Au Pair - Application Process (1)

Hey guys

Today I am finally starting to write posts about my Au Pair experience. In today's post I am going to concentrate on the Application Process, which can be a quite long one. To start with, I chose Cultural Care as my Agency. There are so many to chose from but I knew I wanted Cultural Care because they are a big company that has been in the business for years and is also very well known. I can only say that my experience so far has been great. The most popular agencies as far as I know are Cultural Care, GoAuPair and AuPairinAmerica. Definitely look into those three and if you are not happy with any of those, just google Au Pair Agencies.

What Agency is right for me?

To find an agency that fits your needs most you want to consider a few things.

-Where do you live and where do you want to go?
Decide on where you want to go, every agency has different offers and places you can go to with them.
Find out what agencies are in your country and particularly close to you. For example Cultural Care has an office in Vienna, Austria which was super close to where I live. That made it easy and convenient for me because you need to go to a meeting and be interviewed. With Cultural Care you can go to the United States, which is exactly where I wanted to go.
I think it is important to have an office close by, it makes the application process easier and I think it is good to be able to go there and ask questions.

-Do you want to go to a training school?
You have to decide for yourself if you want to go to a training school or not. It is a great opportunity to meet other Au Pairs and make friends that you can rely on throughout the year. Some of them might live in your area. Furthermore you will get a chance to settle in a little bit and get used to the American Lifestyle before you go to your family. In addition you will learn more about childcare and are able to ask questions that you might have.

-How much are you willing to pay? - Prices vary, but I think in such an important matter the price is not the top priority. You should choose the agency because you like the people and what they have to offer. Some agencies might be cheaper but they might not offer things that more expensive agencies offer. If you are happy with a cheaper agency that  is absolutely fine just make sure that they offer everything you need.

Things to look out for:
training school, 24 hour emergency contact, contact in your home country, office in the country you are going to, insurance, LCC (Local Childcare Consultant, someone you can ask questions who lives close by), monthly meetings with your LCC

Take your time and compare not only prices but also what they different agencies have to offer.


My Agency -- Cultural Care

I chose Cultural Care as my Agency because I had already done a High School Year in the States with EF and EF works together with Cultural Care. I was very happy with all the support I had during my Highschool year, therefore I knew that Cultural Care would be a good choice for me. They are very well known and have been around for years. They make sure you are placed in a good family and have a great support network in each country as well as in the States (Boston Office). They are always happy to help you with any questions you have. You also have a LCC who is a person who lives close to you and organizes meetings every month and is there to help you with any questions or problems you might have.

Cultural Care also has a training school which I liked. (Detailed Post about the Training School will follow soon)

For Cultural Care you have to fill out your online Application (which is quite long) and you also have to come in for an Interview. You also have to go to their office for a meeting where you learn more about the program and where a former Au Pair talks about their experiences and time in the states. As soon as they accept your application you are able to be matched with a host family. As soon as you are matched they might write you or you might write them first. After you talked for a while you might Skype and if you both agree it could already be your final match. If you for any reason do not like the family or you do not like them you can remove the match before I believe 24 hours or something like that. Then you are ready for the next match. That goes on until you find the perfect family for you. It might be the first match but it might also take a while so don't worry. Make sure to plan enough time with your application and matching because it can be a long process. It might only take a week but it can also take months. (More detailed post about the matching process will follow soon)

Later on, sooner to your departure date you will have to get a visa. You will have to go to the US-Embassy in your country to get it. First you fill out a really long form and then you make an appointment and go there for a short interview. Nothing to be scared of- Honestly. They will (hopefully-but pretty surely) send back your passport with your visa in it a couple of days or weeks later. Again plan enough time to get your visa because it might could only take a couple of days but it could also take a lot longer. (More detailed post will follow if you are interested)