Brazilian au pairs in St Louis This has been a lifesaver for us, we moved back home to St. Louis after being gone for a long time. It was during Covid, did not realize the schools were so backed up. The shortest wait of the time we could find was 14 months, and we had no idea what to do. So we had a nanny, she was really good, but unfortunately unreliable with her schedule, and that just messed up our work schedules. So I talked to some friends and somebody suggested a au pair, it has been wonderful. If you have the space in your house for it, I don’t really think there’s any other way to go. The cost upfront feels like a lot, but when you average it out, it is much more reasonable than paying for a full-time nanny or a daycare. Plus, in our opinion, the fact that we have somebody to take our kid around to the zoo and museums and the science center, etc. as opposed to just being a daycare with a bunch of other little kids is much better for his learning overall. So I really cannot think of any downsides with the program, if you have the space in your house, and you’re OK sort of figuring out how to incorporate somebody else into your day-to-day life….This is the way to go.

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!

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.

Incredible Experience It is a great program with excellents process. I have lived many beautiful experience here in United States, my host family is so kind with me and I am working a lot for improve my language. I am happy and also I think it is a good way for get the best version of myself. I have also received frequent support from my LCC and the program

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.