Au Pair and Host Family News
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| Au Pair Stipend Increase |
July 14, 2009
The Au Pair stipend is determined by the U.S. Department
of Labor and is essentially U.S. minimum wage minus an
estimated room and board amount. The weekly stipend for
the standard Au Pair and EduCare Au Pair programs are
therefore directly connected to the federal minimum
wage. When the U.S. federal minimum wage increases, so
does the Au Pair stipend. To account for the recent
increases in minimum wage, the Au Pair stipend was
increased in three phases over the last 3 years.
Please note that Phase III of the
stipend increase is scheduled to begin on July 24, 2009.
This increase will affect all Au Pairs currently in the
U.S. as well as those who arrive after these changes
have gone into effect. goAUPAIR has adjusted the stipend
for the Au Pair Plus and Premiere Programs to reflect
the minimum wage increase set by the U.S. Department of
Labor.
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| Health Update |
April 30, 2009
In an industry which facilitates the cultural exchange of international
young adults to live in the homes of U.S. families while providing child
care, goAUPAIR is closely monitoring the developments of the recent
Influenza A (H1N1) or Swine Flu outbreak to review the impacts, if any,
on the Au Pair program.
In response to this event goAUPAIR has contacted all Au Pairs and
International Representatives living abroad as well as Au
Pairs, Host Families and Local Representatives here in the U.S. to
encourage everyone to follow all precautionary measures as advised by
the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)and to seek medical
attention if they experience any flu-like symptoms.
At this time goAUPAIR is not aware of any negative impacts to the Au
Pair Program from the outbreak other than delays in obtaining visas in
Mexico due to Consulate closures. The U.S. Consulate General in
Monterrey suspended all non-immigrant visa appointments to comply with
Mexican government measures to limit the congregation of large crowds.
The consulate plans to resume visa and other consular operations on
Wednesday, May 6th and provided information for the rescheduling of
appointments.
http://monterrey.usconsulate.gov/
Both goAUPAIR and our International Affiliates in Mexico are hopeful
the situation will return to normal. goAUPAIR’s International Representative in Monterrey provided a
firsthand update on the situation. Alberto commented:
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“The news is all about this flu. Although everyone
talks about it, it seems to be under control and the new cases reported
are reducing constantly. In Mexico City they have the strongest measures
and they have cancelled concerts, movie theaters, soccer games, anything
where a large crowd can gather. Restaurants only sell food to go, and
now as you see the US embassy and its consulates are closed. I,
personally, haven't heard of anyone I know who is infected.
They recently said that it is not needed to shut down the borders as
this virus can be anywhere already. On May 6th they will issue an
evaluation of the situation. School, commerce and the US embassy are
scheduled to go back to normal on that date.”
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goAUPAIR will continue to monitor the situation and provide information
regarding any impacts this has on the Au Pair program. For the most
up-to-date information on the Swine Flu, please visit
www.cdc.gov.
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