Myth Busting the Au Pair Program

Affordable and not all Swedish! Many military families are finding out that an au pair is the perfect solution to their ever-changing childcare needs.

If the popular show MythBusters were to test popular myths about au pair child care, Karen Hurley, Business Development Director for Cultural Care Au Pair, is confident that they would prove every one of the them wrong. In fact, she just wrote an article called “Au Pair Childcare—Demystifying a Childcare Solution” that was published by the Chicago Chamber of Commerce in which she reveals that many popular beliefs about this childcare alternative just aren’t true.

Some that she tackles in her article include:

Myth: Au pairs are for the rich and famous
Fact: Au pairs are not just for the wealthy. Our families come from all walks of life and have a wide range of occupations. We have firefighters, teachers, nurses, doctors, lawyers, and pilots on our program. Our service is a tremendous help for families with twins or triplets, single parents and families with non-traditional work schedules.

Myth: Au pairs don’t want to work nights and weekends
Fact: Au pairs are carefully screened and understand that flexibility and working full time is a requirement of the program. You customize your 45 hours per week according to your schedule, and unlike a nanny or daycare, whose service is typically based on a set schedule, an au pair works when you need them.

Myth: Au pairs are women
Fact: Cultural Care Au Pair has male au pairs as well, because there is actually a high demand for male caregivers. They are a favorite of families seeking someone both active and nurturing. Meet Xiaoxiao from China, Elvis from Venezuela and Ricardo from Brazil to learn why families love their male au pairs.

Myth: Once an au pair arrives I am all alone in making it work.
Fact: Our business is all about personalized service and support. Our local childcare coordinators (LCCs) maintain monthly contact with host families and provide a social outlet for the au pairs in the area by hosting monthly meetings. We pride ourselves on our excellent customer service and receive high marks on our customer satisfaction surveys. We rely on the word of mouth referrals from our customers to make our business grow and almost 80% of our host families are repeat customers.

Myth: They let anyone on the au pair program
Fact: Actually the au pair program is highly regulated by the U.S. Department of State. And because we care about providing the best childcare for our customers, last year we became the only agency in the world to use only our own staff overseas for recruitment, screening and orientation, instead of relying on third-party agents. During our screening process, the potential candidate is personally interviewed, tested on English competency, takes a personality profile, and submits to a criminal background check as well as personal and professional reference checks. Acceptance into our program is highly competitive.

Myth: Not having a native speaker will affect my child’s language development
Fact: Studies have shown that exposing your child to a second language enhances a child’s language and cognitive development and does not impede their ability to learn English. With an au pair you can have someone who speaks English and is also willing to teach their native language and share their culture with your family. Having this exposure can reinforce the language learning that your child has at school.

Myth: Au pairs act only as a babysitter
Fact: Unlike daycare or a babysitter, an au pair can perform all household duties associated with children, so they can vacuum a playroom, prepare and clean up after meals, do children’s laundry, make the children’s beds and organize their toys/closets/playrooms. An au pairs’ assistance with these day-to-day tasks allows you to spend quality time with your children and spouse after a long day at the office.

Thank you Karen for your “busting” these au pair childcare myths and educating families on the advantages to au pair childcare.

For more information on the au pair program, please contact Julie McGhee, Julie.Mcghee@lcc.culturalcare.com or visit www.jmcghee@aupairnews.com