Au Pair Agency – YES or NO?

Au pair program – is an international program of cultural exchange for young people, where the higher demand of families, is mostly directed to the single young girls. Young girls are willing to live in another country and eager to learn about the culture, traditions, and language of the host country. At the same time, they are experiencing some fear of the unknown and do not feel safe enough in a foreign country, if they decide to seek the host family and placement, independently.

Au pair agencies can be more than useful in such cases, providing not only help in the search and selection of the host family, but also responsible for au pairs’ safety and provide the full assistance in the host country. Each country has its own rules and regulations and a lack of knowledge may even lead to negative consequences. The purpose of intermediary agencies – to give full security guarantee for young girls and to provide them with timely support in the foreign country. Most of those agencies have the corresponding license and are accredited, and have a lot of experience working with various youth programs. According to statistics, more than 80% of au pair candidates are willing to be registered through the intermediary agency.

Agencies also assist the host families in all matters, related to the au pair placement: rules of the program, assistance in filling the contract, information regarding the application process, submission and appointment at the embassy, consular fees and requirements, etc. As a rule, the registration and application process of au pair visa runs significantly easier and faster, if the applicant was intermediated by an au pair agency.

Agencies provide a range of services to families: search and selection of the right candidate and represent interests of both, the au pair and the host family under the au pair program. They provide advice and consultation, regarding registration, insurance, taxes, choice of language courses and the formalities procedure of entry and departure of au pair, as well. In case of emergency or dealing with many issues, related to au pair stay in the host country, are agencies worth to address to, where sometimes is quite difficult to find all the answers yourself.

Agencies play an important role in intermediation between the host families and au pair candidates. In some countries, for instance, USA, an accredited agency must necessarily act as a guarantor of every single au pair candidate, who is applying for an au pair position in American families. Without the permission of the guarantor/agency, the applicant cannot expect to be granted a special au pair residence permit in America.