Au Pair Ratings & Reviews 2010
2010 Au Pair Agency Reviews & Survey Reports
English Skills & Au Pairs – Agencies Ratings
Au pairs with good English skills are one of the “top” priorities for host parents. When we survey parents in our au pair polls, parents rate English as the most important childcare skill.
An overwhelming majority of host parents (93%) rate English skills as their Number One priority when choosing an au pair for their children.
There is no question that hosting an au pair is much more successful if the au pair can speak English and is serious about improving her language skills.
It becomes even more important for families with very young children. Why?
Young children can become very impatient and frustrated with an au pair who cannot understand them and if they cannot make themselves easily understood. In addition, an au pair who cares for a very young child needs to understand your directions clearly in order to avoid catastrophies!
Read the 2010 RATINGS Now!
Top Three Agency List - 2010
Which programs are among the three leading agencies in 2010?
Host parents picks of our Top 3 Agencies of 2010 may surprise you!
Changes in the economy and in the au pair industry is forcing agencies to tighten their purse strings and improve overall customer services to attract new families and retain customer loyalty. We review the best agencies in the industry, rated by parents like yourself!
Not all au pair agencies are the same. Not all au pair agencies have the same quality of au pairs or level of customer service.
An Educated Parent Makes the Best Childcare Consumer!
Agency Helpfulness When There is a Crisis or Au Pair Problem
Our 2010 Customer Satisfaction Survey asked host parents to rate their agencies and au pairs on how “How helpful their agency was when they were experiencing a crisis or problem with their au pair.” Problems and Crises: Medical/Health; College Courses; Car Accidents; Personality Conflicts; English & Driving Skills; Drinking/Partying; Curfews; Other.
Top Problems Host Parents Complained About
What are the most problematic or troublesome problems families complain about? Our host parents rate the following as the “top” problems that occur most frequently:
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College Courses (80%)
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Personality Conflicts (65%)
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Au Pair's Lack of ChildCare Experience (62%)
Read which agencies parents rate as Most Helpful and which agencies do a poor job when au pairs and host parents need their help.
When hosting an au pair, things can happen, car accidents, drinking and driving charges, lack of childcare experience, poor or no English skills, and more. You need to know which agency will be there for you when you need them.
Click here: 2010 Survey Results: Which Agency has the Best Drivers?
Most parents new to the au pair exchange program do not know how important Driving is when they are looking for a match - au pairs from different countries do have different driving skills.
German and Swedish au pairs are very popular with American families due to their good, reliable driving skills. Which agency recruits a majority of their au pairs from Germany and Sweden, and which agency falls short?
Our year-long survey on Best Drivers has been compiled and the results are now in.
Find out which agency host families voted as having the best drivers and which agencies to avoid.
Click here: Quality of Au Pairs Rating Report
Host parents rate how Satisfied they are (or not) with their agency's au pairs. Quality of Au Pairs is measured by how well they are screened for driving, English skills and keeping children safe. The larger agencies had mixed results while several smaller agencies shined!
Click here: Matching Services Results
An agency's ability to find you a good au pair and then match help you match with her is key to finding reliable and safe childcare for your family. Most host parents who took our survey were not impressed with their agency's Matching Services and rated many programs rather negatively.
The most Common Complaint was the length of time it took agencies to assign applications.
A few agencies stood out and received very positive ratings and compliments!
Poll Results - Would You Hire a Male Au Pair?
Male au pairs, or "mannies," are all the rage in Hollywood. Famous stars, like Madonna, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have male au pairs.
In Europe, mannies are very common and have been for years. In America, they are just catching on. Our 2010 poll results on "Would You Hire a Male Au Pair?" even surprised us!
