taking a written, vision and driving test. The Local Coordinator and the Host Parents will be able to assist the Aupair with this process.

The Host Parents are responsible for obtaining car insurance for the Aupair. The insurance provided by Aupair USA does not cover driving. They should also assess the Aupair's driving ability by driving with him/her soon after his/her arrival.

Although the Host Families are encouraged to provide car use, it is up to the Host Parents to decide when and how often the Aupair may use the family's car. It is not unusual for the Host Parent to place restrictions on where the Aupair may drive and what time he/she may be out at night with the car. The Aupair and the Host Family should also discuss payments for gas. Normally, Aupairs pay for the gas when they are using the car for personal reasons, and do not pay when the car is being used to fulfil childcare duties.

In the case of an accident, an Aupair usually will be required to pay one half of the damages up to $500 to cover the cost of repairs. The Host Family may curtail driving privileges if the accident was the Aupair's fault.

Hours and the time off

According to the guidelines established by the United States Government, an Aupair is compensated at a weekly rate based upon a 45-hour week. The Aupair may not provide more than 10 hours of childcare on any given day, or more than 45 hours of childcare in any given week. In addition, the Aupair should receive a minimum of one and one half days off per week in addition to one complete weekend off each month. The weekend is defined as Friday evening until Monday morning.

The Host Family also must give two weeks paid vacation to be taken at a time that has been mutually agreed upon.

Any time that the Au Pair is responsible for the children should be considered part of his/her 45 hours. This includes active time when he/she is doing projects or playing games, for example, and passive time when she is responsible while the children sleep.

An Aupair may be tempted to agree to work more hours or longer days than allowed to earn extra money. Both U.S. Government regulations and Aupair USA program rules strictly forbid Aupairs from working more than 45 hours per week. The 45-hour work week/10-hour workday was established because it was felt that these were reasonable lengths of time for one person to safely care for children. Longer hours, and consequently prolonged periods of responsibility and stress can lead to unsafe and ineffective childcare. An Aupair who has been asked by prospective Host Family in the telephone interview to work more than 45 hours per week should report this to the International Co-operator so that the Aupair USA can follow up with the family.

C.     COMMUNICATING AND PROBLEM SOLVING