Where are all the German au pairs who are infant qualified?
"Infant qualified" au pairs are candidates that have 200 hours or more of experience taking care of infants (under the age of 24 months). When girls apply to an au pair agency with the desire to take care of infants, they must show proof, usually through references from daycare centers or private families, that they cared for infants for at least 200 hours in order to meet the requirements of the Department of State. To meet this qualification, they must provide documentation of having cared for an infant under the age of 24 months and only then can they be "identified" as "Infant Qualified" and placed in a family who has a baby.
German au pairs are in high demand due to their competent driving skills and good English. However, their is a paucity of German "Infant Qualified" au pairs available across all agencies.
Why?
The German government has an excellent maternity leave for German mothers. Women can stay at home with their babies until they are two years old! Because of the progressive German maternity leave, au pairs have very little opportunities to gain infant care experience, either in private homes or in daycare centers.
So, if you are looking for a German au pair to take care of your new baby, look elsewhere.
Thai au pairs typically arrive with "Infant Qualified" status and there is a large number of Thai au pairs available for families with infants. However, Thai au pairs generally have both weak verbal English and driving skills, so there is a trade-off regarding these two areas areas that most parents identify as high on their wish list for an au pair.
If you don't need a driver and you can find a Thai who speaks relatively good English, you will find plenty of candidates for your infant care needs.
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