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The main reason for their continued popularity and success is
cost - the childcare provided by an au pair is extremely affordable!
Most agencies charge from $250 - $350 for the application fee and then once your au pair arrives, you can expect to pay anywhere from $250 - $400 a week for 45 hours of childcare. Critics of the programs state that young girls (ages ranging from 18-25) lack the maturity and judgment to take care of children. Yet, these programs have prospered during the last 24 years and continue to do so.
We compare our current Top Three Au Pair Programs across costs, discounts, strengths and weaknesses. We also review a fourth but smaller program that focuses on Florida - we really like this program for their hands on approach and friendly customer service.
Cultural Care - #1 of our Top Three picks
EF Foundation
Cambridge MA
800-333-6056
Founded 1989
www.culturalcare.com
Total Yearly Costs 2007-2008: $15,500,00
Summer costs: $4,488.00
Additional Educational Costs: $500 for full year; $250 for the summer program
Discounts: Switching from another agency: $250.00; repeat families: $300; Pre-match: $300 off; referral: $250
Strengths:
Market leader with aggressive growth
Excellent marketing program
Summer program (discontinued)
Strong website with online application process
2008 winner of the International Au Pair Association (IAPA) Au Pair of the Year Award (see full story under Current News)
Exclusive matching system with the largest number of visas (au pairs) available in the country
Largest pool of au pairs are from Germany (who typically make excellent au pairs because of their strong English and driving skills)
Will not raise fees in 2009
Weaknesses:
FLAGGED: we urge you to read the comment we posted April 6 2009 regarding this company before you consider hosting an au pair from this agency. Until our survey is completed on the top three agencies, we are FLAGGING this company as having more complaints online than any other au pair agency.
One of the more expensive programs (the most costly program is Au Pair in America - see Current Story for their January 09 price increases)
Negative publicity a decade ago when the now infamous English au pair, Louise Woodward, was found guilty of shaking baby Matthew, resulting in his death (www.cnn.com/specials/1997/au.pair/)
Current law suit pending over damages cited by host parents when their Swiss au pair took pornographic photos of their 5 year old daughter and posted them on a Swedish website. See full story under Current News "Host Family Sues Agency."
Sexual assault incident involving a host father raping his au pair. He was arrested in 2009 and is waiting trial. Read our blog for continued coverage of this story as it unfolds in the media.
AuPair Care - #2 of our Top Three Picks
Intrax Cultural Exchange San Francisco, CA 800-428-7247 Founded 1989 www.aupaircare.com
Total Yearly Costs 2007-2008: $15,457,00 Additional Educational Costs: $250-$500 Discounts: Referral: $200; switching from another agency: $600;matching with an au pair who is already in the country: $600 repeat families: up to $800 in savings.
Strengths:
- Award Winning Online Matching Site (2006 CIO Award Winners List) that makes matching online quick, efficient and exemplifies the best in IT technology in the au pair industry to date
- Strong website with online application that includes EasyMatch - a new matching system that is faster and promises to have an au pair in your home in 6 weeks! Faster matching than any other au pair agency to date (July, 2009)
- Special infant qualified program (Infant Specialized Care Au Pairs - Click here)
- Good phone system (instead of a machine, staff answers the phone)
- Strong marketing - but keeps their eye on customer service also
- One of the industry's leading au pair programs - strong customer service
Au Pair In America (APIA) - #3 of our Top Three picks
AIFS Organization Stamford, CT 800-928-7247 Founded in 1986 www.aupairinamerica.com
Total Yearly Costs: 2007-2008: $15,800.00 Additional Educational Costs: $500 - $1000 Discounts: repeat families 6 years +: $350; Referrals: $100; switching from another program: $350; pre-matching: $500
Strengths:
Local counselors are salaried and not paid on a commission basis
Recruits from 55 countries
Online application
New, user friendly website
First au pair program (founded in 1986)
First to recruit from China
Yearly training conference for staff including local counselor and recruiting agents from over 55 countries
Weaknesses:
Highest cost compared to all other agencies in the au pair industry
Weak phone service (office staff tend to use their answering machines and they don't always call back the same day - one customer waited for a week for a call back from her placement counselor - this is pretty typical)
Weak marketing
Weak matching system - staff are rather slow in responding to parents' needs
No summer programs or male au pairs
APIA was the Top #1 program, but this agency is losing significant numbers of customers to their top two competitors: EF Cultural Care and AuPair Care
Hires summer help for placements who are often inexperienced and inadequately trained
Largest pool of au pairs are from Thailand who have both weak/no driving skills and marginal/inadequate English verbal skills. Their pool of Germans have shrunk considerably (who have both good English and competent driving skills)
Will be increasing program costs across the board in January of 2009 making it the most expensive au pair agency to date.
Expert Au Pair is one of our favorite programs to date. The company has its eye on customer service with local support hired only if the agency actually knows the person applying for the counselor/local representative position! This is unheard of in the au pair industry. They choose to remain small because they don't want to lose touch with their loyal customers. They are also one of the least expensive programs in the industry. If you live in Florida (they do service some other states, but it is on a small scale) I would highly recommend that you give them a call:
Expert Au Pair 2100 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street North St. Petersburg, FL 727-388-3472 Founded 2006 - Family Business www.expertaupair.com
Total Yearly Costs 2007-2008: $13,498,000
Additional Educational Costs: $500 - $1000 Discounts: Free application fee
Strengths:
Services all of Florida
No deductible on medical insurance for au pairs (it is typically $200 for other programs)
Online application
Small family business who care about excellent customer service
Warm and friendly staff who care about good customer service vs. expanding (Ex., they will not hire counselors unless they personally know them)
Least expensive program in the industry
Has expanded its coverage since January 2009 - includes Boston, Chicago, NY metro areas, CA.
Weaknesses:
New program - founded in 2006
Newly improved website - easy to navigate, needs more information about countries, etc.
Services limited mainly to Florida but some host families in NJ, NY, Georgia, Illinois and CA - call to find out if they service your area in these states
