www.aupairint.com or call us to discuss your specific childcare needs. Au Pair International is designated by the US Department of State as a sponsor of the Au Pair Program.

Overview An au pair is a young adult from abroad that will live with your family for 1-2 years and in exchange for receiving room and board as well as a weekly stipend, provide childcare for your children and do light childcare related housework for up to 45 hours per week.

Length The au pair program is 12 months with the option of extending the stay for each au pair for 6, 9, or 12 extra months.

Arrivals Unlike most other au pair programs, our arrival dates are flexible to accommodate your family’s specific childcare needs.

Qualifications We hold a very high standard for our au pairs. Our overseas representatives interview each au pair applicant in person and candidates are accepted only after they have met our strict admissions criteria. All our au pairs have documented childcare experience, have provided multiple childcare references, and are educated individuals, motivated and eager to live in the US. Our candidates also: o Are between 18 and 26 years old. o Are proficient in conversational English. o Are in good health (documented by physician). o Have documented childcare experience. o Has successfully passed a background investigation and screening process. o Are responsible young adults of good character. Most candidates have a driver’s license and do not smoke.

Three Programs Au Pair International offers three great program options. In addition to passing the very thorough screening and minimum requirements, the candidates must have specific childcare experience and education to qualify for each of the three programs. I: Au Pair Child Care Program Candidates that qualify must have a minimum of 200 hours recent practical childcare experience. II: Au Pair Infant Child Care Program This program is designed for families with a child/children under 2 years of age. Candidates have a minimum of 200 hours recent practical infant childcare experience. III: Au Pair Professionnel Au Pair Professionnel are professional childcare givers or teachers with a formal childcare degree or a minimum of two years full-time childcare experience. This program allows the au pair to combine the au pair year with career advancement, and families to hire a professional childcare provider with formal education or extensive full-time experience caring for children, like nanny or nursery school teacher.

Au Pair International Child Care Program

A Sensible Child Care Solution Au Pair International’s au pairs are experienced, trained, and highly qualified childcare providers. Your au pair will provide personalized attention for up to 45 hours per week, and develop a long-term relationship with your child. Beyond the affordability, the Au Pair International Child Care Program is popular because of the many advantages and flexibility it offers.

Affordable At about $295 per week (about $6.50/hour) for full-time personalized childcare, the au pair program is more affordable than most daycare options, and less than half the cost of hiring a nanny. The cost is fixed independent of the number of children your au pair will care for.

Personalized and Enriching When you welcome an au pair from another country into your home, you will not only gain superior personal childcare assistance, you will also expand your children’s horizons by introducing them to new cultures and traditions. In-home childcare allows your children to play, grow and learn in the safe and comfortable surroundings of your home and neighborhood. Let your children move at their own pace with the full attention of a qualified and trained new family member who knows their daily routines, their likes and dislikes, their personalities, and enjoys taking part in their individual learning and growth. The au pair program allows for a low caregiver to child ratio enabling highly attentive, optimized learning and active care. (Daycare centers have ratios of 1:5 for young children and 1:10 or higher for older kids - leaving little room for personal attention).

Flexible The hours are highly flexible and set to accommodate your family’s childcare needs. You are also free to change the schedule during the year as your needs change (e.g. the school year vs. summer or holiday seasons).

Local Support One of Au Pair International’s many strengths lies in our nationwide network of Area Directors, one of whom will reside in your community and maintain close contact with you and your au pair and provide support and guidance throughout the exchange.

Duties and Responsibilities In addition to in-home childcare, your au pair's responsibilities may include driving your children to and from school; appointments and activities; supervising children during after school hours and vacation breaks; staying home with children that are sick; preparing lunchboxes and food, and assisting with home work. Your au pair may also assist with light childcare related housework, like doing the children’s laundry and assisting in cleaning their bedroom.

Thorough Training Up to date training is important in any profession. When hiring an au pair you will get a childcare provider with recent, up-to date training; your au pair will have completed a 32-hour comprehensive childcare training in the weeks before arriving in your home. The training prepares your au pair for safe care and for a year of learning, growth and development, including: infant and child safety, CPR, accident first aid, illness aid, water safety, car seat safety, communicating with children, positive discipline, dealing with tantrums, potty training, development stages, teaching children, active learning and activities, nutrition, and more.

Countries We recruit from over 30 countries around the world and try to accommodate your requests regarding a specific language or cultural background for your candidate.

If a Match Does not Work Out In the rare event that an au pair living with you is not right for your family, your local representative will work with you to find a replacement au pair as quickly as possible.

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Fees and Stipends

Although we offer one of the most reasonable au pair program packages in the US, we first and foremost pride ourselves on the outstanding service and quality we deliver to our families, starting with screening qualified au pairs, simplifying the application process and close personal support throughout the year. We know that the key to success is the qualifications of the au pair candidates. That is why we invest so much time and effort in screening and hand selecting au pairs, so that we are sure we have found the best candidates available for our families to choose from. Program I and II: Au Pair Program (regular or infant care): Application Fee (non-refundable, due with application) $350 Program Fee (due before arrival) $6,990 Weekly stipend (paid to au pair) $176.85/week Program III: Au Pair Professionel Program: Application Fee (non-refundable, due with application) $350 Program Fee (due before arrival) $7,490 Weekly stipend (paid to au pair) $225/week Program fees include Screening, interviewing and selection of the au pair and host family; visa document processing and administration; administrative and support services during the exchange; round trip transportation between designated cities abroad and gateway cities in the US; au pair and host family orientation; SEVIS fee; monthly meetings and cultural events for the au pair. Program fees also include a rematching service should a replacement au pair be required to fulfill a host family s contract year. The weekly stipend is paid to the au pair and is the same independent of the number of children the au pair will care for or the hours the au pair is required to work (up to 45 hours/week and 10 hours/day). Other costs to consider Room and board; automobile insurance if the au pair is allowed to drive a car owned by the family; educational allowance (max. $500); the au pair’s transportation from the US gateway city to the host community (gateway city will differ depending on flight arrangements). Payment plan This optional plan will enable families to pay the program fee in six affordable installments over the first six months.

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How to Apply? We want to make your life easier and we know how time consuming it is to find qualified help. With that in mind, we have made the application process as easy as pie (actually, it’s much easier than making a pie). 1. Fill in our online interest form or call us. 2. Send in the Host Family Application. 3. Schedule a home interview (we will contact you to schedule the interview.) …and the search can begin!

Timing Selecting an au pair to care for your children is an important process. To allow you to find the right candidate, you would want to start the process as early as possible. The required timing varies depending on the time of the year, your specific search criteria and the program you choose. However, many families do not have the luxury of planning far in advance. We go out of our way to help you when you are short of time and do what we can on a best effort basis.

Our Commitment We are committed to helping you find an au pair who best matches your family's childcare needs and lifestyle. That is why we offer a personal and individualized approach to the matching process. We present multiple au pair applicants to you that match your profile. We will continue the search until you have found a candidate you are satisfied with.

The Right Match Finding an au pair has never been easier, and our knowledgeable staff is there to provide support and expertise at any time during the process. First you review the candidate’s complete application, including all aspects of her/his Child care experience; education; work history; professional goals and career plans; driving skills; family background; language skills; hobbies and interests (e.g. sports, music); personality; lifestyle; specific childcare experience examples, etc. To give you a complete picture of the candidate, the application also includes a picture collage,

“dear host family” letter, childcare references, background check, and interviewer’s report.

Au Pair Phone Interview Once you have found a candidate you feel might match your requirements, you will get an opportunity to interview her/him over the phone. This is a great opportunity to learn more about certain skill sets and to tell the candidate about your family.

A Better Matching Process When choosing an agency, make sure you know how the selection process works: you might find that you are only allowed to review one candidate at a time and you must reject the candidate before you are able to view another one (without knowing what else is out there). Others use automated scoring forms to automatically match your family with the au pair. You probably would not hire an employee this way – why should it be different when finding an au pair? We believe in a highly personalized selection process where the Placement Director that personally works with you also is responsible for reviewing all the available candidates and selects the best candidates that match your needs. You get to view the candidates’ applications and interview the ones you are interested in. Only by working closely with you and the candidates will an agency be able to give you superior support and advice during the selection process. Therefore, make sure that you understand the matching process before you choose your agency. After all, you are looking for a new family member.

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Frequently Asked Questions

We need somebody really soon, can you help us? Yes, please give us a call and we can discuss your situation. We might have available au pairs in the country that are ready to go within a few days or we might expedite the process in bringing a candidate from overseas. Call us to discuss your specific situation.

We already know somebody that we want to bring over, can you assist us? Yes, we have many families that have already found their au pair or have had a certain candidate referred. The candidate will go through the normal screening process and we will guide the au pair through the process and assist with the visa.

Can an au pair stay longer than a year? Yes, your au pair may apply for extensions to her/his visa for 3, 6, 9 or 12 extra months and therefore be able to stay in the US for up to two years total.

Can we get an au pair any time of the year? Yes, we place au pairs all year round. We have flexible arrival dates set to accommodate your needs.

Can we get a male au pair? Yes, we have both male and female au pairs available.

Can I request an au pair from a specific country? Yes, we try to accommodate your search criteria in choosing your au pair, whether it is skill sets, language, cultural background or other.

Can the au pair drive our children? Most of our au pair candidates have a full driver’s license. We interview each au pair regarding driving skills, how long they have had their license, if they have been in any accidents, how often they drive per week, if they have experience driving on snow, the type of roads they regularly drive on, and if they own a car.

What do we do if there's an emergency with the au pair? In the event of an emergency, our 24-hour emergency line will connect you to an Au Pair International staff member. We also provide a 24-hour insurance emergency line for insurance information.

What are the Host Family Requirements? Au Pair means “on par”, reminding families that, although an employee during the “on-duty” hours, the au pair should be treated as a member of the family. To become a host family, you must:

o Agree to welcome an au pair as a family member and be committed to cultural exchange; o Be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents; o Be fluent in English; o Provide a private bedroom for the au pair.

To Give your Children the World and Yourself an Easier Life– Contact Us Today!

Email: hostfamily@aupairint.com Website: www.aupairint.com Phone: +1-720-221-3563 Toll free: 1-888-649-2876

www.AuPairint.com 1-888-649-2876

Au Pair International