The Phipps Family, Illinois
Nuet Phipps and her husband Rick have two children: Brianna, 6, and Colby, 3 ½. They live in Illinois and have hosted South African au pair Landi van der Merwe since February 2005. Landi is the family’s fourth au pair.
Host mom Nuet says,“The support I’ve received from Cultural Care has been great. I had a ton of questions when I was a first time host parent—and even now, I value being able to reach my LCC or someone in the office when I have a question.”
Why did you choose Cultural Care Au Pair?
I’m a doctor, so my schedule can vary—sometimes I work in the evenings or on weekends. My husband is in sales and travels occasionally. We were so frustrated with the “typical” childcare options. Daycare centers had limited hours, and I didn’t like that my daughter wasn’t getting much one-to-one attention. And we could not find a babysitter or nanny in our budget that we could rely on. One day at the park, I started talking to a young woman who was playing with two children on the playground. She was an au pair from Russia with Cultural Care and gave me her LCC’s business card. I spoke to the LCC and went to a picnic she was hosting and met some other host families. We decided that this was the right choice for us.
What has been the greatest benefit of having an au pair for your family?
Being able to adjust her working schedule to fit mine has been a great benefit. Some weeks, I’ll need her to be on from 8:00AM to 5:00PM, Monday through Friday. Other weeks, I’ll ask her to work Wednesday through Saturday in the afternoon and early evening. I also like seeing the relationships that my au pairs have formed with my kids. Colby loves the attention Landi gives him, and Brianna loves introducing her to all her friends as “my friend Landi.”