Edina's blog

Smaller Au Pair Agencies have an Advantage over Larger Agencies

It seems that perhaps the smaller, "boutique" au pair agencies may have a distinct advantage over their larger competitors when it comes to recruiting quality au pairs.

In our 2009-2010 Host Family Satisfaction Survey, we asked parents to rate their Satisfaction with their agency’s Quality of Au Pairs. Host parents with smaller agencies were, overall, were very satisfied with their au pairs.

Au Pairs & the Flu Shot

Did your au pair get her flu shot yet?

The flu season is upon us and those groups who should be protected the most are getting their flu shot - the elderly, children over 6 months of age and particularly children with asthma and yes, caregivers.

Caregivers should get the flu shot - it makes perfect sense that anyone who is taking care of children (or the elderly) should get the shot, yes, even au pairs!

We would like to answer a host mom's question sent in to us today:

Au Pair Screening and Background Checks

We receive many emails from new host parents who want to know, "Is my prospective au pair for real? Do I need to do any checking on her background or has the au pair agency done what is required?" Or, "How do I know the my au pair's references are valid?" "How do I verify an au pair's suitability for caring for children? I want to be sure..."

These are great questions - questions that all parents should ask about their childcare givers.

Au Pairs from Italy

Good morning readers! I hope everyone had a spooky and safe Halloween!

I received a question this morning about Italian Au Pairs which is a topic that I have wanted to talk about for some time! Thank you for the opportunity.

Here is the question from a host mom looking for an Italian au pair: