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Au pairs are international visitors who travel to the United States to improve their English, to sightsee, and to gain an appreciation of American life while staying with an American family and caring for their children. Au pairs tend to be in their late teens to mid-twenties. Au pairs become family members sharing a cultural exchange experience that often leads to a lasting relationship with the host family.

Although au pairs are not professional child care workers, they are carefully screened and trained by an agency. They are authorized to care for American children by the U.S. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Qualified participants must acquire a J1 visa and must have at least 200 hours of experience in order to care for a child under the age of 2.

Au pairs are required to provide up to 10 hours of child care daily, not exceeding 45 hours in one week. Unlike nannies, au pairs are not required to do household work such as laundry or cooking. Hours worked are strictly for child care. Though they are paid workers, au pairs expect to be treated as extended family members. Families must sign a written agreement to include the au pair in meals, trips, and gatherings.

Hiring an au pair is significantly less expensive than employing a full-time nanny. Families pay an up front cost of approximately $5,000 to $6,000 which covers placement and program fees as well as airfare. In addition, the family pays a weekly stipend of approximately $140, and must contribute up to $500 in educational expenses should the au pair choose to enroll in a college-level course. Even with hidden costs for room and board and transportation, au pairs are a less expensive option than nannies - especially for those with two or more children.

The hitch? Au pairs are only allowed to work for twelve months which means your child will probably become attached to the au pair then it is time to find new child care.

For about one-quarter of the cost, au pairs offer the same personalized, in-home care of a nanny. Their duties include many child-related household responsibilities and they present a cultural and fun experience for the whole family.

Playing small pocket pairs may be one of the easiest types of hands to play. Small pocket pairs consist of: TT, 99, 88, 77, 66, 55, 44, 33, and 22. In any position, you should limp with these hands. If someone happens to raise pre-flop, you should call a raise about three to four times the big blind. While playing pocket pairs, you are hoping to hit three of a kind on the flop. If you hit three of a kind or a set on the flop, play them aggressively. You are hoping that one of your opponents hit his top pair and will not fold his hand. If you do not hit a set, most times you should simply fold your hand. Sometimes you will have TT and the flop with be all low cards like 3 5 6. These are very difficult situations to play as your opponents may have hit a straight or a set.

In order to play in these situations, you should have a read on your opponent. Past observation of your opponent’s play should give you an idea of the strength of his hand. How has your opponent played a set in the past? How does your opponent play a straight? Unless you have a very good read on your opponent, it might be smart to fold your hand. As you get better, you will have better reads and feel comfortable in these situations. More advanced players will sometimes raise small pairs to disguise their hand. Pay attention to your opponents and small pairs will win you a lot of chips.

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