driving and au pairs
As an ex-LCC I know about the screening methods used at au pair agencies, and most hire agents on a commission basis, and they do not monitor closely what their agents are doing.
In fact, agencies are very much aware their agents are not doing a good job of screening their au pairs' driving skills and are aware that these same agents do allow au pairs to sign up. These are au pairs who actually have pretty bad driving skills and because of this, should have been denied entry into the usa government supervised cultural program!
Agents will modify the driving descriptions so it doesn't read as bad as it is! They "hide" facts in the application, for example, they do not emphasize when an au pair received her license.
For example, if an au pair just received her license in the last month, the agent will not mention this, and perhaps check the box "fair" driver or even add a note "drives everyday" to work. This could be true, but the au pair who is driving everyday is a very inexperienced au pair who has only had her license for a few weeks!
Many au pairs only get their license as a requirement for the program - these girls do not own a car, do not drive, and should not be allowed to drive in America. These same au pairs can pose a real risk to not only your children, but to other unsuspecting drivers on our roads!
Host parents, please do not be naive to think that all agencies are the "same" when assessing driving abilities.
Some agencies are great, others are terrible!
I worked for the "terrible" agency and know all about how they recruited bad drivers all the time and allowed their agents to do this. They didn't care because they needed the au pairs to meet their needs since they spent so much time and money getting host parents, they had to have a large pool of available au pairs! They continue to recruit au pairs regardless of their driving experience, this factor is so minor, it does not get adequate attention by this company's management.
I could write a book....
Host families must take the responsibility
Our agency lets us know that they only ASK the au pairs about their driving. It is impractical for them to give a driving test/assessment to each au pair.
Our agency has a spot for:
Does the AP drive?
When did the AP start practicing to drive?
When did the AP get a license?
How often does the au pair drive?
What types of roads does she drive on?
Is she comfortable driving in snow/ice?
Is she comfortable driving children in the US as an AP?
Has she ever had an accident?
We review the info on the application, specifically how long has she had her license? If it's less than 3 years, we move on. We need and want a strong driver, so less than that won't cut it.
Then when we choose a potential AP, we telephone her and ask many questions related to driving. What type of car does she drive? Is it hers or to whom does it belong? How often does she drive? Where does she drive? How far from home is it? What is the farthest she has ever driven? Has she ever had an accident? A ticket? Is there a lot of traffic where she lives or is it mostly rural? Can she change a flat tire? Does she pump gas? (you might be surprised).
We use this additional info to make an informed decision. Relying just on the application answers, in my opinion, is not doing your homework.
Au Pair Agencies should do more about driving & au pairs
Hi PA Ap Mom,
I wanted to respond to you about your statement
"Our agency lets us know that they only ASK the au pairs about their driving. It is impractical for them to give a driving test/assessment to each au pair."
TRUE: it is impractical to have every au pair take a driving test, however it can be done. Agencies can pass on the cost to you, the host family, if they guarantee the au pair's driving skills. never say that a 'thing' cannot be done. It can and it should be available to host parents who need a good driver. Many host families will PAY for this service and it would cost about $100 US dollars. Not too much money for peace of mind.
You will see this service offered by all agencies one day when an au pair kills someone with a car.
FALSE: Agencies can only "ask" about driving? No. Don't settle for your agency saying that to you "all they can do is ASK the au pair about her driving!" The agency can do more, much more and they should, other than "asking" the au pairs about their driving. First, yes, they need to ask the questions, but then they need to verify the facts, length of driving (what about a reference, or proof?) and a Driving Assessment Report should be given to each host parent that discloses ALL information instead of hiding it.
TRUE: agencies should be training their counselors how to instruct host families in conducting great interviews that result in great au pairs. Why don't they? Because they DON"T have to! They don't because they are lazy and because they don't have to because nice host moms like yourself do all the work for them. Also, and this is very important, if they did, host parents would rule out those au pairs who are marginal at best but still got into the program (because the agent wanted that commission check) and the new parents will fail prey to them and match with them. Most agencies get at least 8-9 months of a marginal au pair.
Look at yourself, you say that your first year was a flop because you didn't do your homework. Why are you doing the agency's job? You didn't even know you had homework, so you failed and lost money and matched with a marginal girl
But, the agency made money. You bet they did.
It is easy to say when you KNOW
Hi PA AP mom, you are saying the obvious and I think the point LCC2008 is making is that not ALL host parents come into the matching/interviewing process with the experience you do!
Reading Edina's response makes clear that for new parents they need assistance - for example, we assume all Ford cars are good (ha ha, I won't use Toyota as an example) reliable autos. We see one style that we really like, but are not sure how well the car drives, gas mileage, etc. Now, you could ask the dealer and car salesperson, but we know where that is going to lead, right? They want to make a sale, so they put the car's best features forward and not say anything about the negative features.
Au pair agencies are the same as car dealers and the salespeople are like counselors. Of course they are not going to tell you all the negative stuff about the au pairs, their driving, their English, childcare experience! So, parents absolutely need consumer sites to help them decide. There are too many choices for Americans and we get overwhelmed by the number of choices!
One way to cut through the choices and the "sales" talk is to read a third party who evaluates cars, agencies. Like Consumer Reports, where you can find out about that cute little Ford you are thinking about buying, this website assists new parents (and old timers like me) to cut through all the adverts and focus on getting the best girl for my kids.
PA AP mom, good for you for knowing what to do, and for sharing! You are so right, relying on the application is not going to cut it! You need more, and do not depend on the agency, or their counselor, to tell you how, where, when and why!
Thanks aupairclearinghouse for providing the information we need to get a good babysitter for our children.
Grateful Dad
I wasn't always an "experienced" host parent
This is only my second year as a host parent and my first choice wasn't good. I was making the same point as you are. The agency won't do the work for you, so you have to do it yourself.
This is my last year as a host parent (done in August) and I was just hoping to save another family the aggravation that I suffered as a new family.
Last Year as Au Pair Host Family
PA AP mom,
Thank you for the experience and sharing - is there anything else you want to share with newbies? I get emails all the time from "new" host parents. They are nervous and stressed and have little idea how to go about interviewing and ultimately hiring a young girl across the Atlantic!
One host mom said "I didn't know how to read the applications before I made that first call. My counselor didn't go over anything like that, she really was just interested in whether or not we had an extra room; warned us that we should give the au pair her own car and cell; told us to tell all prospective au pairs about our cats (potential allergies and potential "rematches") and whether or not our children were not "special needs."
After that we were at a loss. Thank goodness a friend of ours who had an au pair helped us out, and then we found your Website - which was a tremendous help. We are still interviewing and I would love to read or have an article on just that: How To Interview Au Pairs! Family in VA looking for an au pair.
This email is pretty typical of the type of questions sent in to the Clearinghouse. Parents want basics, the "ABCs of Hosting Au Pairs."
Any experience that you or anyone else out there can share, would be great!
Best,
Edina
Experienced Host Parents Know How to Interview Au Pairs
Hi PA AP mom,
You are so right, host parents really do have to spend time reviewing the au pair's application and check off those questions about driving experience, date of license, what kind of car the au pair drives, how many times a week she drives, etc. Your questions provided by your agency above are good ones. I think host parents should create a driving check list for phone interview with each prospective au pair.
Experienced host moms, like yourself, know how to assess for driving and ask all the right questions.
For a new, inexperienced host parent, they have little to go by and can get lost in their search for the right au pair for their family.
Therefore, it is important to share information and to explain to each new parent what kinds of information agencies will and will not provide to you with each application.
Once you know what can be missing, you can then fill in and cover all the bases!
Another important factor is that there is no instruction book to tell parents what to look for.
For example, you know, as an experienced host mom, to rule out any au pair with a license under 3 years, a new parent does not know this, nor will her LCC or counselor tell her this! The agency, of course will not mention this either. They will not share tips that may result in large numbers of au pairs not getting matched with a host family!
Only at aupairclearinghouse do parents get the edge on au pairing and matching because we share this kind of expert advice and information so any parent can end up with a great au pair! Most new parents do not even know what you mean when you say "do your homework." So, someone has to inform them!
That is where we come in with au pair tips, advice, forums, articles, customer surveys, au pair agency ratings and reviews!
Our mission is to provide the best information so you, the consumer, can make the best childcare decision for their family!
Thank you for the comments and sharing your experience so that others may benefit from your knowledge.
Which au pair agency has the worse drivers?
Hey there, I think you should write a book! Parents need all the information that goes behind the scenes at these agencies!
Tell us, which agency was it? Since you no longer work there, can't you tell us??
Yeah, which agency should we avoid if we need great driver
I would LOVE to know from LCC2008 which agency she worked for and what agency this website has the best drivers. Please? We really need a great safe driver!
I am a new host dad and I KNOW you have to do a lot of the legwork yourself, but this is bull - I will be spending quite a bit of money (8,000) in fees to get this au pair, and I have to do all this legwork?
This is not fair. This is not equitable. I think that the reason au pair agencies get away with this poor business practice is that they are dealing with mothers (women) and women tend to accept a much lower standard from businesses than men do, generally.
Men, business men, expect a lot more from companies and this would NEVER be acceptable in my male-oriented male-dominated business company. If you pay such a high fee, for the privilege of receiving an au pair, you better believe our company would be falling over its feet to help you, tell you everything you absolutely need to know, etc., in getting such a critical resource for your children.
Socially, women are expected to do more and take on more work, etc., and not to complain as much. Men on the other hand are not socialized like this and we do demand a higher level of professionalism and results. Which is why my wife asked me to take care of this applying, etc. for our new, first au pair.
I do see the difference between my phone calls to the agencies compared to when she calls. Sexism is alive and well in the au pair business and most of the discrimination is female on female since, as far as I can tell, women run these au pair agencies.
When I call, female staff respond well and quickly to my requests. When my wife calls, she waits at least 3-7 more days for someone to get that answer or to even call back! When I call counselors, they call me right back, but when my wife calls, it takes about 1-2 days to get a call back. (note: I have never spoken to a male at any of the agencies we are looking at, except for one IT guy and he quickly took care of our issue with our online account....)
Pretty bad, huh ladies!? Sorry. I wish it were not so....
Host Dad