@lph4248 happy to help! That's a pretty cool connection. I would recommend 4-6 months in advance of their arrival to start interviewing. The majority of au pairs come available in the July / aug timeframe although you can get them all year long. Ours come the the first week in July and we start interviewing in late mid - late Jan. I like to take my time, I also like to feel prepared in advance, and I feel like the ones in january that already have their required hours are the type that are good fits for us. That being said the first au pair we picked didn't pass her high school exams (found out in april for a July start) and ended up having to cancel so we had to go back to the pool. Definitely a smaller selection at that point but we were still happy with our choice.
Its not an academic schedule for au pairs. You can get someone all year long. They have start groups every week (they attend a training in Long Island the first four days). I just think July / aug tends to be the highest as a number of them do this for a year after high school before they start college. When you go into the database all the au pairs list their preferred or first available start month so you can filter by that and then when you email them you can confirm the start you are looking for to make sure it's not an issue.
After my son was born I didn't go back to teaching and decided to take in one more baby. When DS was 7 months old I started taking care of a 6 week old boy. He is just turning 9 months and I love him like my own. I would do anything for this kid. Another huge plus of being in my home vs daycare is both boys have maybe only had 1 cold, I keep my house super clean and wash hands often.
@Creedon778 resurrecting this thread to ask more about your experience. Did your au pairs only take care of one child primarily or were they comfortable with more than one? If you don't mind sharing, will you get an infant specialized au pair this time around? I don't know if I will be sane taking care of two under two much less passing that on to a 20 year old! Our plan is to have DS at Montessori school part time - but of course it would be cheaper to keep him at home if that's a feasible option.
@caribbeanmama we only got an au pair once we had two kids so they were always comfortable with more than one. I think most families with au pairs have 2+ kids. Yes this time we will get an infant certified au pair. We are in the process of interviewing right now and I've been happy with many of the candidates.
i would recommend getting an au pair who is experienced in watching multiple kids at once. Either for a family or a daycare type setting.
Our boys will be in Montessori school during the day but she'll have them all in the afternoon.
@caribbeanmama we only got an au pair once we had two kids so they were always comfortable with more than one. I think most families with au pairs have 2+ kids. Yes this time we will get an infant certified au pair. We are in the process of interviewing right now and I've been happy with many of the candidates.
i would recommend getting an au pair who is experienced in watching multiple kids at once. Either for a family or a daycare type setting.
Our boys will be in Montessori school during the day but she'll have them all in the afternoon.
Thanks so much for sharing! Those are all good tips. How far apart will your little one be from the youngest?
Wow - you are interviewing already! You are so organized. I feel like I'm behind lol. In terms of timing - will you have the au pair start before you have baby or before? We are trying to figure out timing - of course there are many factors involved.
@caribbeanmama ours are 5 and 3. But they will turn 6 and 4 in October and August. Our current au pair leaves June 30 so we will have new one come the first week of July. I have 6 months maternity leave so I will primarily care for the baby until I go back to work but I've told them there will be times I'll need help or want to go to a dinner with DH. Then when I go back in January of 2018 she will have all three except when the boys are in school.
Re: Day care?
Its not an academic schedule for au pairs. You can get someone all year long. They have start groups every week (they attend a training in Long Island the first four days). I just think July / aug tends to be the highest as a number of them do this for a year after high school before they start college. When you go into the database all the au pairs list their preferred or first available start month so you can filter by that and then when you email them you can confirm the start you are looking for to make sure it's not an issue.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
After my son was born I didn't go back to teaching and decided to take in one more baby. When DS was 7 months old I started taking care of a 6 week old boy. He is just turning 9 months and I love him like my own. I would do anything for this kid. Another huge plus of being in my home vs daycare is both boys have maybe only had 1 cold, I keep my house super clean and wash hands often.
i would recommend getting an au pair who is experienced in watching multiple kids at once. Either for a family or a daycare type setting.
Our boys will be in Montessori school during the day but she'll have them all in the afternoon.
Wow - you are interviewing already! You are so organized. I feel like I'm behind lol. In terms of timing - will you have the au pair start before you have baby or before? We are trying to figure out timing - of course there are many factors involved.