We did not personally know anyone that… We did not personally know anyone that had used an au pair, so we really went into this blind. Everyone in the agency has been so amazing and helpful. You are immediately connected with three different people in the agency, at least one of which lives in the area. They have been so quick to respond and help us whenever we needed it. We just matched with an au pair and cannot wait for her to join us in a few months.

Good Initial Impressions- difficult period after matching The company does very well throughout the application process as well as with the check ins when arriving in the states. The company needs a lot of work once a match has been processed. The period between matching and departure was extremely difficult to navigate. I felt as though the staff stopped responding as quickly and as effectively as they had been prior to the match

Support and verification can be better Support and verification can be better. We've used cultural au pair for the past 4 years and it is helpful with finding a new au pair. However the LCC support has been inconsistent with our area and our au pairs reflect that they have to figure out alot of information by themselves. It is also noted that the driving ability of the au pair is difficult to gage as well. The driving ability seems to be self-reported and can be oversold by the au pairs. We found that we often have to teach them how to drive safely.

Disadvantages of being au pair Is a good opportunity to meet new places and people and get a bit of different cultures. In the other hand this program has so many things to fix, starting from the health care insurance which is not good or affordable at all, LCCs that are not enough trained to help so many people, life in the US is extremely expensive for us and even more when we have to pay taxes that takes a 10% of that small we make. Families pay yearly thousands to the agencies, but it would be fair us receiving at least a good part from that to make it part of our salary, because at the end of the day we are WORKING 45 hours per week.

It is a very complete program It is a very complete program, you learn a lot every day and working with children is really fun. Of course some days I miss my country and my family a lot, but the experience here in the United States is unique! When I arrived here I was afraid that I would not be able to communicate in English, as my level was quite low. I have been living here for 100 days and I can already read, write and speak fluently, it's amazing! I have made friends and I have been able to travel a lot with my host family, there is no better experience than this to travel around the country and learn about the culture. I highly recommend it!