During Your Year With An Au Pair
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| Arrival |
Your Au
Pair’s arrival is an exciting time for everyone.
This section is to help prepare you for the
first few days your Au Pair is in your home.
When your Au Pair arrives, keep in mind that
she has just finished a very long international
flight and is jet lagged. It is normal for Au Pairs
to be very tired for the first few days while they
are adjusting to the new time.
 An
adult must be present in the home for 3 days
following the Au Pair's arrival to allow time
for adjustment and to instruct the Au Pair on
responsibilities and schedules.
When you are scheduling your Au
Pair's arrival, you will need to keep in mind that
someone must be present for her first 3 days.
Your Au Pair will need to call her family to let
them know that she has arrived safely. To avoid a
large phone bill, help the Au Pair use an
international calling card.
goAUPAIR will mail your Au Pair a Welcome Packet
shortly after she arrives. This packet will contain general program
information as well as her insurance card and a list
of Au Pairs in your area. Encourage your Au Pair to
meet Au Pairs in your area so she is able to make
new friends.
Most Au Pairs will experience some form of culture
shock when they arrive in the U.S. Culture shock is
a period of adjustment to a new surrounding and most
Au Pairs will follow this cycle:
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- Arrival excitement. Some
people refer to this as the "tourist phase"
because everything will be new and exciting,
and Au Pairs will want to experience it all
at once.
- Fatigue. After the
initial excitement, Au Pairs may begin to
notice all of the cultural differences and
may feel homesick. Physical and mental
exhaustion are common in this stage but the
first step to moving on is understanding
this cycle.
- Initial Adjustment. In
this phase, the Au Pair is overcoming
fatigue cycle and is beginning to adjust to
life in a new country. Au Pairs in this
stage are beginning to feel more comfortable
with the new surroundings.
- True Adjustment. This
final phase occurs when an Au Pair has fully
acclimated to the U.S.
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| Orientation |
During the first 2 weeks of your Au Pair’s arrival, your
Local Area R epresentative will schedule an orientation
in your home. The orientation is an important part of
the program and its completion is required.
The Au Pair and at least one host parent must be present
for the orientation. The topics discussed during the
orientation include:
- Au Pair's responsibilities
- Schedules
- Stipend
- Host Family specific child care requirements
- House rules
- General conduct
- Education
- Department of State regulations
- Problem resolution
Your Local Area Representative will be able to answer
any specific questions for you, so use the orientation
as a guideline for your year. In addition to the
orientation, you will want to schedule a meeting each
week with your Au Pair so that you can review her
performance, discuss any issues that have come up and
provide her with a schedule for the next week.
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| Support |
While you
may contact your Local Area Representative any
time, your Local Area Representative will
contact you and your Au Pair every month to
ensure your program is going well. You will also
receive quarterly communication and information
on any program updates from the goAUPAIR
corporate office throughout your year.
goAUPAIR also provides Host Families and Au
Pairs support during the year in the event of
any problems. If a problem arises
between a Host Family and Au Pair, it is
important that certain steps are taken. goAUPAIR
has developed a grievance procedure based on our 20 years of experience placing Au
Pairs. Families and Au Pairs agree to follow
these three steps in the event of a problem:
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- Discuss the problem within the
home. Based on our experience we
have found that many Au Pairs and Host
Families are not aware there is a problem
until it is brought to the other party's
attention. It is important to communicate
with your Au Pair and discuss any problems
or misunderstandings you have to help build
a strong relationship.
- Discuss the problem with your
Local Area Representative. Your
Local Area Representative is a valuable
resource because she is able to provide
advice and mediation as needed to help you
and your Au Pair resolve any issues.
- Discuss the problem with your
Placement Coordinator. Your
Placement Coordinator works with other
families and Au Pairs in the U.S. and is
often able to provide a unique insight on
different situations.
In the event a problem arises that cannot be
resolved through the grievance procedures, a
refund or replacement option is available to you
as part of goAUPAIR's Flexible Choice Program.
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| Travel |
 Au Pairs are allowed to
travel freely within the U.S. and may travel
internationally during their first year. Au
Pairs will need to send their DS-2019 form into
goAUPAIR's corporate office for travel
validation prior to leaving the U.S.
If you plan to take your Au Pair on a vacation
with your family, keep in mind that travel
restrictions for U.S. citizens will be different
than those for your Au Pair. Au Pairs
will need to check with the embassy of the
country they are travelling to see if they will
need a visa. |
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| Social Security |
Social Security numbers are not required for Au Pairs to
participate in the program, but in order to receive a
U.S. driver’s license or a bank account, Au Pairs will
need to apply for a non-working Social Security number.
Au Pairs will need to apply at their local Social
Security office. Some of the offices will require an
appointment to be made, so call ahead to be sure. Your
Au Pair will need to take her passport with visa,
DS-2019 and I-94 card. The I-94 card is given to the Au
Pair during her flight to the U.S. This is a
white card that shows legal entry into the U.S. and is
often stapled to the passport by Customs.
The Social Security office will need to verify the Au
Pair's visa status and this cannot be done during the
first 10 days in the United States. Your Local Area
Representative will be available to guide you through
the entire process.
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| Taxes |
While goAUPAIR is not able to provide tax advice to Host
Families and Au Pairs, we have been provided information
regarding Au Pair taxes by the IRS. This letter is
included in each Au Pair’s Welcome Packet which is sent
out when the Au Pair arrives.
Many Host Families will use the program fees paid to
goAUPAIR for their child care tax credit or child care
flexible spending account. goAUPAIR is happy to provide
you with the necessary invoices and tax ID. |
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