Resources

Health insurance card

You have insurance through Aetna.

Click here for more information about your health insurance from Cultural Care.

If you’re sick

In an emergency, go to the hospital. In a non emergency, find a doctor that works with Aetna insurance. This means that the doctor(s) your host family sees may not accept your insurance.

You can submit a case using your au pair application for more information directly from Cultural Care about finding health care options within network.

Walk-in and urgent care clinics will most often accept Aetna.

King-Soopers walk-in clinics accept your insurance

You can check to see if an urgent care near you accepts Aetna

You can always call 1-800-783-7447 to confirm your coverage.

What you pay

When you see a doctor, you will pay a co-pay.

See the above link for more details about what you can expect to pay.

You will always pay your prescriptions when you receive them, then you will file a claim to get your money back (a reimbursement). Be sure to keep your receipts from prescription so you can file your reimbursement claim.

Submitting a claim

If you see a doctor who does not accept your health insurance (or for all prescriptions), you will need to submit a claim.

You can submit a case using your au pair application for more information on reimbursement.

The DS 2019 document is what you brought to your embassy appointment, and it should remain with your passport and visa always. It is the document that you used to get your visa. This is the document you need to enter into the US, so any time you leave (like for vacation) you need to bring it with you.

You are allowed to work and go to school in the US using your J1 visa. This visa essentially says you are allowed to be in the US for the purpose of work as an au pair and to complete some schooling. Once you use your J1 visa to enter, you get I-94 document. 

This is different but related to your visa because the I-94 is a status document, so it shows that you are legally allowed to be in the US. A visa lets you into the US, an I-94 shows that you are allowed to stay in the US/ that you can re-enter the US. 

The I-94 document was filled out when you arrived in America, and you may have a paper copy already, but if not you can print a copy here.

Wait for 2 weeks to ensure your travel information is all current in the government work visa system!

Your SSN allows you to pay taxes at the end of your stay so that you remain in compliance with the program. 

The link to the application is here.

You can walk into the office (you are not allowed to make an appointment, they only accept walk-ins). The nearest location is the Louisville, CO office which is at 480 Dahlia St, Louisville, CO, 80027. 

Be prepared to bring:

- Passport(s)

-Visa

-DS 2019

-I-94

-Social Security letter from Cultural Care (find on your app or use the “ask a question” function to request it)

Your SSN card should arrive within two weeks after your in-person appointment.

When you get this piece of mail, save the envelope and the insert that shows the envelope was addressed to you because you can use it in the future as “proof of residence” for other important steps you will need to take, like getting your drivers license and opening a bank account.

Your SSN is very important! Do not throw it away or give out your number to others (except for your host family when they need it for taxes!). If at any point in your life you move to the US or work for a US company, you will need this number. You only get one SSN and it is very difficult to get again if you lose it!

As an au pair, you are legally allowed to drive with your international drivers license for the first 90 days, then you must get a Colorado drivers license. To get a license, you need to follow all of the steps outlined below. The process will be a bit different depending on your home country.

German and French au pairs do not require a written or a behind the wheel driving test, but all others do!

If you are expected to drive your host kids around, then it is expected that your host family cover the expenses associated with your license, either by paying the fees upfront, or reimbursing your receipts. *If you do not pass the first driving test, your host family may ask your to pay the next tests!

Steps

1. International drivers license

2. written test to get your permit

3. physical driving test from a driving school

4. appointment with the DMV

Written Test

You can take the written test online (with a computer that has a webcam) or in the DMV office by making an appointment.

The written test allows you to move from an international drivers license to a permit. You must have a permit before you can schedule a driving skills test.

Click here to complete your online written test. You can retake the exam as needed, and there is a small fee associated with taking the written test. 

Click here to schedule your written exam. The DMV can be very busy and sometimes it takes several weeks to get an appointment. There are several DMV offices that serve our general area, and you may check at multiple locations to see if one can schedule you sooner than another. If you live in Louisville or Lafayette, the closest offices are as follows: Boulder, Longmont, Westminster, and Northglenn (all within 20-30 minutes). Once you select your location, select “written test” as the appointment type. 

Driving Skills Test

The DMV office does not offer driving skills tests (where you drive with an instructor to show you know how to follow signs, drive well, etc.) but you must complete a test to get your license!

Click here to see a list of driving schools that you can go to for the test. You can (but do not need to) take a course from one of these companies, and most will allow you to take only a driving skills test. 

You can ask your host family to help you to schedule this at a time and location that works for you and them. The driving school will provide you with a “drive test completion form” when you pass the exam. You will bring this form with you to the DMV.

Drivers License Appointment

You must make an appointment to confirm your documents, driving skills test, and written test results.

If you did the online written test, you should click here to schedule your final appointment. Once you select your location, select “first time CO DL/ID/Permit” as the appointment type. 

Regardless of whether your written test was online or in person, for this final appointment you should bring:

- Passport(s)

-Visa

-DS 2019

-I-94

-Social Security Number

-Program Participation Letter

-Proof of Address, for example, your program participation letter, plus any piece of mail that is certified and addressed to you, like the envelope you got your SSN card in, or a piece of mail that you send to yourself (you can go online to the post office and order some international stamps to send letters home and use that envelope to show proof of address!)

After completing these steps, you should get a paper that confirms you have a Colorado license, and you should keep this with you until your official license arrives in the mail. 

Other Driving Information

Host families should ass au pairs to their car insurance. It is usually cheaper to do this when you say you have a “student driver”.

In addition to knowing how to buckle each child into their car seat, au pairs should know how to clip and unclip car seats in the car in case of emergency.

Before taking the car, learn how to pop the gas cap, lock the car (if there is a button or sensor) , open the trunk and know what kind of gas the car should get!

You can and should ask that your host family goes with you for this process! It can be a bit difficult, and different banks will have different processes. Some general notes: 

If you are 25 or younger you can get a free student checking account. 

Au pairs over age 25 will need a different type of account even though you are here on a student visa technically.

If your host family has an established relationship with the bank or credit union, they are more likely to not require a social security number, but this is totally case by case! 

You should plan to bring all of your documents: 

-Passport(s)

-Visa

-DS-2019 

-I-94

-International and (if you have one) local drivers license

Student accounts can usually be opened by Chase, US Bank, and Wells Fargo without an SSN

When you open your account, it is wise to set up an automatic weekly transfer with your host family while you are both at the bank together if you’ll be paid via direct deposit.

Click here for the official Cultural Care guide on handling your taxes. This guide is pretty comprehensive, but it is still best to have some help when filing taxes!

Click here for the official IRS webpage for au pair taxes specifically.

Travel for au pairs is different in the first year than it is in an extension period, so please make sure you are using to applicable information!

Here is the Cultural Care guide for first year travel.

Here is the Cultural Care guide for second year travel. Reach out to Cultural Care by using the “ask a question” function with specific questions as soon as you know you will be wanting to travel to one of the countries where visa renewal is required.

As an aupair, you can choose to extend your stay by 6, 9, 0r 12 months with your current family or a new family.

Click here for more information about the educational requirements for extending in general, look on your application to see your deadline for completing your educational credits.

You must be in the US for at least 4 months before you can apply to extend.

To extend, you do not need your courses to be finished, but you do need to show proof of enrollment and your enrollment must show that your classes will be finished at least 33 days before your visa expires!

If you are thinking about extending, you should reach out to me and we can set a time to talk more about the process.