| Hosting an au pair can carry hidden
costs |
| By Lynne
Ticknor • Bankrate.com |
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If you are considering child care
options and think that hosting an au pair is an inexpensive way
to get someone to look after your children while you're at work,
better think again.
Although you'll only be paying your au pair a $139.05-per-week
stipend regardless of the number of children you have, the actual
out-of-pocket cost can be closer to $400 per week. That includes
the $6,000 application and program fee you need to pay upfront.
The au pair program began in 1986 in the United States
as a cultural exchange program and is regulated by the U.S. Department
of State. Au pairs, mostly 18- to 26-year-old women, although there
are some male au pairs, come to the United States on a J-1 exchange
visitors visa. They provide up to 45 hours of in-home child care
in exchange for a weekly stipend, room, board and educational opportunities.
"If parents are looking at it for cheap child
care, then having an au pair is not the way to go," says Jerri
Wolfe, author of "Redbook's Nannies, Au Pairs and Babysitters:
How to Find and Keep the Right In-Home Childcare for Your Family."
The first expense you'll pay is the nonrefundable
$250 to $300 application fee. This gets the administrative ball
rolling and marks your commitment to the process. The agency fee,
typically around $6,000, covers the agency's recruiting and selection
efforts, the au pair's basic health insurance, a background check,
round-trip airfare to and from the United States, local community
counselor support and a multiple-day training program. You'll also
pay $500 annually toward your au pair's tuition.
If you think the buck stops there, you're wrong. There
are additional expenses that you are not required to pay, per se,
but most host families do.
Some of the hidden costs that surprise host families
include the following. |
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| Surprise expenses
for host families |
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Mobile phones
Should you pay for your au pair's cell phone?
"It depends," says Wolfe. "In most
cases, I think a family would provide the phone and the service
to cover the needs associated with family communication, and an
agreement needs to be worked out with the au pair for any overage
costs."
Auto insurance
If the au pair is expected to drive as part of his or her child
care responsibilities, then host families need to make sure the
car insurance covers them.
"There is some money in allocating the use of
a car to them and making sure it is gassed up for some of their
private use as well," says Ruth Liebermann, who has hosted
19 au pairs over the course of 16 years and is author of the book,
"Au Pairing Up!: How to Maximize the Rewards and Minimize the
Learning Curves of America's Best Childcare Solution."
Groceries and
toiletries
The incremental costs of having an additional person at your dining
table for three meals a day may not seem like a lot, but some host
families end up buying items that they wouldn't normally purchase.
If you get into the habit of picking up special snack items, shampoo,
toothpaste and other toiletries, the monthly grocery bill starts
to add up. If your family orders takeout or eats at restaurants
frequently, your bill will end up being $5 to $30 higher each time.
Also, don't forget the au pair will need a place to
sleep and room for his or her belongings.
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