Education Requirement
EDUCATION REQUIREMENT
U.S. Department of State regulations require that:
A First Year Au Pair earn:
A minimum of Six (6) Credits or 72-90 Hours of Class time during his/ her first year as an Au Pair.
Extension Au Pairs are required to earn:
6 Months Extension: 3 Credits or 36 Hours
9 or 12 Month Extensions: 6 Credits or 72 Hours
NOTE: Failure by an Au Pair to complete the required education hours will result in loss of his or her deposit home and loss of payment of flight home.
AU PAIRS EXTENDING PLEASE NOTE: If an Au Pair wishes to extend after his/her First Au Pair Year - the Au Pair MUST complete all educational requirements and submit the proof of this completion to Cultural Care Boston Offices BY THE END OF his/her 11th Month of the First Year - There will be no exceptions!.
General Explanation Of Credits / Hours
Please note that 12 Hours of Class Time = 1 Credit
Explanation: If a post-secondary school gives the class a value of unit or credit then that is you need 6 Credits. If you choose to go to a post-secondary school that does not give credit - example would be non-credit courses or ESL courses where you would need to count the hours in class. The State Department requires a minimum of 72 Hours.
An Au Pair may take a 3 Credit Course (equivalent of 36 Hours) (example: C W Post) and 36 Hours of Non-Credit Course - thereby combining both options.
Non-Credit courses (as those offered by Northampton County and Lehigh County Community College) would be “hours counted”. Classes could be any classes offered by the Colleges such as any cooking classes, language classes, drawing or art classes - any classes offered by these Colleges count - even such things as golf, tennis, etc.
Always make sure to check for any other school you might want to attend that it is accredited and acceptable for you to attend. Here is a website to check the particular school that might not be listed below: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx
Au Pairs and Host Families Please Note:
The educational component is a requirement for the visa, and Host Families are required to pay for and facilitate the enrollment in an appropriate course. If the Au Pair and Host Family both agree that this is a good option for the Au Pair to meet part of the educational component, then the time off should be negotiated and not all should count as vacation time.
In addition to educational courses offered at a local college or university either for credit or hours, an Au Pair may attend a “Weekend College.” A “Weekend College” (see explanation below) is where an Au Pair will go - often on a Friday afternoon thru Sunday afternoon - and in that entire weekend be able to earn Three (3) Credits. The Au Pair will need to attend the entire Weekend Session and complete the homework assignment given at the college whereupon the Au Pair will earn the stated Three (3) Credits. This option is a great option for Au Pairs and Host Families and classes are completed quickly. The weekend camping trips usually begin on a Friday afternoon so Host Families and Au Pairs will need to work out a possible half day off on the two Friday’s the trip begins. I am not sure how this will work with the week long trips that span the weekend.
Your Host Family is required to pay up to $500 toward your classes. Study tours, distance learning courses and volunteer work DO NOT satisfy the State Department requirements of the program. At the local colleges in Pennsylvania you may be charged out of state tuition - this could be very expensive and not a recommendation (but it is your choice!). . So if you choose to take a 3 credit course it could cost you $600. You pay $100 and your Host Family pays $500 and that is only half of your required classes. You can take classes at three adult schools listed below and you will have inexpensive course costs and accumulate hours to meet your requirement rather than credits or units. Remember that you can also “audit” a class at either Muhlenberg College (Allentown), Cedar Crest College (Allentown) and DeSales University (Center Valley and Easton Campus).
Discuss this part of the Au Pair program with your Host Family within the first month of your arrival. If you are interested in enrolling in a physical education course, please consult your insurance policy or contact The Chickering Group at 1-800-783-7447 to ensure that any injuries sustained will be covered under your policy. Below are some options available to you that fulfill the educational requirement.
***Please remember that Online Courses, Distance Learning Courses, High School Courses do not count as eligible courses for completion of the Education Requirement.
Education and Classes For You: “Local Educational Opportunities”
A typical community college will offer a wide variety of subjects each semester, both during the day and in the evening - mostly non-credit classes so you will need to count hours! These classes are interesting and you will need to count hours. Please note, however, that often these classes are cancelled at the last minute because of lack of enrolled students, so start your classes early in case you have a “cancelled class”. It is significantly less expensive to audit a class - so consider Muhlenberg, Cedar Crest or DeSales.
Below are the known classes available. Please note that information changes sometimes on a daily basis for always check with the school for times, class registration, etc. Links to the websites for these schools are located on the right-side of this Website under “Education Opportunities”.
If you do take a class that you think would be really good for the other Au Pairs, please let me know so I can pass that information along to the other Au Pairs.
TOEFEL Courses (offered at CWPost, Northampton Co. Community College and see right-side of this website for “TOEFL Course Locator”.
ACCREDITED COLLEGES / WEEKEND CLASSES / ESL OPPORTUNITIES:
COLLEGES
- NORTHAMPTON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE (NACC)
(Bethlehem, PA and Tannersville (Monroe Campus), PA)
www.northampton.edu 1-877-543-0998
NACC offers a variety of Credit and Non-Credit Classes. Au Pairs can take a huge variety of Non-Credit Classes and earn “hours” for the Education Requirement. Au Pairs can take “credit” classes, but NACC does not give Au Pairs any break in the official tuition and, in fact, charges the Au Pairs more than in-county students as NACC considers Au Pairs as “out of country/foreign” students and the tuition is very expensive.
- LEHIGH COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE (LCCC)
(Schnecksville, PA)
www.lccc.edu 610-799-1141
LCCC offers a variety of Credit and Non-Credit Classes. Au Pairs can take a huge variety of Non-Credit Classes and earn “hours” for the Education Requirement. Au Pairs can take “credit” classes, but LCCC does not give Au Pairs any break in the official tuition and, in fact, charges the Au Pairs more than in-county students as LCCC considers Au Pairs as “out of country/foreign” students and the tuition is very expensive.
- MUHLENBERG COLLEGE (4 Year College)
(2400 West Chew Street, Allentown, PA 18104)
www.muhlenberg.edu/wescoe 484-664-3300
Muhlenberg has agreed to allow Au Pairs to “Audit” their regular college classes (depending on class availability) and charge the Au Pairs of Cultural Care a fee of $350 per class. (There may be a small additional charge of $25 for application and/or lab fees would be extra.) The Au Pairs would earn 3 credits for Auditing.
- CEDAR CREST COLLEGE (4 Year College)
(100 College Drive, Allentown, PA 18104)
www.cedarcrest.edu 610-606-4666
Cedar Crest has agreed to allow Au Pairs to “Audit” their regular college classes (depending on class availability) and charge the Au Pairs of Cultural Care a fee of $414 per class. (There may be a small additional charge of $25 for application and/or lab fees would be extra.) The Au Pairs would earn 3 credits for Auditing.
- DeSALES UNIVERSITY (4 Year College)
(2755 Station Avenue, Center Valley, PA 18034 (Main Campus) and
3001 Emrick boulevard, Suite 101, Bethlehem, PA 18020 (Known as the “Easton Campus))
www.desales.edu/access 610-282-1100 Extension: 1216
DeSales University will allow Au Pairs to “Audit” their regular college classes (depending on class availability - day and night courses - “night courses” are in the Access Program) and charge the Au Pairs of Cultural Care a fee of $373 per class. To “Audit” as class at DeSales, an Au Pair must enroll as a student taking a “Cultural Enrichment” class .. which are the classes offered at the rate of $373.00. (There may be a small additional charge of $25 for application and/or lab fees would be extra.) The Au Pairs would earn 3 credits for Auditing.
- Other Schools In The Area — Strayer University, Lehigh University, Lafayette University, Moravian College, Penn State University - have not agreed with Helen (LCC) to offer any special fees to Au Pairs and their courses remain unbelievably out of the price range for Au Pairs and/or Host Families.
ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (”ESL”)
English As A Second Language (ESL) classes are offered by two colleges - Lehigh County Community College and Northampton County Community College. Details below:
An Au Pair can participate in ESL classes offered either once or twice a week by either College. An Au Pair must pre-register for the classes and take a personalized “English evaluation test”. Often - even if an Au Pair has mediocre English at best - the Au Pair has been turned down or put in the highest level class (Level 3) because many participants in the ESL classes have no English skills at all.
· Northampton County Community College - ESL Classes
(South Bethlehem Campus and Tannersville Campus)
610-332-8650 Classes are FREE … You MUST Register EARLY!!
Call For Details - Do Not Delay!
· Northampton County Community College - ESL Classes
(The Marvine Family Center or Liberty High School Campus)
610-868-7126 Classes are FREE
· Lehigh County Community College - ESL Classes
(Allentown Center City Campus)
610-799-1940 Classes range from $80-$100 for the range of the class offered.
Free “ESL” Classes: See Link on right-side of Website
WEEKEND COLLEGES
- C. W. Post Campus, University Program for Au Pairs, Long Island University, Long Island, New York
(720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville, New York 11548)
This is a very popular “Weekend Course” and fairly easy to get to the school. In the summer, Au Pairs are housed at hotels and there may be four au pairs to a room - so it might be a good idea to travel with your friends. You would earn 3 Credits in one weekend at CWPost. (Note: sometimes there are special weekends which are a little longer and an Au Pair can earn 6 Credits .. please check the website for details.)
Website: www.liu.edu/aupair
Phone: 516-299-2359 Also: 516-299-1423
How To Get To CWPost (remember directions change - always verify)
1. Take the Bieber/TransBridge Bus to New York City (Port Authority)
2. Take a taxi to Penn Station (you can walk but not alone - easier to take taxi)
3. At Penn Station, look for Long Island Railroad Depot. Take the “Hicksville Train” - this train runes 3 or 4 times per hour.
(Try to Express Train - otherwise you might have to change trains or have lots of stops)
4. Upon arrival in Hicksville, there is a CWPost Shutte at the train station (BUT ALWAYS CHECK WITH CWPOST IF THIS SHUTTLE IS STILL WORKING!! - Things Change Often!). Take this Shuttle to the School
5. If you miss this bus, take a taxi to CWPost Campus
- Silver Bay (The College of Saint Rose at Silver Bay, New York)
(87 Silver Bay Road, Silver Bay, New York 12874) (Silver Bay is about 80 Miles north of Albany, New York)
This is a very popular “Weekend Course” option for Au Pairs but it is very very far from our area. I certainly do not recommend “driving to the Silver Bay course and most families will not allow the car to be driven this long way - over an 8 hour drive. You can take public transportation to Silver Bay (see below).
At Silver Bay, you will earn 3 Credits for the entire weekend classtime. Classes fill early so - if you would be interested in Silver Bay - please plan early and go with friends.
Website: www.culturalcare.com/silverbay/
Email: aupaircourse@strose.edu
How To Get To Silver Bay, St. Rose Campus (remember directions change - always verify)
1. Take the Bieber/TransBridge Bus to New York City (Port Authority)
2. Take a Bus to Albany, New York
3. With Reservations (you would need to contact the school), Silver Bay has a “shuttle” that picks you up in Albany and takes you to the Campus. (I understand this costs about $100 so please think about this before you “book” and ALWAYS CHECK WITH THE SCHOOL TO SEE IF THIS RUNS and WHAT TIME IT RUNS!!!)
- Sojourner Douglass College Au Pair Weekend Course
(Turf Valley Resort, 2700 Turf Valley Rd, Ellicott City, MD 21042)
*Each weekend course (and the required assignments*) is worth the equivalent of three credit hours of class work. This is half the State Dept. education requirement for standard au pairs.
*Student will be required to do a paper and a project prior to the weekend course.
*Lodging is included and all meals and snacks will be served at the facility and are included in the cost of registration.
For further information visit: www.aupairweekend.org
You can register online for the Weekend Course at the following link:
Sojourner Douglass College Au Pair Weekend Course Online Registration
Questions? Email: aupairweekend@gmail.com
Phone: 310-213-2404
How To Get To Sojourner Douglass (always double-check - situations change):
Take the Bieber Bus to Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station. Take the AMTRAK train from Philadelphia 30th Street Station or Wilmington, Delaware AMTRAK Station to BWI Railroad Station. The hotel has a van that picks up the au pairs from BWI MARC station.
See: www.amtrak.com for schedule information
Contact Angela Garnett 301-213-2404 with questions.
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