looking for legit au pair placement agency in France

November 1, 2007 4:14 AM

can anyone recommend a legitimate agency in France that places people into au pair or similar jobs? 23 year old Canadian female with extensive experience working with children and currently teaching in Korea would like to spend a year in France, probably working as an au pair or similar child care position. Any ideas about how to go about finding a decent position? There are tons of places mentioned on the net--but how does one know which are legit?

23 year old Canadian female with extensive experience working with children and currently teaching in Korea would like to spend a year in France, probably working as an au pair or similar child care position. Any ideas about how to go about finding a decent position? There are tons of places mentioned on the net--but how does one know which are legit?

posted by Dcotton to Work & Money (5 answers total)

The best thing to do is to get the working holiday visa (if you don't have an EU passport) and just go there. Once you get there you can check out agencies, meet with people - and I can promise you that, if you have your papers sorted already - you'll be in high demand.
posted by different at 5:33 AM on November 1, 2007

Try reading the FUSAC ads regularly and maybe contact a few agencies to guage?
posted by fire&wings at 6:24 AM on November 1, 2007

If you don't mind working for Canadians, I might be able to track down a contact at the Embassy who could let the Canadian based staff members know that you're looking for a spot. We have a person on staff here in London that sends out a monthly newsletters and sometimes there are notices for such opportunities. I imagine that there is a similar setup in Paris.
posted by smcniven at 7:17 AM on November 1, 2007 [1 favorite]

I was an au pair in france for a while. I found my family through great au pair. Usually the family pays to be able to see your contact info and such, so you won't need to pay anything.
posted by logic vs love at 8:31 AM on November 1, 2007

i've heard a few horror stories, so you're wise to be cautious. If you can meet people in person, and see where you'll be living, then that is the way to go. Also, I've heard that you have to take some sort of 'french culture' courses as part of your visa requirements, which can be expensive – so factor these costs when negotiating your salary.
posted by kamelhoecker at 3:20 PM on November 1, 2007