Expertise
Caroline Joyce Qualifications
Qualifications
Caroline Joyce is the Managing Director of Cara International, an Irish licenced Nanny and Au Pair Agency, placed in the West of Ireland but placed candidates throughout Ireland. She holds a BA (Hon) in Applied Social Care, a Masters (Hon) in Family Support and Post Grad Level 9 (Hons) in Leadership and Manage ent. She holds a QQI Level 6 (Merit) in Training, Delivery and Evaluation and a QQI Level 6 (Distinction) in Coaching Models of Practice.
Experience
Caroline Joyce is 22 years placing in-home minders (Au Pairs & Nannies) in Ireland and abroad. She has also hosted minders in her own home. Cara International currently have a 96% rate of success with placements, with some Au pairs extending their programme.
Membership/Lobbying
Membership & Advocacy
Caroline is the former chairperson of IAPA (Irish National Au Pair Association which is now disbanded), a former Irish National lead of ECAPS (European Committee for Au Pair Standards), and a former member of IAPA (International Au Pair Association). Caroline has completed academic research and papers on the in-home care sector in Ireland and has lobbied the Government for better regulation and support for families and their minders. She has made representations to the Low Paid Commission and several Government departments.
Awards & Achievements
Business Woman Of the Year Award
Caroline won Mayo Business Woman of the Year in 2015 and was an all-Ireland fina ist. In addition, Cara International has featured in RTE’s documentary ‘When the Au Pair comes to stay’ and RTE’s Nationwide and in many local and national newspapers.
In 2020, while undergoing cancer treatment, Caroline was shortlisted for a Social Entrepreneurs Ireland & a New Frontiers Awards for her innovation in the in-home care sector. She also raised approx €12,000 for Mayo Pink Ribbon Cancer Charity when doing a head shave at that time.
Case Studies
Meagan- February 2023
Life Before the Au Pair
I cannot work without an au pair.
Life After the Au Pair
Worked like a dream. The boys are able to come home each day into their own environment and get settled/play with their friends/the au pair until I get home. They are safely escorted to the bus after I leave for work in the mornings, and I can trust there will be cared for even if they are sick.
Andrea, Cork December 2022
Life Before the Au Pair
Busy and always on the go.
Life After the Au Pair
Having an au pair enables our lives to be more organised and flexible. We have been lucky to have fabulous au pairs who have integrated into our family.
Diana, Cork Nov 2022
Life Before the Au Pair
Busy, very busy, We needed to find a solution and routine to function
Life After the Au Pair
Much more relaxed. I had an extra pair of hands & time to play & enjoy my girls. Betti our Au Pair changed our lives
Ciara, Co. Mayo August 2022
Life Before the Au Pair
Life was chaotic at times, and the children were being moved from one place to another for childminding. We were struggling and stressed trying to juggle work, school, preschool, childcare and extracurricular activities and maintain a home-life balance.
Life After the Au Pair
When hosting the au pair, there was a better structure to the working week and weekends (when the host parents weren’t working) could be enjoyed as a family, including the au pair at times. The au pair became part of the family and a big sister to the children, and we became less stressed and much happier and family life was 100% improved. The children adored their au pair, and the fact they could be minded and supported in their own home made them more settled and happier. Life has improved a hundred times, and we are delighted. We decided to go down the au pair route. It was the best decision for us and our family, and now we have family in the Netherlands that we will hopefully go out to visit in the next year.
Margaret, Co. Tipperary August 2021.
Life Before the Au Pair
Life at home is always busy, and even during COVID times, this was the case. My husband and I played tag at home with homework, daily activities, working from home, and working on our farm. We have always been missing the link of an extra pair of hands to help us.
Life After the Au Pair
When our au pair arrived, we were delighted to have her with us. They became friends very quickly, and it really was lovely to see. Hilde, our Au Pair, quickly became part of the family, allowing us to get things done in our busy lives and, at the time, knowing that our little girl was happy and content. We will miss Hilde, our au pair when she leaves us.
Mary, Co. Laois, August 2021
Life Before the Au Pair
Life in our home before we got an AuPair meant our daily lives were extremely busy. Both parents in our home work full time, and our children went to an outside-the-home minder. This meant pulling our children out of bed early in the morning and clock-watching all day to ensure we were home in time for pick-up. Making dinner every evening so we could send it the next day… we were on a merry-go-round… then COVID happened….
Being forced to work from home five days a week made us see that the children were much happier in their own home. We decided to change our structure and sought the help of Caroline in sourcing an Aupair to suit our needs.
Life After the Au Pair
We are very happy we chose to go this route. Life after getting an Au Pair became much calmer…. no clock watching…. no rushing around… the children are happy in their own home with their own things around them. It has changed our lives for the better.
Family Testimonies
Meagan- Kildare February 2023
We wanted someone we could trust to get our au pairs. All three au pairs have been excellent
Suzi Tipperary- January 2023
We have always used Cara international and have been very happy with the service. Caroline is a true professional, very approachable and easy to talk to in relation to any issues that may arise. We wouldn’t use any other service.
We feel the standard has always been high and see no areas of improvement from our point of view.
Fiona- Co. Galway- December 2022
Caroline is very knowledgeable about the au pair situation in Ireland. We knew by working with Caroline, we would be in line with all regulations and have access to some strong candidates
Lisa- Co Clare November 2022
I found the service brilliant. The best in the market and always there when needed.
Diane- Co. Cork November 2022
Reliable & very professional. Understood our needs & provided the right match
Ciara – Co. Mayo 08 August 2022
Cara International was professional, friendly and supportive
100% reassurance and support were given when needed. No improvements are needed. Caroline runs a fantastic business and provides a terrific service.
Meagan – Co. Kildare- 4th Feb 2022
Cara International provides us with the reassurance that au pairs are vetted. They give us the reassurance that there is someone there to call in an emergency. They provide a great service with the ability to replace our existing au pair when they finish their placement.
Deirdre- Galway- 4th Feb 2022
Cara International provides a personal service/excellent response times/immediate answers
Margaret- Tipperary Feb 2022
It has been a pleasure to work with Cara International. We can rely on Caroline to understand our needs and find suitable au pairs to choose from. I have thought of getting an au pair in the past and now that we have finally experienced this and how easy Cara International made it for us we are getting another au pair. Cara takes the hassle out of trying to find someone and this saves you time. Caroline is very professional, quick to reply, aware of our needs and connects us with excellent candidates. Training for the au pair is also provided. I would highly recommend Caroline and her agency.
Kealy Family-Tipperary, 2021
We have always found Cara International to be professional and efficient to deal with, but also gives a personal touch to their service. We have used Cara for many years now, and we would highly recommend them.
Eimear- Dublin, 2020
We had nice communication with Caroline and she found us an au pair quickly and with little hassle.
Gillian-Belfast, 2020
We felt the service and contact throughout was really good and overall would recommend the service and the au pair we got as a result.
Au Pair Testimonies
Amber From The Netherlands Jan 2022
My Au Pair experience helped me to feel more ready for a grown-up working life. I got a new life experience. Thanks to Caroline, I found the family of my dreams. Caroline is there for you when you need her. Every few weeks, she sends you a message to check up on you!
Maeva from France Nov 2022
I had a very good relationship with my agency
Solène from France August 2022
Cara international was really helpful. They introduced me to the au pair society in Ireland, where we could meet other au pairs. They also introduced me to an English teacher and proposed English classes for me.
They checked on me every now and then to see if everything was ok.
Shannon from The Netherlands July 2022
Cara International is a good organisation. Caroline really cares for her au pairs and asks how things are going.
Hannah From Germany July 2022
Being an au pair has been my dream for years, and Cara International really helped with the whole process. From completing my application and needed documents, finding a host family and organising the contract after matching with one. I got a lot of help from the agency. Especially the communication via WhatsApp made things a lot easier.
The agency’s WhatsApp group of au pairs currently in Ireland has helped me find friends in my area and meet up with au pairs all around the country.
Sandra from Spain 26 June 2022
Cara International is a very good agency. They helped me with everything. Thanks to them, I felt safe.
Anna from Italy 26 June 202
Cara International was always ready to help me. They were always present, asking if I was fine and if I was having a good time.
Lea from France 19 May 2022
Cara International Service is truly amazing! Cara’s staff follow you from the beginning, during your stay and even after. The agency always makes sure that any Au Pair is okay. They have great communication and will listen to you. You can talk to Cara anytime by text, email, or schedule a call. When I arrived, I didn’t know anyone, but thanks to Caroline, I got in touch with other Au Pairs because she put me on their WhatsApp group.
Carolina from Portugal 19 April 2022
Thanks to Caroline for her availability and attention and for always being worried about the family and me during my stay!
Sara From France 14 April 2022
The service provided by Cara International was excellent. If I have any problem or doubt, I can always come to them, and they will give me help and assistance.
Tamara From Spain 21 August 2021
Cara Internationa treat me very good, as well as the Host Family! Cara helped me a lot, asking me if I was alright, good etc.
Silvi from The Netherlands 21 August 2021
I thought Cara international was good because they always kept you up to date and ensured everything was going okay. It was all very clear what was expected of me.
Hilde from The Netherlands 14 August 2021
Cara international is super at communicating fast with all the information you need but isn’t only there for arranging the host family. For example, after Cara International sent me a message about a potential host family, we had a nice small talk about it, and they checked in on me throughout my stay.
Joana from Portugal 2021
I enjoy spending time with my host family, which makes me feel at home. The kids are on holiday, so we spend more time together, which improved our relationship. We played together, and on sunny days we went to the beach for some walks. I have already met some other au pairs from different countries. I had a really good experience. Thanks to Cara International
Suzanne from Italy- 2020
I have always loved working with children. You get so much love from them. I also like to get to know a new culture, and the Irish culture is amazing! I took Irish language classes. They were so much fun! Becoming an Au-Pair in Ireland with Cara International was the perfect combination, and it is such a great experience.
Lea from Germany, 2019
Cara International offers free courses which I liked, particularly the part about food handling and safety. I also wanted the first aid part, especially the first aid for children. While I was familiar with most of it, a few small facts were new to me and refreshing one’s knowledge is always good.
Eleanor from France- 2018
I completed the pediatric first aid course with Cara International. I was happy to do them because I felt more confident with the children.