Introduction to the Au Pair Program
Through the Au Pair program, participants and host families take part in a mutually rewarding, intercultural opportunity. Participants can continue their education while experiencing everyday life with an American family, and hosts receive reliable and responsible childcare from individuals who become part of the family.
U.S. Department of State Au Pair Exchange Program Brochure
The Au Pair Exchange Program was established in 1986 as an educational and cultural exchange program with a strong child care component. “Au pair” is French for “on par,” reminding host families that, although an employee, their international visitor is to be treated like a member of the family. Agent Au Pair and our Local Representatives have the responsibility for administering the program, within the regulations set by the Department of State.
Read these Department of State documents to learn about the Au Pair program and answer some frequently asked questions:
Requirements to be an Au Pair
Au Pairs must be:
- Are between the ages of 18 and 26
- Are a secondary school graduate or equivalent
- Proficient in spoken English
- Are capable of fully participating in the program as evidenced by the satisfactory completion of a physical
- Are interviewed, in English, by an organizational representative who will prepare a report of the interview which will be provided to the host family
- Have successfully passed a background investigation that includes:
- Verification of school
- 3 non-family related personal and employment references
- A criminal background check or its recognized equivalent
- A personality profile – this will be based upon a psychometric test designed to measure differences in characteristics among applicants against those characteristics considered most important to successfully participate in the au pair program
Au Pair Program Options
Agent Au Pair offers multiple program options to meet your family’s needs! The first step to becoming a host family is to select the program that best accommodates the needs of your family
- Au Pair Program – up to 45 hours of childcare per week
- Infant Care Au Pairs – up to 45 hours of childcare per week for children 3-24 months
- Pro Au Pair – up to 45 hours of childcare per week
- TutorCare Au Pair- up to 30 hours of childcare a week
- Au Pair Extention- extend for another 6, 9, or 12 months
For more information about our programs, please visit our Program Option page.
For more information about our Program’s Fees and current discounts, please visit Program Cost.
*** BEWARE OF SCAMMERS ***
Agent Au Pair wants to make sure that au pairs are protected from fake host families that are trying to commit fraud and misuse our agency name! We’ve noticed that there are people on social media who try to directly reach out to au pairs pretending to be a host family. NEVER pay any money directly to a family – if the situation sounds too good, it’s most likely a scam.
If you have been contacted by a family outside of our matching system, please contact us at [email protected] to verify that they are signed up with us.
J-1 Visa Emergency Hotline
1-866-283-9090 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)