Holiday savings

Apply for free when you apply by December 20th! As a special holiday bonus, we're also waiving the Family Friendly Payment Plan Fee of $340, for a total savings of $690!

After applying, you'll receive full access to our entire au pair database, where you can view au pair photos, read application essays and review childcare references. You'll also have the assistance of a dedicated Match Expert who can hand select candidates for you and provide interviewing advice.

Unlike most other au pair agencies, we don't charge extra selection or match fees and we connect your international calls to interview au pairs for free!

New Families, Apply for Free and receive a waived Family Friendly Payment Plan Fee with Promo Code: HAPPYHOLIDAYS

*Families must apply between Dec. 6 and Dec. 20 to receive this discount. This promotion is for new host families welcoming an overseas au pair and cannot be combined with other offers

Now is the time to get an Aupair!

Clothing guidelines for Aupairs and Host children

Attached is Clothing Guideline that was created to help Au Pairs and host families discuss the proper clothing children should be(and should not be) wearing to and from school and when playing outside during these colder temperatures. As every family is different with different age children and different guidelines, it is important that each family discusses with their Au Pair and their children about the proper clothing to wear in the mornings to school or playing outside. I know that my own children like to wear shorts to school or no jacket and they fight me in the mornings(and they are 12 and 14 years old).  Your Au Pair needs to know what he/she needs to do when a child refuses to put on a the suggested clothes that you require them to wear.  Some families would say "My child is old enough to make his/her decisions and understands the consequences" and some families would say "Do not let my child leave for school without a jacket or they must be wearing long sleeves". If this is the case, the Au Pair needs to know that it is ok to be late until the child listens or does she force the child to wear it?  Like I said, every family is different and it is so important to discuss difference scenarios with your Au Pair depending on your children's ages.

Because all Au Pairs come from different climates, Host Families should not "expect" the Au Pair to know unless you give them your rules based on living in Michigan.  It is important to remind the children as well before they go to bed or in the morning "Don't forget it is colder today/tomorrow so you must wear a long sleeve shirt to school along with your jacket".

Au Pairs, when winter comes, it is very important to have a list of what each child needs to wear "Hat, scarf, boots, gloves, jacket". It is also VERY VERY IMPORTANT that you make sure the children come home from school with all the items they left for school in the morning.  It is very common for children(young and old) to leave their jacket, gloves and hats at the school and if it is Friday, it will be important to get them back for the 

weekend.

Happy Halloween and a scary good night to all

Annual Aupair Halloween Party

This is my favorite party/monthly meeting of the year. Every year I have all the aupairs over to my house and they all dress up in great costumes. We sit around and talk and then we take lots of photos and eat snacks.

Time to make some money aupairs and host families

From October 15^th through December 31^st 2013, current host families, current au pairs, and previous host families will receive a $300Amazon gift card for each new host family they refer who matches.
Please help me spread the word about the great program of Aupair Care . If you are a current or past host family, talk with your friends and family and let them know about the benefits of the program.
If you are a current Aupair with Aupair Care then talk to the people you meet at the park, school, playground any where you go and let them know how great it is to have an aupair to care for your kids.

Great time to get an aupair

Federal Government shut down and how it affects the aupair program

• During the government shut down you will likely have many questions come your way. I would like to clarify some of the more common questions about what will affect aupairs and host families during the Shutdown:  
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• Not affected
  • Department of State J-1 program. This is a fee based program and has its own funds to continue operations. There is no current worry of our program shutting down.
  • US Embassies. Currently still issuing Visas.
  • Customs and Border Patrol (CBP)/Transportation Security Administration (TSA). CBP and the TSA are still operating as they are considered essential to National Security. There is a minor staffing reduction, which means that traveling aupairs can expect longer wait times when entering the US.
  • The Postal Service: Aupairs waiting on DS forms and other paper work can still expect to receive them in the usual time frame.

 

• Affected
  
  
  • The Social Security Administration (SSA). While the SSA is still operating, they are not issuing any new Social Security Numbers during the Government Shutdown. That means that any aupairs that have not yet applied for their cards will have to wait until after the shutdown. When I spoke with a SS Office, it was unclear what is happening with applications that were being processed when the shutdown happened, but there is potential for delays.
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Top 10 driving mistakes

 

1. Driving under the influence.

Drugs and alcohol might make you feel confident in your driving skills, but really all they’re doing is impairing your judgment.

Statistics show that, approximately every 45 minutes, someone is killed by a drunk driver, and in 2008 alone, roughly 11,773 people died in accidents related to drunk driving. In 2006, nearly two million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics.

In other words, if you don’t kill yourself or someone else, you’ll most likely go to jail.

2. Not getting enough sleep.

 During the past decade researchers have shown sleep deprivation can have the same effects as being drunk. Reread the above.

3. Not wearing a seat belt.

Wearing a seat belt decreases your chances of becoming injured or dying in a car accident by about 45 percent. It’s as simple as that.

4. Packing too many passengers in the car.

Car pooling is great for the environment, but there is some truth to the adage “too much of a good thing.” The more passengers you have, the more noise and distraction you have.

Never offer rides to more people than you have seatbelts for, and always make sure your passengers keep the noise and potentially distracting behavior to a minimum.

5. Not coping with road rage.

Best case scenario? Someone hears a dirty word or sees an obscene gesture. Worst case scenario? Someone dies.

If you know or have been told you suffer from road rage, pinpoint your triggers and work toward learning defensive driving – rather than aggressive driving – techniques. The outcome of a road rage incident could affect you, your passengers, innocent drivers-by, and even your family and friends. Ignoring your problem is plain irresponsible.

6. Improperly traveling with animals.

Whether it’s a trip to the vet or a move to a new home, nearly every pet owner has to travel with his or her animal(s) at some point; however, just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s always safe.

Anyone traveling with a pet must make sure the pet is secured in the vehicle before heading out on the road. Otherwise, the driver ends up with a scared cat trying to hide under the brake pedal or an overexcited dog trying to jump out the window, and trying to prevent these situations mid-drive could result in a car crash.

7. Playing music too loudly.

Loud music not only distracts you from other drivers and driving conditions, but also it can prevent you from hearing the emergency sirens of a police car, ambulance, or fire truck.

8. Driving with unchecked emotions.

Your boyfriend broke up with you. You found out your child is sick. Your boss just fired you. Your cat just died.

We’ve all been there at some point.

When you suffer a blow, be sure to take some time to calm down before getting behind the wheel of a vehicle; if it looks like that’s not happening any time soon, call someone for a ride.

9. Not learning (or paying attention to) safety laws.

These days, most teen drivers learn about safety laws through a state-mandated drivers education or training program; however, not all states require these driver safety courses and not all teens (or adults) are willing to enroll in them if they don’t have to.

Safety laws teach you important basics such as how to handle a four-way stop sign, how far from a railroad crossing you should be, and how to properly veer onto another highway. Without this knowledge, you could find yourself in the middle of a serious accident.

10. Being arrogant.

Arrogant drivers think they know it all – regardless of how much they actually know.

Understand that if everyone around you is driving too slowly, perhaps you’re driving too fast; driving a big four-wheel-drive SUV in a sea of tiny two-door compacts does not make you a god; and just because you’ve never been in an accident doesn’t mean you’re invincible.

Halloween is around the corner

Halloween is October 31 but the celebrating will start before that! Although the holiday is observed around the world, few countries celebrate to the extent
that people do in the United States. The name "Halloween" is short for "All Hallow's Eve", being that it is the day before All Saints' Day, a Christian holy day.
In Ireland and Scotland, where the holiday is thought to have originated, people would dress in masks and disguises so that the spirits of the dead would not
recognize them. This evolved into the tradition of dressing in costumes. Today's "trick-or-treating" resembles the medieval practice of "souling", when poor
people would go door to door on November 1, receiving food in return for prayers for the dead on All Souls' Day, November 2.

Halloween is always exciting for children. And most au pairs will enjoy trick-or-treating with their host family's kids before attending Halloween celebrations
of their own. Please help keep children safe by checking all treats before allowing children to eat them. Costumes should be easy to move in and not pose a
tripping hazard. If you are out after dark with the kids, be sure to carry flashlights and hold their hands when crossing the street. And of course, have fun!

Cars, Gas and Carpooling......

Host Families:

• Provide transportation for au pairs to school (up to completing 60 class hours or 6 credit hours).  This can be either gas money or driving au pair; cannot expect au pairs to get free rides from other au pairs or friends
• Provide transportation for au pairs to one cluster event each month (Should be the bigger event of the month vs. the coffee night whenever possible).  This can be either gas money or driving au pair
• Please do not rely on other au pairs in the cluster to always drive your au pair; this is not fair to other host families.  If another au pair is driving your au pair, please offer gas money
• Pay for gas whenever the au pair is driving the children or driving for the family (to the grocery store, to get pizza, etc.)
• May limit mileage for the car, driving distance, place curfews when the car should be home, and restrict car due to weather (snow, ice, etc.)
• Host families pay for car insurance, car repairs, and maintenance (including oil changes)
• Help your au pair get a State driver'sLicense or at minimum a State  Identification card
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Au Pairs:

• Respect all the car rules from your host family:  Mileage, driving distance, car curfew, filling out driving log, etc.
• Understand that there are times you do not have a car to drive:  Host parents using it, poor weather, car in need of repair, etc.
• Appreciate having access to a car to drive (this is an added expense for all host families)
• Always ask to use the car, even if you are going to school.  Host families should ALWAYS know where their car is going and when it will be back (even if they are not sharing the car with you)
• Keep the car clean and let your host family know right away if something is wrong with the car, not working, or anything lighting up on the dashboard
• Bring the car home with a full tank of gas after driving it over the weekend or at least fill up what you used.  Never return it empty
• Carpool, Carpool, and Carpool whenever possible (share gas, mileage, and have companionship)
• Pay for all personal gas and car washes (once per month at the most)
• Pay $250 for damage to the car if you have an accident and pay for any driving tickets
• Never allow another au pair or friend to drive your host parent's car for any reason
• Pay any and all fees to get a State Driver's License
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Great questions to ask during an interview

What values did you parents teach you as being most important in life?

What three adjectives would your friends use to describe you?

Do you have a boyfriend? How does he feel about your decision to become an AP? How do you think you’ll handle being away from him for a year?

Are you close with your siblings?

How did you hear about the program and who suggested that you become an aupair ?”

Do you have relatives in the US?

Is religion important to you?

Are you a morning person? Are you able to start your day early?

Do you have a housekeeper? Do you have duties at home? Please explain what your duties are

Have you had a job before? Tell us about your job & what you did. What where the challenges? What did you like? How long did you work there? Why did you quit?

How do you handle conflict with your parents?

How do you like to keep your room at home?

If the baby is crying & hurt, the 3 & 4 year old are fighting & the doorbell rings – how would you handle that situation?

What would you do if you were driving & the boys are fighting or takes off a seat belt?

What is your biggest strength/weakness?

What is your biggest concern or fear about becoming an au pair?

Why do you want to come to the USA and what are your plans when you go back to your home country?

Do you have a maid at home?

The child you are looking after is just learning to walk. She is walking on a concrete sidewalk and falls forward and hits her head. Her head is cut and bleeding heavily. She is crying hysterically and is very upset because she is in pain and is scared. How do you handle this?

Have you ever clipped a baby’s fingernails or toenails?

What are your expectations for the home that you will live in as an au pair? Will you be uncomfortable if the home is not perfectly clean at all times?

Have you had any prior lengthy illnesses?

What age children do you prefer to take care of?

How much sleep do you need to feel rested?

How do you plan to spend your time when you’re not working?

Do you know anyone in the US?

What is your best and worst memory of your family life?

What kind of role do you want to have with the children? A playmate? A teacher? A parent? How would you go about these roles?

Do you want to be like a roommate or do you want to be like a member of the host family? A roommate socializes outside of the home most nights and weekend with friends. A member of the family eats dinner at home each night and spends time at home on the weekends and watches movies with the host family in the evening.

How do you make friends?

Do you enjoy playing with dogs and are you comfortable with them?

How do you envision your day taking care of our daughter?

What do you think is most exciting thing about coming to the US as an au pair?

Looking for a good dentist

The aupair insurance does not cover dental problems unfortunately! But here is a link to UMKC school of dentistry that does a good job for a good price if you live in the Kansas City area.


Happy Teeth!!

September Promotion

Aupair confessions

Take this link with a grain of salt. Interesting, much like rubber necking on the highway.
Au Pair Confessions

Car questions to ask your prospective Au pair when interviewing

What kind of roads do you typically drive on?

Do you have experience driving in heavy traffic?

Do you own your own car?

Do you drive often, how often?

How long have you driven?

Are you OK driving long distances to travel?

What kind of cars have you driven?

What is the furthest distance you have ever driven?

What kind of bad weather have you driven in?  (snow? heavy rain?)

Have you ever used a GPS?

When you need to figure out how to drive to somewhere, how do you get directions?

Have you ever gotten lost while driving? If so, what did you do?

Have you ever been on a road trip with a friend?

What is your best driving habit?

What is your worst driving habit?

How is driving at nighttime different from driving during the daytime?

New Process for Applying for a Social Security Number

As you know, the I-94 document recently went electronic. Au
pairs no longer have the “I-94 card” stapled in their passports
to prove their date of entry into the U.S. Therefore, they are
required to print their information at the Customs and Border
Patrol website before going to the Social Security office to apply for a Social
Security Number. This document will assist the Social Security office with
issuing the number. Occasionally, au pairs may have trouble finding their
information in the system, especially when they have multiple last names.
Please advise au pairs to enter their names exactly as they appear on their
visa. If they are unsuccessful in pulling up the information, sometimes trying
different combinations of names (for example taking one of the names off or
eliminating spaces) will find the results. Also, double check that the information
on the visa (passport number, birthday, etc.) matches the passport.
If all else fails, au pairs can contact the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol at
877-227-5511 for assistance.

What’s Most Important When Choosing an Au Pair?

1. Knowing what kind of help you need
2. Knowing what kind of person will fit with your family
3. Interviewing carefully so that you discover your blind spots and candidates blind spots
4. Focusing on learning and growing rather than achieving ‘perfection’ in any way
5. Being well prepared to welcome another person into your home and into your family
6. Being sensible about your expectations
7. Being fair in how you treat your Au Pair
8. Having clear expectations, regular open conversation and kind intentions
9. Keep an open mind.

Great promotion on getting an Aupair

Now through August 26th is a great time to apply to aupaircare and get the extra childcare you need.
It is $50 application fee and $500 of program fees. You must welcome your new aupair by November 18th to be eligible for this promotion.
Call me for more details about the program and all the benefits of having an aupair!!
Tatjana 816.561.4630

Time for an aupair!

Time to get an au pair

Anyone looking for childcare?  For those who don’t know, I work with an awesome agency, AuPairCare, placing au pairs from overseas with families in the U.S.  It is a fantastic program – it combines really affordable childcare with a great opportunity to bring culture into your home!  This weekend I can let new families apply for free and get a huge savings too!  Message me for details and feel free to share this post.

M Magazine Childcare Story

Rematch story

We just visited our third au pair Ulle from Estonia. She was our au pair ten years ago, and she was a rematch au pair. We had an au pair from Norway for a few months. Being that I am from Norway I thought it would be great to have a Norwegian au pair, someone I could speak Norwegian with and one that could help teach my daughter Norwegian.  However all she wanted to do was speak English to improve that language which makes sense, why come to America and speak Norwegian? I was fairly new to hosting au pairs at that time so I did not think it through, I did not ask all the right questions! The Norwegian au pair also expected more of a Hollywood lifestyle; standard of living in Norway is quite high so she expected something much better. Swimming pools, palm trees, skiing, etc.….Need less to say I did a poor job interviewing. This girl lasted three months in our home and then decided we were too boring and re matched with a family in Colorado that lived on the ski slopes and vacationed in the Caribbean.

Which brings me to our great au pair Ulle from Estonia. She came to us from a family in North Carolina where she did not feel comfortable; they never cleaned their house! Ulle stayed with us for nine months and we had a great time. She fit in well with our family and we have kept in touch all these years. She has come to visit us in Kansas City and now finally we had the opportunity to come and visit her.

Of all the ten au pairs we have hosted this is the only rematch story I have to tell. I learned my lesson of interviewing and the importance of asking all the right questions and also listening to what the au pairs were saying. Going into rematch is not always a bad thing. There is a family for every au pair and an au pair for every family. One family’s unhappiness can be another family’s jackpot!

Social Media, Computers, Smartphones, Tablets oh my!

In this new world we are living in we are all very dependent on our electronic devices and we need to learn to use them responsibly. We all know that we do not text and drive, we also should not talk on the phone and drive. Pull over and do your talking. As au pairs you should not be on your devices while watching the kids. I know it is temping to always be present on the net you my miss something! But it is only the internet it will be there later as well. Your kids health, safety and well being are much more important! If you are in the park or at the pool and the kids are playing you should be there playing as well not off on a bench on your electronic device. An accident can happen at the blink of an eye, that is something you do not want to share on social media!
As for host parents we need to present too. An electronic device is just that a device, replaceable and without feelings! Live in the moment and be present. Host parents set an example for their children and au pairs. Put down the device and make memories in your head not on a device.
My favorite quote that I heard from my mother " we are always alone but together on the internet"

Dear Aupair

Making the decision to come to America and leaving everything that is familiar and known behind can be a difficult yet very rewarding decision. Your year in America as an Aupair should be one of those “WOW” moments in your life. You should be creating memories that will live with you forever and stories from your year as an aupair only get better as you get older. But in order for your year to be that “WOW”  time in your life you need to arrive in America with an open mind and an open heart.

Your new host family will become like your own family, your American family. Being an aupair is difficult because you are a family member and an employee and the lines can become very blurred. You as an aupair are a very important part of this new family; your responsibility is to take care of the most precious thing the family has, their children! So the children are your number one priority but being a helpful committed member of the family is also important.  When your host parents arrive home with a car full of groceries offer to help unload, (you eat the food too), after dinner help clean up the kitchen and unload the dishwasher, it is the little things that make all the difference. You the aupair and your host family are a team. When you are not happy about something or disagree on an issue start up a conversation. An aupair/ host family relationship is like any relationship (marriage, friendship, siblings) it thrives and does well when both parties are heard and respected.  So don’t be afraid to speak up. For many of you this is your first time living away from home, no mommy around to clean up after you, do your laundry, and cook your food. It is a time to grow up and see all the great things the world has to offer you. Keep an open mind. Life in America is not like life in your home country that is why you came here is it not? Life in an American family is not like your own family that is why you came here to learn about another culture is it not?  Open your heart and let the family in and they will do the same.

Whether you live in Miami Beach, Florida or San Francisco, California or Kansas City, Missouri there are always things to do. I agree it may be easier to find something fun in San Francisco but then again that is something a lot of people can say they did everyone goes there. But when you live in a smaller community be it Des Moines, Iowa or Cleveland, Ohio there are treasures there too, just look a little harder use the Internet, google things. I bet you did not know that the outlaw Jesse James was born close to St. Joseph Missouri or the beautiful covered bridges of Madison are in southern Iowa.  Do not wait for people, entertainment to come to you go out and find it! You are young and free and have all the energy and life ahead of you.

And lastly get to know your fellow aupairs. You are in an amazing and rare situation, not only do you get to learn about America and it is people and culture but you get to learn about cultures and people from around the world. Get out of your comfort zone; if you are Swedish get to know the Columbians. Speak to people who do not share your same language so you can practice English. You may be surprised at how much more you have in common than you have differences.

Your Aupair year is your time to grow and to become the great adult you are meant to be. Remember to stay positive; even when things are difficult, they will get better, I promise! My philosophy is that the glass is always half full, a smile is met by a smile, laughter by laughter…. life is too short to be sad and negative. Open your heart and Open you mind.

With much love and caring your Area Director

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I just started another blog on tumblr for host families and aupairs. You can follow along there or on this current blog

Happy reading!

Fun Monthly meeting

We had some fun at our monthly meeting this time. We met at my house and sat around and talked and ate snacks, then we did a mini photo session in my studio and in my neighborhood.  These aupairs could be future models!

Saftey and Children

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 20 million U.S. children and adolescents suffer preventable injuries annually. In an effort to reduce the number of preventable injuries among children, AuPairCare would like to remind you to be mindful of these guidelines:

• Watch your host children at all times; anything that takes your attention away from watching your host children is unsafe
• Do not text or use your phone for personal use while caring for children
• Never leave children home alone, even for a second
• Do not leave a child unattended in or around a vehicle and check around your vehicle before driving
• Supervise children around all animals and do not leave babies or young children alone with animals
• Do not have older siblings take care of babies or children alone

Be sure to keep these safety tips in mind to ensure a safe year! Remember, it only takes a second for a child to get hurt.

Summer travel plans for Aupairs!

Intrepid, the agency that books US tours for aupairs, launched  an incredible deal  today.  They are offering a ‘Buy One, Get One Free’ offer for nearly all of their North America tours!!  This is the best deal that they have had for their North America trips in years!!  It’s a great opportunity for Au Pairs to book summer travel!

 

The Buy One, Get One Free offer includes some of our most popular trips with Au Pairs such as:

 

Ultimate California Northbound

California Dreamin’

Road Trip America Westbound

California Discovery

American Gold Rush

 

 The sale  begins today May 24th and lasts until July 15^th and is for trips that depart between June 1^st and July 31^st.  It is ‘Buy One Get One’ for 2 passengers.  If someone is traveling independently then the offer is 30% off.

 

If you have not made your travel plans yet this is a good deal! My aupairs have taken trips with Intrepid and they have loved the tours!

 

Check out their website to learn more Intrepid Travel

 

Celebrate Memorial Day With AuPairCare!

I can’t keep this a secret!  From May 24-May 28 AuPairCare will be offering an amazing promotion. Families can receive a $900 savings! 
This includes a waived application fee and $550 program fee discount.  This offer is only for new families that match with an overseas au pair and apply between May 24 – May 28.  Quick and easy - no “match by” or “arrive by” deadlines, families just need to apply!  The promo code families need to use is: MEMORIAL$900.
If you are considering live in, affordable and flexible childcare don’t wait, apply today!  Email me directly at talvegaard@aupaircare.com or visit www.aupaircare.com and mention my name, Tatjana on your application!
Don’t miss this opportunity to interview pre-screened and highly qualified au pairs to join your family today!

Looking for childcare anyone???

Anyone looking for childcare?  For those who don’t know, I work with an awesome agency, AuPairCare, placing au pairs from overseas with families in the U.S.  It is a fantastic program – it combines really affordable childcare with a great opportunity to bring culture into your home!  This weekend I can let new families apply for free and get a huge savings too!  Message me for details and feel free to share this post.

We have hosted ten aupairs and loved them all It is a great program, flexible and affordable and provides a great cultural experience for your children!

 

Fun Apps

Like any young woman between the ages of 18-26 years old, Au Pairs are attached to technology.  Most Au Pairs have smart phones or devices, whether the host family provides it or they purchased their own.  To make their transition go more smoothly and help them feel more acclimated, here are top 10 Apps for Au Pairs.

Happy Mothers Day!

Sunday we celebrate mothers everywhere. Happy mothers day to all the lovely mom's!

M-O-T-H-E-R
"M" is for the million things she gave me,
"O" means only that she's growing old,
"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,
"H" is for her heart of purest gold;
"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
"R" means right, and right she'll always be,
Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"
A word that means the world to me.