Weekend Courses/Classes for Au Pairs (UPDATED 2016)
In addition to traditional university/college options in your local area, there are weekend programs taken for academic credit that may fulfill the educational component as required by the Department of State. Please note, the information below must be verified by the institution. While I want to make this information available to au pairs (and it’s one of the most frequent questions/requests I receive), the school itself is the best resource to find the most updated information!
The cities/locations, dates, times, costs, and details of these courses change frequently, so I strongly encourage all au pairs to visit the individual school’s website for the most up-to-date information. I am a local coordinator (LCC) in Tennessee, so I do *not* work for any of these schools, nor can I answer specific questions about the programs. I just compile this information for my au pairs to have it all in one place.
Here is a sampling of some of the weekend programs that have been most popular with my au pair group:
Au Pair Dreams American Weekend:http://www.aupairclasses.org No lodging available, but website refers to local hotels. Average cost of $345 is based on up to 3-4 credits, and some weekend courses (up to 6 credits) are available for up to $585. Three meals are included in the cost of each session.
Au Pair Dreams American Weekend offers courses in:
Chicago, Illinois (completes 4 credits) - offered 6 times each year
Boston, Massachusetts (completes 4 credits) - offered 5 times each year
San Francisco, California (completes 4 credits) - offered 5 times each year
San Diego, California (completes 4 credits) - offered 4 times each year
Tampa, Florida (completes all 6 credits) - offered in December, February, May, and October
San Diego, California (completes all 6 credits) - offered twice a year
Silver Bay Au Pair Course / New York College Of Saint Rose: in Albany, New York. http://silverbayaupaircourse.com/ Please see course descriptions. Lodging and meals are included in the average cost of $285. Each weekend plus homework, provides an au pair with 3 credits.
Long Island University: in Greenvale, New York. http://www.liu.edu/aupair Please see course descriptions. Meals are included in the average cost of $285 and is based on receiving up to 3 credits. Lodging can be purchased for an additional $65.
Manhattanville College: in Purchase, New York. No lodging available, but website refers to local hotels. http://www.mville.edu/undergraduate/academics/englishlanguageinstitute/aupairs.html Average cost of $340 is based on up to 3 credits, they also offer 1.5 credits for less. See website for details.
Rutgers University: in New Brunswick, New Jersey. http://www.cpe.rutgers.edu/aupair/au-pair-weekend-classes-in-new-jersey.html No lodging available, but two meals per day are included. Cost is $390 and each weekend course provides an au pair with 3 credits. The weekend courses are 2 days long (Saturday-Sunday), and the courses focus on community outreach, child/youth development, food, nutrition, and health.
Thursday, 17 March 2016 9:23 AM
Hello!
I think the Au Pair Dreams American Weekends are not 4 credits worth (anymore), on theire online website they are saying you earn 3 credits with one 3-Day weekend class.
Maybe this information should be updated, so no misunderstandings are coming up!
Vanessa.
Thanks for letting me know, Vanessa. I appreciate it! I’m an LCC in Tennessee, and this is just a list that I compiled for my local au pairs. Unfortunately, the class options, credits, times, dates, locations, etc. change almost constantly, so I can’t keep up with searching for those changes weekly and making those changes here. That’s why I have the note about checking with the schools for the most up-to-date information. Hopefully, it’s still helpful to have this information compiled somewhat, in one location, though!