Au Pair Beginner

[Snoots]

Help, We are thinking of getting an au pair but don't know where to start. Can anyone help steer us in the right direction? We live in Dorset and have 2 little boys with another on the way.

There are lots of useful au pair threads on this topic. I've got stuff to do tomorrow but if I have some spare time, I'll come back and link to a couple of them I think would be of help to you. Good luck in your search!

Ooh you can tell it's that time of year again.

You can go via the internet. AuPairWorld is the best site - don't try Great Aupair btw - but you have to read between the lines a bit

You can go via agencies. I've done this too. I have a list of them. They are freakishly expensive for the service that they offer

Do you want a male or female aupair or are you indifferent?

Do you want an aupair from a particular country or are you indifferent? EU is easiest because they (a) don't need visas and (b) the healthcare is free and (c) the language schools are much cheaper (mostly free but it depends)

this is one thread

here is another

and another

I hope the tips in these threads are useful.

why dont you like greataupair website, Quattrocento , may i ask?

Just added a profile on APW. Within an hour, I've got 83 replies. Yikes! They can't all want to be in Dorset eh?!! How the hell do I weed them out?!! My husband has been vetting them according to looks.

My DH does that, but photos can be deceptive. I would suggest deciding what your 3 priorities are eg: must drive, good spoken English, come from EU country. Weed out any that don't fit these criteria, then phone interview ones left.