Cultural Care Au Pair
Reviews and Complaints

I am going to go as an au pair with Cultural Care next spring.. and now I'm having second toughts after reading all kinds of horror stories!

AIMEDIT I AGREE WITH YOU I WAS AN AU PAIR FOR 2 YEARS WITH THE SAME FAMILY AND THEY WERE GREAT IM 20 RIGHT NOW AND I DISAGREE WITH YOU SAYING THAT AN 18 OR 19 GIRL CAN HANDLE WHAT A 23 YEARS OLD CAN! THATA A LIE I LEFT MY COUNTRY WHEN I WAS 18 AND I TOOK CARE OF TWINS! I CONSIDER THAT ITS NOT THE AGE ITS ! BUT ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT IVE BEEN IN MY COUNTRY FOR ALMOST 4 MONTHS ALREADY AND CULTURAL SHOCK ITS AT THE HIGHEST STAGE RIGHT NOW AND I HAVENT GOT MY DEPOSIT BACK YET AFTER SENDING THE FORM FOR 3 TIMES. THE THING WITH THE FORM IS THAT THEY DONT ASK YOU ALL THE INFORMATION YOU NEED TO THATS WHY THEY ALWAYS EXCUSE THEMSELVE TELLING YOU THAT THE ACCOUNT HOLDER DIDNT EXIST! THEY ALSO DONT TELL YOU THRU WHICH BANK THEY ARE DOING THE TRANSFERENCE, I WORK IN A BANK AND TALKED TO THE DEPARTMENT IN CHARGE OF SWIFT AND THEY TOLD ME THAT YOU NEED TO PUT THE SWIFT # OF THE BANK THAT TRANSFER EITHER US $ OR EUROS TO GET YOUR DEPOSIT BACK . IN PERSONAL I CAN TELL THAT CC SUCKS AND ITS THE WORST BUSINESS I EVER SEEN! I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PROGRAM TO ANYONE EVEN THOUGHT I HAD A GOOD EXPERIENCE, YOU HAVE TO BE EXTREMELY LUCKY TO GET A GOOD HOSTFAMILY..

Many of these complaints have very solid grounds. But, then again, so do most of the praises.
I was an au pair with CC for two years and then one more year with another agency in France, so I like to think that I have a lot of experience on this matter. In the US, Iwas on rematch twice, the first time (in Virginia) because the host family had a horrible and spoiled kid. They also made me work extra hours and were annoyed at me every time I asked for the money they owed me due to working those extra hours. I talked to my LCC and, as all LCCs, she tried to ease things and talk but I had passed that stage already. Luckily, I found a family in DC which had a lovely girl. My host parents were not great but they were respectful, they treated me right and they never made me work extra.
By the end of the first year, I decided I wanted to move to Massachusetts and experience life there. My host family wanted an au pair from another country (because they had family there and they wanted the girl to learn the language) so we said goodbye on good terms.
I found a family in the south of Boston with the best two kids I had ever taken care of! The host mom was a bit nuts and we had MANY misunderstanding. So far, all my LCCs had been great. However, when we decided to undergo a rematch, my LCC clearly showed that she only cared about keeping the family in the program. She didn't move a finger when my host mom was raising her voice at me and walking away when I tried to talk to her.
After that horrible experience, I was very scared because I thought the family would kick me out and, having a crappy LCC, I would have nowhere to go. Luckily for me, a regional director of CC called me and helped me get a new family. I told her what the LCC had done and she was very understanding; she even invited me to her house for Thanksgiving so I wouldn't be on my own.
My last family was the family I wish I had been with right from the start. Great kids and host mom.
In my experience, host families can be genuinely bad when they don't understand that an au pair is there to provide childcare but also to be part of the family. Many host families still look at au pairs as just employees and that is why the relationship doesn't always work. A lot of times, they don't understand the term "cultural exchange" and they get frustrated when girls have a hard time adapting to the language or to their lifestyle. Bottomline, a host family should be open, used to dealing with people from different cultures and patient.
Now... As for the nasty side of au pairs, I can confirm what some people here have said. Many au pairs don't have childcare experience, many of them lie in their applications because their main goal is to just live in the US, as opposed to being part of a family and working as a live-in nanny. I met a lot of au pairs who genuinely loved kids and who were great at their jobs. But I also met others who just wanted to "live the american dream, " party and go shopping. I also met some who went to the US because they had really bad lives in their home-countries and this was their only way out.
I think that the whole au pair business, worldwide is only that: a business. The reason why it can go wrong is because agencies, not only CC, tend to focus more in the $$$ aspect of the program. It makes sense, but it screws a lot of people up.
I do think that CC could be better. I do think they should be more strict when selecting au pairs and that they should be more firm with host families when explaining them what the program consists of. However, the agency does have great people working for them, people who are interested in the well-being of the au pairs and the satisfaction of the host families. The big problem is that sometimes it is just impossible to please everyone!
I think some of the comments of host families are a little far-fetched and I think they were just wrong for the program. I did meet families that tended to blame au pairs for everything that went wrong. I also know that host families that have au pairs mainly consist of parents who are too busy to spend time with their children. They don't know how to look after them and they think it is easy work, but it really isn't. Sometimes host parents have to lower their expectations a bit because it is very easy to tell someone what to do if you are not doing it yourself.
Now, regarding au pairs, I do advise host families to use common sense. I think it is very obvious that a 18-19 year old girl who has never lived abroad or who has never had a proper, full-time job, won't be able to handle things as well as a 23-year old who has finished school, who has lived in her own and who has spent time away from home.
I was 19 when I arrived to the US, but I was 23 when I arrived to France and I can assure you that the difference in how I viewed things and handled them was huge!
Also, I would advise them to truly pay attention to the language. I was already fluent in english in the US so I didn't have problems, But in France, I was barely reaching the intermediate level and that was so much harder. Host families should also try to learn a bit of the language of their au pair, even by just buying a phrasebook or dictionary.
Finally, I think that a lot of the things people here complain about could have been prevented if they had done their homework. At the end of the day, CC is just the contact between host families and au pairs. I think that a lot of people also forget that to au pairs, where they live is where they work and that is always a difficult situation. I would like to see host families living with their own bosses and getting along beautifully 24/7... I don't think so! TOLERANCE and COMMON SENSE people!

Help i'm about to join this agency because there is no other way for me to spend a year as an aupair in america, I've had years of experience with housekeeping, childcare and cooking. I also have years of education. I want to have an experience of a lifetime, I want to work hard and experience american culture. Most of all I want to have mutual interest in the care of children while also making friends. I don't want to be put in the same category as inexperienced aupair's ...help. Is there other agencies!

Despite several conversations with managers within the organization, we regret that you continue to remain dissatisfied. All references are checked and host families are always free to contact them as well should they wish to speak with them directly for additional confirmation. Additionally, a criminal background check is performed as part of the screening process. While we certainly respect your perspective and position on this matter, we respectfully disagree with the allegations you have made with regard to staff, local representatives, screening, and the placement process overall. Additionally, we take the safety and well being of all program participants extremely seriously and any allegations of inappropriate behavior are investigated immediately and dealt with by the highest level of management within the organization. We wish you the best in moving forward and regret your continued disappointment and frustration in receiving the refund outlined in the host family agreement. - Natalie Jordan, Senior Vice President.

We had a terrible experience with CCAP.
Authorities wont do anything, I don't understand. Several complaints are being made is this sham agency is still standing.
Our Au Pair from Colombia spoke very little English with a thick heavy accent, she is trying to teach my children Spanish without my consent. She did very poorly in small tasks. Her initials are CBT.

The Au PAIRS from Colombia they are awful!
They are trying to find a rich man to get them out of their misery.
They are up to no good. AU PAIRS from Colombia go back your third world country, go study and be a member of society, go pay taxes, go away!

After dealing with a nanny from Columbia who was viewed on our nanny cam with an older gentleman during the day, was found feeding my daughter while she was choking, and was gone missing for an entire day, oh, let me add that she was found asleep on the job in a chair holding my infant in a chair as well. This criminal agency attempted to place blame on my husband and I. We were left helpless with this deranged woman in our home. We tried to get her out, but instead the agency placed her with an unsuspecting family in CA. Sure enough, she did the same things within four days there. Only difference is she drove their family car on top of their lawn and hit a tree. So, I was screamed at by an Area Director for warning the new mother about the danger of using this woman. Can you imagine? They would rather endanger the lives of children versus getting rid of this nanny. WAKE UP parents--this is a dangerous organization! Heed your warnings!

I couldn't agree more and will give feedback in hopes of saving a family or two the trouble!
I have used cc for about 9 years. I have had fabulous experiences. however in the past year or two I have seen an absolute decline in quality of service. It seems as though the almighty dollar is the only thing that motivates this agency! I have had au pairs endanger and verbally and emotionally abuse my children. Even after you ask for the au pair to be removed the agency diligently tries to place the aupair in another unsuspecting family home, .
Its criminal!
the most recent experience I had is that our aupair at 24 years old could not find Ger way to get along with a 10 year old. This emotionally twisted young woman took every chance she got to provoke and argue with y 10 year old... No child is perfect- my little one is regarded as a sweet and kind child by most who know her... This aupair got so crazed with her that she nearly crashed the car while badgering my child, theLCC and agency knew..but were not really concerned..then she continued to become volatile and mean towards my child over the next month..finally i couldn't allow it and had her leave. the agency conveniently placed my account on hold while I decided whether or not to continue with the agency..while the feverishly looked for a 3rd family for her to be placed in..I do not believe the 3rd family was given information on what went wrong- and now their children could be in danger! Its disgusting! They certainly never called for a reference..I hope this new Florida family is careful..this could be a dangerous situation for their children!

You should have done better research into the company you charged with finding care for your children. Shameful parenting. CC is a company that pretty much sucks at what they purport to be good at doing. Best bet is to go to sites like SitterCity.com, place your own ad, and find someone for far less than the initial outlay that CC would charge you. Sure, you may wind up with someone as bad as what CC gives you, but it's a lot less of a hassle to replace that person without paying another finder's fee.

I could not agree more. I had an incident with my au pair this week where she placed my daughter in a dangerous situation and used poor judgement at every turn. I am thinking of getting rid of her but I am not sure because I am afraid I will just get someone worse. I was desperate at the time to find someone (single, divorced, working mom) and could not find a decent nanny locally. She has been more trouble than she is worth and has not made my life easier. I think cultural care is a poorly run company that does not screen their candidates at all and they take no responsiblity when it goes wrong. When a girl says "I like kids" on her application that does not qualify her as someone to be taking care of children. I suppose the only thing to do is to complain to the BBB.

i was au pair for a nine months and that was the worst experience, Dava Yavetz program director was the worst person i had ever meet in my life...DONT EVER TAKE CULTURAL CARE FOR YOUR AGENCY
ITS THE WORST ONE AND MOST EXPENSIVE

not knowing the full situation, I can only say One thing, we do not adopt children to give them a loving quality family life and then hire an Au pair. I feel bad most for the kids, and this womAn ... believe in yourself, and understand as an Au pair you are going to deal with a lot of children that miss the time with their parents, If you can emotionally handle that, well you are a saint, Just be good to the kids, they probably, need all of the love and attention they can get> Oh and it is apaulling if you can afford an au pair you can probably afford for one parent to WORK part time or be home with the kids... ###s.

We know of a family who has had several Au pairs through CCAP and have consistently worked them over the 10 hrs a day. Leaving the Au Pair overnight with the kids on almost a weekly basis. The LCC is aware and does nothing. She hasn't even made a house visit in years, as the houses beyond a pig sty. I feel sorry for these girls.

I'm an au pir from CCAP right now. Right now I have wonderful family but my last two families were terrible. First one was not as much bad as the second one but still the host mom in the first family was lcc and because of her opinion about me I couldn't find new family. She lied first to me that she will help me to find new family and then she lied about me to my lcc and other families. My second family was a hell on the earth luckily I was thier last au pair and another au pair won't have the same what I had. CCAP sucks that's true.

I'm very dissatisfied with Cultural Care - does anyone have the CEO's name? I would like to send a list of all the things that went wrong in our case.

I have met a few girls myself from a program called Interexchange. They're completely miserable and for good reason, they hold college degrees in their home countries and come here and work for $4/ hour. In exchange they get window less rooms no bigger than my closet. They're essentially always working because they live in these homes, as far as i'm concerned anyone living in to care for your home or children should be paid more not less!

Kerry,

I forgot to mention that au pairs are here on a J1 exchange visitor visa, not an F1 student visa. The six credit hours are appropriate under the circumstances.

Pray that this young woman finishes her last three months on a happier note!

Please let the agency step in and help this young woman. The VP can assign a new counselor to this family and au pair and remove the au pair altogether from the house if necessary.

Now that you have gotten the attention of the entire nation, I am positive the right thing will be done.

Christine from Chicago

I was an au pair counselor for six years for another agency and can tell you that sometimes girls would rather put up with poor conditions rather than rock the boat. Luckily you got the attention of top management already and they will take care of this issue. I hope they safely remove this poor girl from the house because once the host mom knows this has been made public, the girl's safety might be compromised.

If all of what you wrote is true, this woman has broken countless rules!

*Au pair may work 45 hours a week not to exceed 10 hours in any one day;

*Au pair is entitled to one and one-half consecutive days off per week;

*Family vacation where au pair works does not = au pair's vacation!

*Au pair who works during family's vacation gets paid her $195+ per week.

None of these points are ever negotiable!

This is a cultural exchange program and they do only take six credit hours per program year, and the host family pays for up to $500 for books and tuition and also covers transportation to and from the school (provides a car and pays of the gas, or gives her bus or train fare, etc.).

Thank you for posting this.

Christine from Chicago

Dear Kerry,

You have shared some very concerning information in your posting and I want to make myself personally available to address these issues. A violation of any program rules or regulations is unacceptable and I welcome the opportunity to investigate the specifics of these claims and make certain that any violations are put to an immediate end. Please urge the au pair you have referenced to contact me directly either by phone or email so that we I can become involved right away in addressing her situation. We are committed to supporting our program participants and while I understand your concern, I assure you that safety remains the highest of priorities for this organization.

Thank you,
Natalie Jordan
Senior Vice President
Cultural Care Au Pair
Natalie.Jordan@culturalcare.com
617.619.1159

Don't walk away from your money! Here are a few things that you can do:

1. If you’re willing to “deal” with them, the best way to get most of your money back is to get matched with an au pair that has only a few weeks left in the program and you'll be fully reimbursed for all the weeks of service you already paid for and won't be receiving. This is in your contract. Don't pay for this au pair's vacation and educational component until the very end. Last but not least, don't take any more abuse. If things aren't working out with this last au pair, get her out of your place and don't sign their stupid exit form. Get a police report if there is unacceptable or unlawful behavior. You're not breaching any contract. You are protecting your family and your assets.

2. If you are not willing to deal with them anymore, complain to the Better Business Bureau. All you have to say is that you're not satisfied with the quality of their services. You'll be amazed at how responsive Cultural Care reps suddenly become. You have a big chance of getting money back, and you also lower their rating.

3. Complain to the Department of Consumer Affairs in your county. They'll have to respond to them and that takes their time and money as well. You might not see any money from taking this action but it won’t help them either.

I was just reading the story about the Au Pair with the terrible host family story. For every horrible host family story, there is a horrible Au Pair story to go with it. It also seems that there are horrible Coordinators. Iam an Coordinator with Ap agency and I hope that I would never have something like this happen to one of the girls in our group. I enjoying knowing each and ever AP along with the families. I don't hesitate to speak up if something is going wrong. As I understand with each agency, the local coordinator is suppose to have monthly meetings with their Au Pairs and at these meetings an Ap should share problems now if there are problems. During monthly talks with the host family they should share with the coordinator if they are having any problems with the AP also. Stories like this are not suppose to happen to any one. When I interview a family I suggest open ended question, not yes or no questions. “Can you cook?” the answer will be “yes.” The better question is “what can you cook?” heating up a can of soup is very different then baking a chicken. It is the same for families who are not straight with the AP about the children they expect the AP to care for. Everyone wants a great match. Isn’t that why a family gets an Ap for dependable child care. When I look at an AP’s application I do look to see what kind of child care they did at home. Taking care of a niece or nephew and changing their diaper is very different than changing a baby’s diaper that you do not know very well. Asking a Ap if they drive is very different than asking them where do they drive and how often do they drive. Did you know that a family can have the initial interview with the Local coordinator before they pay any money for the Ap agency. This is just like interviewing the Local coordinator.
JLG 1-24-10

This program is disgusting. I am a Long Islander and I can tell you that most of the families here are trash. Just because you have money doesn't mean you have class, respect, or human sympathy/empathy. My girlfriend is an au pair and this program has done everything it can to force her to decline a rematch. I'm sure this program only operates because it has a good set of lawyers.

This is horrifying. I can't believe this agency is allowed to operate, I can't believe none of this violates labor laws. Make your voices heard! Not all Americans are horrible.

hi,
i know exactly what you are talking about. i'm an au pair in pennsylvania since about one year now and i just can't wait to leave this horrible experience behind me and go back home.
cultural care and all these other organisations are just rip offs.
the host families are complaining and see themselves as victims!? hahahahaha.. well, for me it turned out to be a nightmare.
slave work for yuppie people who don't know how to handle their spoilt kids and don't want to spend time with them, that's what it really is. pathetic, right?

With every story there are 2 sides to every situation. You need to draft a letter to your LCC and your Program Director. I had a similar situation with one of my AP’s and HF. I did go and pick up the AP. I knew she did not want to be there one minute longer. When the HF was confronted with all of the allegations, both me and the AP were accused of lying about them and that I took the AP side. The family was given a new AP again the same thing happened but I encouraged the AP to share each and every event with me and the second AP did not last 2 weeks because of the same problems. This time I kept notes of everything. Again the HF said I was lying and I encouraged the AP to lie. So what is a Company to do? They were given to a different LCC and the truth came out. Eventually, the family was found to be unsuitable and was removed. It was a he said, she said situation. Not all families are like that. JLG 1-24-10

My daughter went through a 200 hour child minding course, took tests and had interviews before being accepted by Cultural Care as a prospective au pair. I made perfectly sure that her qualifications for the position were bone fide.
She was matched with a female single parent with two children - boy aged 7 and girl 5 in the US. The boy was said to come from a divorced marriage and the second from artificial insemination.However, the boy's father was never mentioned by either the boy or mother and there were no signs of him.
It wasn't long before the mother started placing a great deal of importance on physical contact. First of all, hugging and kissing the children and then hugging her. My daughter felt very uncomfortable about this and was soon accused by the mother of being unresponsive and insincere. That was followed shortly afterwards with instant dismissal for supposed incapability of looking after the children. The mother did not elaborate. The children were just as shocked as my daughter.
When given 2 weeks grace to look for a rematch, my daughter was given no help whatsoever from Cultural Care. A large number of families contacted her, but felt uncomfortable about the reasons for a rematch, which my daughter had difficulty in explaining. I felt that it only needed Cultural Care to show some support by offering a good reference, but they did absolutely nothing except ship the girl home after only 5 weeks cultural experience.
My daughter's dreams have been shattered and I have wasted a great deal of time and money. I would not advise anyone to put their daughter along this route, especially with this company.

I think the way you talk about your former au pairs is very disrespectful, even if your experiences with them are very bad.
Would you like to be called "recycled", because as far as I know this word is only used concerning trash.
Also the fact that your au pairs weren't the best ones, doesn't mean there aren't any good and hardworking au pairs out there.
I think, when you are angry (and I think you have the right to be angry), you go generalizing and that's not okay.
I also think that, as a host family, it is your task to interview the potential au pairs very thorough and it's not a good idea to match after a first call.

I am a former LCC with Cultural Care, and I can tell you that many of the au pairs have told me are encouraged to lie on their applications. They are told to lie about the number of child care hours they have, they are told to lie about their smoking, they are told to lie about their religion, in order to have a better chance to get placed. These practices have gotten worse as the au pair pool has grown and the number of host families have shrunken due to the economy, and the au pairs are basically trying to make themselves look more attractive to get placed with a host family.

While I met some great, caring au pairs, there are an equal number (if not more) of au pairs who have no idea how to care for children, and are not interested in child care at all. They are here for the experience and the children come second.

At the same time, from the au pair's side, I saw many, MANY families who have no business participating in a cultural exchange program. They treat these young people like slaves, isolating them from friends and family and overworking them. Almost every au pair I met had a family that abused the program rules. But even when the company was told about these infractions, they ignored them because they are unwilling to give up a sale. As the economic downturn continues, this company is all about "sell, sell, sell", which has increased the number of unsuitable host families.

As an LCC, I was also encouraged to use deceitful practices for obtaining information about competitors, and to "minimize" issues with a transition au pair so that she could be re-matched with a new family, despite reservations about her performance.

I would tell both potential host families and potential au pairs to avoid this company at all costs. They are quite possibly one of the most unethical corporations I have ever encountered in my career.

I have had two horrible experiences as well. Both au pairs lied on their applications which they openly admitted to during their time with our family. They both complained about the LCC not being concerned about them during their eventual transitions. They were both very secretive, spending 8 hours or more on the internet each day with facebook and on the phone we provided them. We thought a netbook and cellphone would be appreciated but didn't realize the potential for abuse and got banged big bills for text messages which were clearly laid out as off limits. The other odd secretive behavior was they would refuse to eat with the family, which we found somewhat offensive. Several of the other host moms I know have also found disposed trash from food in the rooms of their au pairs who decline to eat with the family, as well. What is going on with Cultural Care screening and training that allows (maybe promotes) dishonesty to get placement and encourages solitary confinement for mealtime?

Dear RadO71

I'm so sorry that you've had such a negative experience and have walked away with such a disappointing opinion of the program. I would welcome the opportunity to speak with you directly to review your experiences and also to provide clarity on our screening processes. This organization and its representatives care very much about children and your assertion otherwise is deeply disappointing. I look forward to the opportunity to speak with you and hope that I will hear from you at your earliest convenience.

Thank you,
Natalie Jordan
Senior Vice President
Cultural Care Au Pair
Natalie.Jordan@culturalcare.com
617.619.1159

I think this is not a very common thing that happens, I've also heard about hostfathers abusing the au pair.
I think everything relies on how you decide to match with them and wether you do it after interviewing different au pairs very thorough or only one very short. You just need to take your time and feel like you are comfortable with that person coming to your house.

Same experience here...3 aupairs, all lied about their child care expereince and driving skil. Did not interact much with our child. The Program Director, Angie, is terrible to deal with. I would not recommend this program to anyone.

I went through the same thing ..I went thr 3 aupairs from cultural care .The last one was from australia - she said she loved kids she came here cause she was having an affair with a man in long Island and she stold from our family !

horrid !

MC

Maybe you shouldn't go so cheap next time, especially when it comes to the most precious things in your life, your children (I hope). You get what you paid for.
Bringing these girls from other countries and slaving them into hard work, you got to try to take a look from their point of view, I supposed you wouldn't take care of someone else's children for $3 /hour, would you?

The point is, most of this girls come here with good intentions and want to do their best, but when overworking, having no rights, being humiliated, not having privacy and still not being normally paid, it is pretty tough. Also, you should have mentioned that Au Pairs spend big bucks to be part of the program as well and most of them come from good families, and had great education and are honest and loving. Not saying all of them are.

I used to be an Au Pair many years ago. I came from a pretty wealthy family, both of my parents are Doctors, I was highly educated and grew up with with Nannies and Maids, whom I love very much. I believe that most of the host families think they are helping out "poor" girls from 3rd world countries, but in fact, I believe we are the ones helping out. Money was never the reason why i chose to be an Au Pair. I have always loved children and found the Au Pair program to be a great opportunity for me to do what i loved and still be able to be fluent in English ( language I was studying for the past 10 years) and experience the of living in another country.
The Au Pair Agency made it very appealing and an amazing opportunity, very different from the reality I lived for 7 months.
I am from Brazil and I came here with all the love in my heart, and I took care of two beautiful children whom I was totally devoted to and did my best, I overworked, I worked about 60 hours/week, would start super early in the morning and stay until dinner time, yet I was not invited for dinner, I had no breaks and kids wouldn't take naps, the older girl would go to school for part of the day the 3 ear old stayed with me . The host family started to abuse on my generosity, telling me to do other things it wasn't part of my duties, like, their laundry, clean the dog's poops in the back yard (I am not kidding). The parents would rarely spend time with the kids, they never actually realized how important I was in their kid's life, yet would always treat me super bad in front of them. I think it was a way to deposit their anger in someone that was their subordinate.
Anyway, I wet through hell with this host family, and the only thing that held me there for so long was my love and compassion for those poor kids, we really loved each other, and was the hardest thing for me to leave them. I treated them with so much love and respect, yet didn't get any back from their parents. I feel so stupid today, I should have said something, but do recognize I did not have much rights and I was super young and still super polite.
I should mention I ran away from the au pair program, with the help of a mother who lived nearby and I had met in through a friend who is a Nanny, she knew me for while then and I would work for her once in a while, when family was away or weekend nights, so I could make some real money, cuz by that time I was totally independent from my family in Brazil, I wanted to be independent. I worked for them without my host family knowing. She would pay me full price of what a Nanny gets paid in the San Francisco Bay Area and knew all I was going through, one day she gave me her car keys and said: "go there, take all your belongings and move in with us for as long as you want and need".
That was my redemption day, and It's been almost 5 years.
Now I live in San Francisco with my husband, who is an American, I get paid $20/hour to take care of one adorable baby and I still work once a week for that precious family that helped me out of the situation, caring for now 10 year old girl and a 6 year old boy, whom I've watched blossom and become terrific people to this world. I have always found great families to work for since then, that appreciate who I am and what I do.
I still work hard but it is just much better.
*** Also I would like to mention that there are amazing host families, I had Au Pair friends that had exceptional host families, that maybe couldn't afford to have them out of the program but would definitely treat them with so much respect and appreciation.
So I believe it is up to you to make that great experience with your Au Pair, just remember that is the person who will be taking care of your little ones, treat them as you would like to be treated. Be loving and kind to the person who is helping raise your children, I'm sure that you'll get the best in return!

LCC_4_CCAP, you must have a very special group, the one that makes the exception to the Cultural Care rule. Families DON'T have complete control over what they pick for their family, because those applications are filled with fake referrals and lies, and because after they are stuck with this company they have no choice to either loose their jobs and/or money or to go with whatever au pair they can get on time. In my case it took 3 months to get a replacement for a mentally challenged au pair (who by the way had a "clean" application, although she was mentally treated at the school where Cultural Care recruited her). The best I was able to get after a frustrating 3 month matching process was someone who neglected my baby. I wouldn't call that "complete control".

As an LCC, I have asked my au pair group if they felt that they were in any way tricked into becoming an au pair. They have all said that they were not and that they knew what they were getting into. Many are already teachers and nurses and are grateful to help a family in exchange of fulfilling their dream of living in Amercia and learning American languare/culture. My group loves their host families and their children and dread the day the have to say "goodbye" to them. The host families have complete control over which au pair they pick for their families. (A lot of other LCCs are host moms because they love the program.)

Help i'm about to join this agency because there is no other way for me to spend a year as an aupair in america, I've had years of experience with housekeeping, childcare and cooking. I also have years of education. I want to have an experience of a lifetime, I want to work hard and experience american culture. Most of all I want to have mutual interest in the care of children while also making friends. I don't want to be put in the same category as inexperienced aupair's ...help. Is there other agencies!

I hate CCAP..who are you and what is your experiencec with CCAP that you feel like you can say these things...it would be helpul if you could detail why you feel this way. Otherwise, I am inclined to think you are just one of these disgruntled families or employees with an agenda. I had an issue with Cultural Care regarding my last au pair and I was very happy with how they resolved it...but I would be interested in hearing more about why you hate CCAP so much and what basis you have to make such claims about them.

ThompsonSpivey, IhateCCAP is right. Cultural Care Au Pair has been fooling host families and au pairs alike, forever. There might be some screening done here in the US for the host families, but when it comes to the au pairs, give me a break. My first au pair had serious mental issues and received treatment at the school where she was recruited, although her application was "clean". Her replacement had no experience with infants whatsoever, all her references on her application where phony. If you had a decent experience with this company, luck must be on your side, but don't call on others who where abused and neglected by the same people.

This is not the standard - you must feel awfully hurt if you have had such an experience. I'm a Host Mom, and we've had a wonderful AuPair (extended with same for another year). The Host Parents get to screen who they select, and even call the references, even though Cultural Care Overseas has checked them. The experince is included on their applications and is verified of the number of hours and type of care (infant vs. school aged). As a Host Mom, I don't expect a "maid", or a "chef", but I do expect someone to love and nurture my children ~ this I have received, and yes the children's laundry on occassion during the day. The AuPair gets a stipend - plus other benefits, such as educational, and many travel with their Host Families or in their off time. After being a Host Family for over one year, my husband and I became LCC's to support our group with training, and meetings. The program is not right for everyone, but I have been impressed. The average for our child care has been a little over $320 per week. (The aupair now gets $198 + room and board, and often other benefits - we have bought her gifts and paid for additional classes for her in college that we didn't have to fund). It's not all bad - it just has to be the right fit, and for many familes and AuPairs ~ it's a great match. You can email me at: es.thompsonspivey@lcc.culturalcare.com or reach me on my website at http://ethompson@aupairnews.com. You may also call me for my experience in the program and for current discount codes [protected]. Good Luck in your child care search. PS - Familes that are interested genuinely in a cultural exchange make the best matches :)

I recently had an experience where the AuPair simply made up allegations about me, my family and friends. And, Cultural Care supposely conducted an inquiry which they citied with the AuPair! I was shocked! I offered to have the AuPair polygraphed! Everyone has been correct, they place aupairs who are not qualified, the support goes away, and then they turn the events around to make like it is all of the host family fault! If you have a complaint about Cultural Care, direct it to the United States State Department, BBB, Your Local Congress Rep and Senate Rep, Your Local Consumers Affair, and Get an attorney to sue for your refund, and all of the court cost involved! The Law Firm of Williams and Connelly, Washington, DC, will be glad to talk to anyone who has had trouble with Cultural Care. You have to have documentation, recordings, pcitures, witnesses, etc. Let's band together to get this fraud of a business shut down!

I work for Cultural Care and have found this company to be very caring and professional. I went through extensive training to become an LCC and support local families in my area. What I have seen are false (and anonymous) accusations on the internet detailing events that could not possibly happen. No one forces a family to take an au pair as suggested here. CCAP (the largest au pair agency in the US) tries to find an au pair for a family (when a family needs affordable live-in childcare and requests an au pair); the family screens the au pair until they are satisfied enough to accept him/her. Program fees are only collected when an au pair is found and accepted by a family (unlike many nanny agencies who require fees up front). If it does not work out with an au pair, a replacement au pair is suggested but it is always the family's choice on which au pair to accept into their home. (There are usually many au pairs wishing to extend their second year and who have proven to be excellent care givers.) It is unfair to withhold the educational component and vacation as this is punishing an innocent au pair. The au pairs that I have seen have been hardworking and energetic in their jobs. Cultural Care must abide by the program set by the State Dept. The best website to see Cultural Care's efforts in customer satisfaction is: http://www.getsatisfaction.com/culturalcare. Here is the history of Cultural Care: http://culturalcarepresident.com/company-history. Cultural Care takes surveys twice per year to monitor the program. The last survey had these results: http://www.culturalcare.com/_share/pdf/HFSurvey2009.pdf.

Well, at least one website has finally come to their senses - aupairclearinghouse.com, a consumer site on the aupair agencies, had Cultural Care listed as number one - they now not only dropped them on the list, they pulled them off of it (Top Three Agencies).

There were a number of complaints on this site too, but none were removed. They seem to believe that this company still has promise, but I am telling you - avoid them like the plague - they will take your money, put an au pair from hell into your home and then leave you stranded without support or assistance.

Once they get your money, all the nice customer service you got before you signed the contract just "goes" away!

Check out the survey results and what they said about Cultural Care at.
www.aupairclearinghouse.com and insiderpages.com

You can bet that a big chunk of the money that Cultural Care steals from hardworking families on a daily basis goes toward attorneys' fees to clean up the mess they make. These attorneys probably threat the review sites with lawsuits for defamation, and they probably succeed at scaring them. We want to stop other families from the suffering we endured, and as affected consumers we can do things that work and weaken this organization:

1. Complain to the Better Business Bureau. All you have to say is that you're not satisfied with the quality of their services. You'll be amazed at how responsive Cultural Care reps suddenly become. You have a big chance of getting money back, and you also lower their rating.

2. Complain to the Department of Consumer Affairs in your county. They'll have to respond to them and that takes time and money as well.

3. Another way to get at least some of your money back is to get matched with an au pair that has only a few weeks left in the program and you'll be fully reimbursed for all the weeks of service you already paid for and won't be receiving. And don't pay for your au pair's vacation and educational component until the very end. Last but not least, don't take any more abuse. If things aren't working out with this last au pair, get her out of your place and don't sign their stupid exit form. Get a police report if there is unacceptable or unlawful behavior. You're not breaching any contract. You are protecting your family and your assets.

I also found the same situation, which I had never encountered before. I am not prone to believe "conspiracy theories" but this is appears to be a flagrant violation of a basic purpose of the Internet--the free exchange of ideas and comments without suppression by organizations that are the recipients of negative postings.