Review of the Best Au Pair Agencies

AuPairClearinghouse.com, the only national consumer website on the au pair industry, reviews the top au pair agencies governed by the U.S. Department of State. There are 12 designated Au Pair Agencies in America that fall under the Department of State's supervision. There are many other au pair agencies out there, some good, some bad, and most of them are much cheaper, but these are the only au pair agencies that are required to abide by the laws and regulations set up by the Department of State.

These 12 agencies are also monitored and audited once a year to make sure the agencies are abiding by the laws/regulations. They can be sanctioned if they are found to be negligent in their services to either the au pairs or host families that contract with them.

We start with our Top Three Agency Picks for 2009:

AuPairCare - #1 of our Top Three Picks!

San Francisco, CA
800-428-7247
Founded 1989
www.aupaircare.com

Total Yearly Costs 2009: $17,374; Infant Specialized Program $18,624
Additional Educational Costs: $250-$500
Discounts: Referral: $200; switching from another agency: $600; matching with an au pair who is already in the country: $600 repeat families: up to $800 in savings, "Thanks for Switching Agency" discount: $350,

Strengths:

1. Award Winning Online Matching Site (2006 CIO Award Winners List) that makes matching online quick, efficient and exemplifies the best in IT technology in the au pair industry to date. Read our article on the award they received.

2. Strong website with online application that includes EasyMatch - a new matching system that is faster and promises to have an au pair in your home in 6 weeks! Faster matching than any other au pair agency to date (July, 2009)

3. Special infant qualified program - a wonderful program that trains au pairs to care for infants. It includes massaage and sign language training. Read about this unique program: Infant Specialized Care Au Pairs

4. Good Phone System (instead of a machine, staff answers the phone)

5. Strong marketing - but keeps their eye on maintaining excellent customer service while growing their business

6. Best Customer Feedback and Ratings from our latest July 2009 survey

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Expert Au Pair - #2 of our Top Three Agency Picks

2100 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street
St. Petersburg, FL 727-388-3472
Founded 2006
www.expertaupair.com

Total Yearly Costs 2009: $15,600

Additional Educational Costs: $500 - $1000 Discounts: Free application fee

Expert Au Pair is one of our favorite programs to date. The company has its eye on customer service with local support hired only if the agency actually knows the person applying for the counselor/local representative position! This is unheard of in the au pair industry. They choose to grow slowly because they don't want to lose touch with their loyal customers. They are also one of the least expensive programs in the industry. If you live in Florida (they do service some other states, but it is on a small scale) I would highly recommend that you give them a call.

Strengths:

1. Services all of Florida

2. No deductible on medical insurance for au pairs (it is typically $200 for other programs). Insurance includes dental coverage (other agencies do not cover dental costs). Best insurance policy for au pairs in the industry.

3. Online application

4. Small family business that cares about excellent customer service

5. Warm and friendly staff who care about good customer service vs. expanding (Ex., they will not hire counselors unless they personally know them)

6. Least expensive program in the industry

7. Has expanded its coverage since January 2009 - includes Boston, Chicago, NY metro areas, CA.

8. Is enlarging their pool of German, Irish and English au pairs (who speak good English and drive well compared to most nationalities)

9. Newly improved website - easy to navigate with more information compared to last year

10. Has A No Hidden Fee Policy for Au Pairs - many au pairs can be confused by all the hidden fees they must pay, once they have signed up. ExpertAuPair outlines all fees clearly for the au pairs. See http://www.expertaupair.com/FeesAuPair.aspx for all costs that your au pair has to pay for.

Weaknesses:

1. New program - founded in 2006

2. Newly improved website - but it needs more information about countries they recruit from, etc.

3. Services limited mainly to Florida but some host families in NJ, NY, Georgia, Illinois and CA - call to find out if they service your area in these states

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Au Pair In America (APIA) - #3 of our Top Three picks

AIFS Organization
Stamford, CT
800-928-7247
Founded in 1986
www.aupairinamerica.com

Total Yearly Costs: 2009: $18,044 - $22,048 (Educare: $14,092)

Additional Educational Costs: $500 - $1000

Discounts: repeat families 6 years +: $385; Referrals: $500; switching from another program: $600; pre-matching: $500

Strengths:

1. Local counselors are salaried and not paid on a commission basis

2. Recruits from 55 countries

3. ChildCare Protection Plan - first agency to implement a program that protects you and your au pair if a family member losses his/her job. There is no fee for this coverage. See details at: http://www.aupairinamerica.com/loyalty/protection_plan.asp

4. New, user friendly website with lots of information on au pairing with Online Application

5. First au pair program (founded in 1986)

6. First to recruit from China

7. Yearly training conference for staff including local counselor and recruiting agents from over 55 countries

8. Generous Referral Program (http://www.aupairinamerica.com/loyalty/referral.asp): host families can earn up to a free year's program fees if they refer 4 families

Weaknesses:

1. Highest cost compared to all other agencies in the au pair industry

2. Weak phone service (office staff tend to use their answering machines and they don't always call back the same day - one customer waited for an entire week for a call back from her placement counselor - this is pretty typical)

3. Weak marketing (does not spend money on marketing)

4. Weak matching system - staff are rather slow in responding to parents' needs

5. Does not offer Male Au Pairs

6. APIA was the Top #1 program, but this agency continues to lose significant numbers of customers to their top two competitors: Cultural Care and Au Pair Care

7. Hires summer help for placements who are often inexperienced and inadequately trained

8. Largest pool of au pairs are from Thailand who have both weak/no driving skills and marginal/inadequate English verbal skills. Their pool of Germans have shrunk considerably (who have both good English and competent driving skills)

9. Increased program costs across the board in January of 2009 making them the most expensive au pair agency today.
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