Education - how do au pairs get their 6 credits with only $500??
Hi - I have a question for Edina or host parents out there - how do au pairs get 6 credits (that they need) on just $500?? We live in a very nice suburb, rather upscale and most colleges around here are private (and thus pricey). What is a host father to do? Should I make up the difference? Shouldn't the agency step in? Please send me advice please!
New host dad
Look for ESL classes
Our local community college offers Engish as a Second Language classes for free. I don't think this is the case in a lot of community colleges, but we are in a district that does. So, our au pair is auiting regular English classes at the community college ($285 for 3 credits) and also taking ESL classes, although they are at another campus in the district. We are paying for transportation for her to travel 30 miles to the ESL classes, but do not plan to pay more than $500 for tuition. However, she will have a lot more than 6 credits at the end of her year with all of the ESL classes, plus auditing at least one regular class.
ESL - Good Course to Start With
Hi Lisa,
Thank you for the comment and information! ESL courses are an excellent way to start the education process, even if the au pair speaks good English. They often offer courses just for au pairs, so she can meet other girls in the area. In addition, she can review her English skills and pronunciation with a teacher who speaks with no accent. At the same time, she is getting half of her 6 credits. You are paying $285 - I remember when it was just $60!
Thanks again for posting your experience with aupairclearinghouse!
Best,
Edina Stone
Education and Au Pairs
Yes, Jake, this is a real problem. Agencies should kick in some money, given what the au pairs pay upfront and the costs of hosting an au pair are pretty high now. I just read an excellent article today on aupairmom.com that addresses this. You can see the article at http://aupairmom.com. Many host parents do pay the extra money - what can they do really? If they want their au pair to be happy and finish their education, they must pay, but the agencies will not tell you this when you sign up! If you really like your au pair and want her to extend for another year, she MUST have all her 6 credits just to meet the requirements of extension, so most host parents will pay another $200 - $300 dollars! This is very unfair, but if you want that au pair to stay, that is what you have to do at this point.