Need a good au pair agency

Hi does anyone know about Sunflower Aupair agency? I've just been in touch with them, but not sure if I can trust them in terms of candidates' reliability.

I can't seem to find Abacus Au Pair Agency's info anywhere. Does anyone know if Debbie is still in business?

I had a very unsuccessful experience with Abacus; I am now trying other agencies

I saw Abacus given good comments here, so tried them - very frustrating and unsuccessful experience

Old thread...but like talkingrabbit we have used Pebbles for the past 3.5 years, and have been very happy with the service , and with 4 of the 6 au pairs we have had. Current girl is amazing (as fab as the last one was bad).

talking
I have used an agency and for Sept done DIY via AP World. I have friends that only use AP World. In my exp (limited to two years!) it seems like wherever the APs come from they can vary in terms of standard, even if your recruitment process remains rigorous...

This year I used AuPairWorld, and our AP is a lovely person but not a great AP. I'm sure she will make a great career for herself in another context. Preferably one where there is no need for an understanding of child psychology, an ability to work as a team and to do as asked without arguing the toss ( 'why do I have to recycle this, we don't recycle this in France, why do you do that here?' and 'I'm not going to wash the plates and cutlery in hot soapy water, why do I have to do that just because you say so?' (yes, lots of tummy bugs this year with the kids ) ). So for next year I decided to go with Pebbles agency - we decided to try a male au pair, and they seemed to have a great screening process (including asking 'how would you deal with a medical emergency' and 'how would you deal with a child who is having a major tantrum'. We decided to turn down the candidate who answered 'i would shut them in the garden till they calmed down' to that !!). But until he turns up and we work with him, I won't know how good a match he is and hence how good the agency is.

would like to mention that abacus now has a lovely new website - someone's taken note :-)

French police checks are easy - big black diagonal line = all good!

Wiltslulu: am "host family".
this is first time when I used this agency. I did asked them to send me au pair's police check, which was in French language, luckly friend of mine is from France, so she help to translate it and I know it's real lol.

For the money they sift through lots of rubbish, check refs and make sure the au pair is serious about au pairing.

They claim to give advice in the legal side if things but I trust that about as far as I could throw most of them. 90% of the time it's true au pairs don't pay tax, but saying outright they don't is potentially misinforming people. Likewise the 'au pairs don't need contracts' or 'au pairs don't get paid holiday' is misinformation.

2 words the industry has apparently just become familiar with: Employment Tribunal.

First choice au pairs: "A minimum of one weeks paid holiday for each 26 weeks that you have stayed with a family"

Oops

You should try 1st Choice Au Pairs. If you are looking for an agency that does a
lot more than most for the fee then have a word with them. Rather than using
other agencies in other countries, they travel themselves to meet their au pairs
so you can speak with the person who has interviewed them. Their checks have
always been pretty thorough for me - but the best thing is that they will
often give a personal opinion about who they rated more than someone else at the
interview and why..

Hi,
as I already said before, we tryed AUPAIRKA agency. I was very happy with their service, they were fast a provided my family with lovely au pair.
I think this agency is now recommended by bestbear.

Hi, I agree with Harriet, the Abacus website is gash but if you ring Debbie she is knowledgeable and when we chatted she gave me a realistic idea of what to pay bearing in mind where I live (South Coast)and the hours I needed. She also looked at my requirements and sent me selected CVs rather then just loads of random ones. My AP was happy with the service at her end too.

I have previously used AP world when I had loads of time but I just cannot be bothered now, I'd rather pay the £200 or whatever and not have to go through all the naus myself.

I am lazy! (But very happy with my lovely AP)

BAPAA is a trade organisation they don't accredit or review their members. Nobody does - this is one of the problems.

Well its a start that it was actually received.

Well it's 1 week every 3 months plus the Bank Holidays...so it's a start.

I'm still waiting for a response, any response, to my letter by the way. I did get a couple of acknowledgements that it was received and the matter 'under investigation'.

"we feel it necessary to advise all our families to offer 1 weeks paid holiday for every 3 months of stay as standard" - sounds like they advise it should be given grudgingly, and even so the advice is still wrong, implying that if they were there they 5.5 months would only get one week rather than the 12.8 days they would be entitled to.

You always have to take advice from these people with a grain of salt - even our payroll company scarily gives shoddy advice from time to time. It doesn't come cheap AND they claim to be legal experts, as part of the service.

There are more informative/accurate websites but I wonder how their actual track record in placing au pairs compares. And they charge a hell of a lot more for it.. Wonder why she just doesn't update that thing though. Maybe she's busy placing au pairs whereas the others have a lot of time for their interneting...

In other news apparently BAAPA, following an employment tribunal has decided au pairs are employees under the working time directive and get 4 weeks holiday plus Bank Hols.

here

They seem like an agency who know their stuff at least partly!

It is not just about the quality of the website but the quality of the information on there. If that is the information they are giving out to families and au pairs then I would be concerned.