Having been an Area Director for nearly 6 years now, I have sometimes found that host families and au pairs get a bit confused as to what an Area Director really does. So, for the purpose of clearing up some confusion, your Area Director...

DOES:

·         Conduct an in-home interview when you apply to the program to go over the program details and check the spare room.

·         Call each host family and au pair within 48 hours of an au pair’s arrival into the home to welcome all and make sure everyone is safe and settled.

·         Conduct an Orientation Meeting within 2 weeks of your au pair’s arrival into the home to go over things like schedule, list of duties, discipline, house rules, education, driving, travel, etc.

·         Call each host family and each au pair every month to check in and see how things are going and answer questions. Both host families and au pairs should make sure to call their Area Director back.

·         Make herself available via phone and email during normal business hours to answer questions as they arise.

·         Make herself available for an in-home mediation in the event issues are not being resolved.

·         Email a monthly newsletter to host families and au pairs with pertinent announcements, tips and most importantly, details of the monthly au pair meeting event.

·         Organize and attend a monthly au pair meeting, to which au pairs are required to attend.

·         Organize and attend an annual Family Day event for all au pairs and host families to which you are required to attend.

 DOESN’T:

·         Match you with your au pair. While Area Directors are available to offer general advice on interview tips etc, specific matching help should be addressed by your Matching Expert in the San Francisco head office.

·         Pick up your au pair from the airport. It is your job to welcome your au pair at your local airport.

·         Make herself available 24 hours a day to answer calls and emails. While your Area Director is your first point of contact to answer your questions, please bear in mind she is not on call 24 hours a day, but will get back to you within 24 business hours. For out-of-hours emergencies, you should call the emergency hotline number: 415-434-8788.

 Many host families and au pairs view their Area Director as simply the agency representative who calls monthly. Yet Area Directors can and should be so much more. Confidante, resource, friend - these are all words I hope my cluster uses to describe me.
 
There are, of course, things you may not want to share. This is understandable! Yet there is so much that your Area Director should and wants to know! Planning a move, an illness in the family, change in a host parent's job - all of these are things your Area Director may be able to help you with and in some cases, she needs to know. She may have dealt with a similar situation in the past and have tips and tricks to help in your sitution. She may also know just the right thing to say or do. It may also be an issue that requires her attention.  One excellent example is when a new baby will join the household.  Host parents understandably keep the news private at first, but keeping a secret for too long can be problematic.  Since the Department of State requires an au pair who is qualified to be in any home with children under two (even if she is not caring for them!), host families have been in a situation where an au pair must be removed. While this situation may not have been avoidable, notifying your Area Director in a timely fashion might impact your selection process, or at least allow for a longer transition time with your new au pair.

The same goes for au pairs - let your Area Director know!  Sick parents, break up with a boyfried....again, things your Area Director wants to know about!  All of these directly affect host families and au pairs and can have an impact on the success of your match.  An au pair who has just ended a relationship may be depressed or sad. Sharing what is happening with both your host family and Area Director keeps those communication lines open, and alerts them to any issues you may be having.
 
I'd love to hear from some of you about a time your Area Director turned out to be a great resource, or even a friend. How did she help you?
 

Area Directors are here for YOU!  We want to help you navigate the ins and out of your year, help you to form a strong and lasting bond with your au pair.  To do this, however, we need to be in the 'know'.  We need to be up to date on what in going on in your match.  The way we do this is through our monthly contact calls.
 
Twice a month during the first two months and once a month for each month after, our job is to call you to check in.  The calls need not be long, but can give valuable insight into the match.  Area Directors usually call with their own questions geared toward where you are in your year, but you may also have questions or concerns that your Area Director can address.  Look at these calls as an opportunity for growth in your match.
 
One way to make the most of these monthly calls is to provide your Area Director with the best phone number and time to reach you.  Weekdays at lunch on your work line?  Mornings on your cell?  Let your Area Director know what is best and she will try to accommodate you.  Another way to make these calls productive is to give her good feedback on the match.  Just a simple "yes, things are fine" works, but doesn't give your Area Director much information on how the year is going for you.  I have had several crisis calls where host families tell me details that they "didn't want to bother" me with before .  Had I heard the information earlier, I would have been sure to address it with the family or au pair and possibly the crisis would have been averted.  It's never a small issue, always mention it!
 
Finally, on behalf of Area Directors everywhere - call back!  We won't take long, and we have your best interests at heart.  Take a few moments to return our call (remember, a voicemail counts!) and let us know how things are going. We do want to know!