Have you ever wanted to know more about the agency representative who will be guiding you through the au pair process and how she can enrich your experience as a host family?
As you may know, local childcare coordinators (LCCs)—or counselors, as some agencies call them—are the main points of contact among an au pair agency, host families and au pairs. Michelle Terlecki, an LCC from Algonquin, Illinois, shared some helpful advice for host families in a recent telephone interview.
Au Pair with Flair: Hi, Michelle. Thanks for agreeing to speak with us today. I would like to talk to you today about your role in the au pair program and any tips you may have for host families. Let’s start with your background as an LCC.
Michelle Terlecki: Hi, Anne Marie. I’m glad to have the opportunity to speak with you. In October 2010, I will have been an LCC with Cultural Care for three years. Currently I have 15 host families, and of course I am always in the process of speaking with new families who are interested in joining the program.
APWF: Do all of your host families live in Algonquin or are they also from neighboring towns?
MT: I actually cover the northwest suburbs, which includes Algonquin, Bartlett, Elk Grove, Elgin, Huntley, Lake in the Hills, Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates and other nearby towns.
APWF: Where are the au pairs in your group from?
MT: My current host families have au pairs from Poland, Sweden, France, Germany, Brazil, Venezuela, Columbia and other countries.
APWF: It sounds like you have a lot of au pairs from Europe and Latin America. Does Cultural Care focus on these regions?
MT: As the largest au pair agency with approximately 8000 families, we have au pairs from over 45 countries. Actually, our largest group of au pairs comes from Germany and Sweden. Brazil is our biggest Latin American Country.
APWF: Does Cultural Care match au pairs in all 50 states?
MT: Not in every state, but in the large majority of states. The U.S. State Dept regulates that an LCC must be within a one-hour drive of a host family’s home, so in a few states there are not enough families who are interested in hosting au pairs. Obviously we have many au pairs in the Northeast, California, Colorado, Illinois and Texas, where there are many families who wish to host an au pair.
The Role of an LCC
APWF: How did you decide to become an LCC?
MT: I love meeting families and au pairs and being exposed to different cultures. It’s such a great thing to have a job that I am really passionate about. I wish I had known about the program when my children were younger, especially when I see the successes that come from the relationships between host families and au pairs. That’s a really gratifying part of my job.
APWF: In addition to meeting with new families, what are the other aspects of your role as an LCC?
MT: Well, we check in with families every month and plan events for au pairs in our area. We also mentor new LCCs, address any questions or problems that arise from time to time and may even be on-call for emergencies from the families.
APWF: What does it mean to be on-call?
MT: Cultural Care has a 24-hour support line for host families, so there is always someone for them to call in an emergency situation, even at 3 am.
About Cultural Care
APWF: How did you choose Cultural Care when you were considering becoming an LCC?
MT: There are many reasons, actually. I researched some of the larger agencies, and I think Cultural Care does a great job supporting au pairs and families. The agency does a lot of training for LCCs. We also have a Kids First program, supporting international charity efforts, which interested me. Finally, we are an agency with a very high satisfaction rating among families, and we take any comments or complaints very seriously. You can see our survey results at http://www.culturalcare.com/hf-survey.html.
APWF: Let’s talk more about each of these points you mention. First, what kind of training does Cultural Care provide its LCCs?
MT: They provide, for example, extensive online training, mentoring for newer LCCs, weekly conference calls and annual meetings at the national and regional levels.
APWF: Can you tell me about the Kids First program?
MT: Kids First started in Russia and helps children in various other countries. It supports orphanages, gets books, scarves and gloves and other necessities to the children in need. In one case, we bought a minibus to get kids to school and shortened their commute from 2 hours to 20 minutes. More recently we have been involved with South Africa, providing mattresses for a woman who takes in children whose parents have died of aids. Brazil, helping them start an after school program in the inner city. Through our efforts we are able to supply the program with equipment and craft supplies so the children stay off the streets. Closer to home, after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans some of our staff dedicated their time and through the various fundraisers we were able to rebuild their library and fill purchase books to fill the shelves.
APWF: Where does the funding come from?
MT: LCC’s do one or two fundraising events a year, and Cultural Care matches dollar for dollar. 100% of the money raised goes to the charities themselves. You can read more about it on our website: http://www.culturalcare.com/aboutus/kidsfirst.
APWF: Third, you mentioned that Cultural Care takes comments and complaints by families very seriously. How does the agency keep track of and address family complaints?
MT: We survey families twice a year and obviously have an ongoing dialogue through the LCCs with each of our host families. The head office reads the input on every survey and follows up with families. For example, a recent change to our program is the matching process. Host families did not like the fact that they only got to see one application at a time so we changed that due to host family input. Now families are able to see three applications at a time.
APWF: Do you mean the fact that families are now given a choice about how to have applications screened?
MT: Yes, previously we would hand-pick applications for families, who would have an exclusive time period to consider an au pair. Some families wanted the ability to review multiple applications at a time while others preferred a more individualized process. So we now have three ways to match! Here is the information about how it works:
From Cultural Care: NEW! 3 ways to match Families will be guided and supported by a Placement Manager throughout the selection process. Use one or a combination of our “three ways to match” to find the right au pair for your family!
- Our new “Search and Select” option allows you to search through au pair profiles independently online and express interest individual candidates.
- With personalized, exclusive matching, your Placement Manager chooses candidates on your behalf.
- For a more collaborative approach, you can schedule a consultative matching appointment during which you review multiple candidates at once over the phone with your Placement Manager.
In each case, your Placement Manager will place appropriate candidates in your account for your exclusive review. Because candidates in your account are yours to review exclusively, you will not compete with other families while trying to decide which au pair is right for your family.
For more information, click here.
APWF: Thanks, Michelle. It is always great to have options during the matching process. Let’s talk about another point you raised about Cultural Care. Can you also expand on your comment about the State Dept. and how they issue au pair visas?
MT: Every year the State Dept. audits each approved au pair agency to make sure they are compliant with applicable rules and regulations. An agency’s rate of compliance determines how many visas it is allowed. The reason we are the largest agency is because we are in high compliance, allowing us to have more visas available for au pairs.
Advice for Host Families
APWF: That makes a lot of sense. Switching gears a bit, what advice do you have for new host families who are trying to decide which agency to choose?
MT: I actually love it when families do their homework and compare agencies. It’s a smart thing to do. I agree with what I read in your book (that will be published in early 2011) that families should focus on the service they will get from an agency. The LCC plays a central role in that process.
I suggest you contact the LCCs in your area. If you would like to know who your local person is please call me and I can get you the information. Talk on the phone or, if possible, get together for coffee and talk about the program. Get a feel for how quickly the LCC responds to your requests and whether she is someone you would like to work with. In my area, of course, I would say I am the best and will give the best service!
APWF: So you’re the best, huh?
MT: Yeah, it’s worth tooting your own horn once in a while, right? Seriously, I work very closely with the families, and I try to be very available and responsive. I also spend a lot of time making sure that I keep up any new developments. This is my life, in addition to my own family. Sometimes I even talk to families as far away as California, if there’s a way I can help out.
APWF: Anything else about agencies that families should look for?
MT: Well, on the subject of service, you should also look at an agency’s hours. For example, Cultural Care is open on the weekend which makes it nice for host families who are too busy during the week. Someone in the office can connect you to speak with your au pair or answer any questions you may have. And of course you should also look at fees, including the discounts for repeat families.
APWF: Moving away from the questions about au pair agencies, have you found that certain families are more suited to the au pair program than others?
MT: I think the best point for a family to realize is that this is an exchange program. They are not just hiring a nanny on an au pair visa. For example, you can’t expect her to be able to drive to Walmart in the SUV or know how to work the washing machine on her first day.
Yet if you put the time in, the rewards are amazing. Children get lifelong friendships with their au pairs, and families make connections. I know a local family who went to the wedding of a former au pair. The au pair was with the family when the daughter was two, and many years later the family flew over to see the au pair get married.
The Rematch Process
APWF: What if the host family-au pair relationship doesn’t work out? Can you tell us about the rematch process?
MT: Well, first of all, 90% of matches work, and 10% are what we call “in transition.”
If there’s a safety issue, we will send the au pair back to her home country immediately. If there’s a personality conflict or, for example, the family needs a driver and the au pair can’t drive as well as expected, the host family will generally house au pair for two weeks.
APWF: Does the au pair work for you during those two weeks?
MT: It is really up to the family, and the decision is usually based on the reason for the rematch. If she doesn’t work for you, obviously you don’t need to pay her, and your program fee is frozen until your new au pair arrives.
APWF: How long does it take to get a new au pair?
MT: It depends on whether you choose an in-country au pair or someone from abroad. If you match with someone who is already here, it could be three days. In that case, of course, the old au pair will no longer stay with the family as soon as the new au pair arrives. If you match with someone from abroad, it could take 6-8 weeks.
We do have au pairs overseas who already have their visas and are ready to go but, for unrelated reasons, whose intended host families needed to cancel the match. We hold these au pairs in the queue for transition families, so in these cases the rematch process may be shorter than a traditional match. We also have extension au pairs who are already in the country and may be the right match.
Since we are dealing with people, we can never guarantee that there will not be a gap in childcare. What I can guarantee is that I will work very hard alongside with the program director to find the best suited candidate for the family. Transition families get top priority in the matching process. What that means is that they have first dibs on any transition au pairs in the U.S.
APWF: How many au pairs are available for rematch at a given time?
MT: It is hard to give any firm numbers, because obviously it changes all the time. I can say that, since we do not have different programs, there is a wider selection of in-country au pairs available if a family needs to go into transition.
APWF: Can you tell me more about that?
MT: Sure. Some agencies have different categories of au pairs. For example, Au Pair in America has a category called “Au Pair Extraordinaire”. These au pairs have additional training or education and earn a higher weekly stipend. There is also a higher program fee associated with these au pairs.
Cultural Care doesn’t believe in putting a price on each kind of au pair. We have au pairs who are nurses or teachers, for example, but we do a rigorous screening for all au pairs. We believe every host family deserves the best au pair for the care of their children. We don’t believe in asking families if they want the discounted au pair or the premium au pair, there should only be one choice-premium and that’s what we have.
Interviews and Screening of Au Pairs
APWF: What about the au pair interview process? What would you tell a host family to look out for?
MT: When I am talking to family, they might say that they want Spanish speaker and good driver. I tell them, OK, if you are matching with an au pair from most countries in Latin America, you need to make sure that you ask the right questions about driving. Ask the au pair how often she drives, on what type of roads and whether it is for two minutes or twenty minutes when she commutes to work or school.
At Cultural Care, we also have information on our website about each country that is available for families once they apply to the program. In Venezuela, for example, you don’t need to take an exam to get a driver’s license, there is just a fee. Obviously you want to ask a lot of questions to determine whether an au pair from this country actually has sufficient driving experience and not rely on the license alone.
APWF: Can you explain more about how Cultural Care finds and screens its au pairs?
MT: First of all, we accept approximately 35% of au pairs into program who apply. There are a number o f reasons why au pairs may not be accepted. Motivation to spend a year as an au pair, maturity, interest in Cultural Exchange and flexibility are some of the things our staff focuses on during the interview process.
We also are unlike other agencies in the sense that don’t have local agents on the ground doing the screening. We have opened Cultural Care offices in all countries where we recruit au pairs, soon to include China. As a comparison other agencies use 80-100% of agents to recruit their au pairs. This means that we have much more control over the recruitment and training of the au pairs.
APWF: Thanks, Michelle. This is extremely helpful information for host families to consider. I also had some specific questions for you, if you have a bit more time.
MT: Sure, thanks.
Specific Questions and More Information for Host Families
APWF: What advice would you give to families with older children if they have never hosted au pairs before?
MT: For such a family, I would definitely look for a mature, independent and intelligent au pair. She will be helping with homework, for example. You will also need a good driver because he/she will most likely be helping with the driving to all activities.
Families should be aware that some kids will adapt to an au pair better than others. For their part, the parents should make sure the au pair is respected. Otherwise, this is generally when problems start to creep up.
Oh, one more thing. If you have older children, it is likely you won’t need an au pair to be busy for all of her available time, so look for someone who knows how to use her downtime well and won’t get bored.
APWF: Any advice for families with children who have special needs?
MT: Yes, I would say that families need to be completely upfront about their special needs child during the interview process, including what the au pair will be required to do. Some au pairs have experience in a group setting that is not transferable to every home. All things being equal, I would rather have an au pair reject the family in advance than after she gets to the home. I also tell my host families not to be hurt if an au pair rejects them, because the most important thing is that the match is successful. We actually had a male au pair who was taking care of a special needs child win au pair of the year. Here’s the link to the video about it: Au Pair of the Year Video.
APWF: I actually wanted to ask you about the information that Cultural Care has available online. You seem to have a wealth of material for host families.
MT: Yes, we strive to keep our host families informed. Here are some more links that families may find helpful:
www.ilovemyaupair.com
www.aupairtrainingschool.com
www.aupairanswermom.com
www.community.culturalcare.com
Families from the northwest suburbs of Illinois can also get local information from my own site: http://mterlecki.aupairnews.com.
APWF: Michelle, thanks again for your time. How can families contact you if they have further questions?
MT: You can give them my number (847-980-1573). I am always happy to talk to potential and current host families, even if they are not in my local area, about the program, au pairs, comparing agencies, discounts, and any other questions they have.
APWF: Well, this is great, Michelle. I am sure this information will be very helpful for our readers!
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Any views expressed in the above interview reflect the personal views of Michelle Terlecki, local childcare coordinator of Cultural Care, and not of any other person or entity, including the author of Au Pair with Flair. Information has not been independently verified.
‘Nuff said.
