Au Pair websites.

[BeeRayKay]

Hi,

So, having discussed at length with the husband what type of childcare we'd like and we've settled on an Au Pair.

We think it'd benefit us and the children better, and we'd like the chance to teach the children about different cultures etc.

So any recommendation of sites to use? And things to look out for? Things we should and shouldn't expect?

Ap world. Busy site and easy to use.

Au pair world.. Our last 5 au pairs are from ap world.
Easy to use. Cheap.
Just don't use an agency

We used au pair world (after an agency had completely failed to find us anyone suitable). Had 2 very competent young women from there.

Hello! I used Find Au Pair and I'm really pleased of our au pair. She's been with us for 5 months now and our little John loves her.

Hello

For the parents who have found au pairs on APW, what documentation do you ask for?

Police check
medical records
ID copy
Passport copy

Anything else?
Also how long on average does it take to find someone?

Lovely I ask for Police check and references. I recruit from my own home country though so Its easier for me to check. I do recommend googling them and befriending them on social media as it goves a very good idea who they are.

I ask for police check, passport, copy of drivers licence and certificate to say they have no points on their licence, doctor certificate and reference from either an employer or a priest (or someone else identifiable - so far all my au pairs have given me a couple of work refs and one only worked for her dad so gave me a reference from her priest.)

I generally recruit 3 months in advance. I am very organised, so it suits me to have an organised au pair, most of the time you can do it within a couple of months. Its very important though to keep in touch during the interim, once or twice a week by email or SKYPE.

I have used AP world and generally found it to be too hit and miss. I now use an agency which I know people hate on here, but I've had success with them so although they're expensive they've been worth it to me. I've also generally had Australians, so having someone to sort the visas out has been great for me.

I recruit about 3 months in advance. I get provided a police check, copy of passport and driving licence, 2 written references with contact details, a CV, and a letter from them telling us about themselves and their experiences.

I use Smart Au Pairs, and have generally had great service. When the first one didn't work out; they placed another girl, free of charge within 2 weeks and she was fabulous so I'm confident to go with them again and have done since.

I second keeping in touch at least once a week. Also ask to have a Skype call with them and their parents/main parent so everyone is clear on what the job is/expectations etc, and also it puts the parents at ease. Imagine if that was your daughter going across the world to a work for a strange family.

Hi Wonderingwillow,
can I just ask about smart au pairs. I came across their website before. Can I ask, do all their au pairs have videos with their profiles? I really love the idea of this. I'd like to try them if I ever need an agency in the future. I have used both an agency and a website. For me, I used an agency when I just didn't have the time to do the work myself. It was great because the agency did all the work for me but it was expensive. Mostly I use kangaroo ap. It's smaller than au pair world and not great on my iphone. But I find it easy to use and I don't get in undated with 100s of irrelevant messages from au pairs!!