IAPO - Become an Au Pair in USA: FAQ

Au Pair in USA

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the IAPO's Au Pair USA Program?
The program is an educational and cultural exchange program with an extensive child care component. Au pairs come to the U.S. for one year to provide up to 45 hours of child care per week for their host family while pursuing educational credits. IAPO's US partners have the responsibility for administering the program, within the regulations set by the Department of State. IAPO identifies, screens and selects Au Pairs and our US Partners match our au pairs and US host families and monitors the au pair/host family relationship throughout the year. At the end of one year, au pairs return to their home country.

What do community and regional representatives do?
Our US Partners' Community and regional counselors maintain ongoing contact with au pairs and host families. They are required to report to their organisations any unusual or serious situations or incidents involving au pairs or host families. Any incidents involving or alleging a crime of moral turpitude or violence are immediately to be relayed by our US Partners to the Department of State. Moral turpitude is defined to include, but is not limited to, acts of theft, sexual misconduct and child abuse.

What is the educational component of the au pair program?
Au pairs are required to attend an institution of higher education to earn at least six hours of academic credit, and host families must pay up to $500 of the cost.

What is the difference between a nanny and an au pair?
Nannies are child care providers who are paid for their expertise and experience and they are employees of the family for whom they work. Au pairs, on the other hand, are participants in an exchange program. Au pairs provide up to 45 hours of child care per week as part of their responsibility to their host family and are considered members of the family, NOT employees.

Where do au pairs come from?
The au pair program is worldwide, so au pairs can be from any foreign country except those with which the U.S. does not have diplomatic relations.

What kind of training and experience is required to be an au pair?
Au pairs must be proficient in spoken English and have a high school diploma or the equivalent. Before becoming part of a host family, they must receive at least 8 hours of child safety and 24 hours of child development instruction. At least 4 hours of the child safety training will be infant related and at least 4 hours of the child development instruction will be devoted to the care of children under 2 years of age. The child safety training, provided by qualified organizations, includes topics such as stress management, shaken baby syndrome, and CPR. Additionally, au pairs responsible for children under 2 years of age must have at least 200 hours of documented infant child care experience. Au pairs will NOT have specialized training in nursing. They are NOT to dispense prescription medication or undertake therapy regimes.

How long does it take to place me?
Once we receive your application and references, an IAPO interviewer in your country will interview with you. You will be able to be placed shortly thereafter. It generally takes 1-3 months.

Can I apply any time of the year?
Yes - You can.

What can I expect as an IAPO Au Pair?
You can expect an exciting year living with an English speaking In exchange for staying with your host family, you are expected to give loving and responsible childcare for 45 hours each week. You may also be asked to help out with making your children's lunches or helping them keep their rooms tidy. And you'll have free time to get to know your American community with family and friends!

What are au pairs entitled to?
Au pairs are entitled to a private bedroom, meals, a weekly wage which will increase if the minimum wage increases, a full weekend off each month, two weeks of paid vacation, and up to $500 towards attending an institution of higher education.

What are host families entitled to?
Host families are entitled to a maximum of 10 hours a day/45 hours a week of child care and they have the benefit of someone from another culture living in their home.

What responsibilities do both parties have?
Either a parent or responsible adult must be present in the home for the first three days that the au pair is with the host family. This can include a weekend. There must be a signed written agreement between the host family and the au pair outlining the au pair's obligation to provide not more than 45 hours of child care per week. The host family and au pair must attend at least one of their sponsoring organization's family day events during the au pair's stay.

How long can an au pair stay with a family, and can the arrangement be extended?
Au pairs can stay with their host families in the U.S. for one year. The goverment now allows them to extend their stay for another year.

What if a problem arises?
Our US Partners have local and regional representatives who are available to help and counsel one or both parties of an au pair program match.

What do I do if there is an emergency?
You should contact your Community Representative. If he/she is unavailable, we have a 24 hour emergency answering service that will put you in touch with a US partner staff member.

If I am not happy with the arrangement, can I back out?
Both the host family and the au pair have options if they are not happy with the au pair arrangement. In the rare event that a family isn't right for you, your local counsellor will work with you to find a another family as quickly as possible. However, we do ask that no relocations be made until after the first two months to give both parties time to adjust.