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We take the safety and well-being of our users very seriously. As the world's most popular Au Pair website, we connect many people every day. Like everywhere else on the Internet, professional scammers and people with bad intentions try to register with us as a Host Family or a candidate to contact and take advantage of our users.
Although only a relatively small percentage of such contacts have resulted in Au Pairs or Host Families becoming
victims of illegal activity, we firmly believe that any misconduct or crime is one too many.
We use automated and manual moderation and review tools, systems, and processes - and put a lot of work into preventing, monitoring, and removing inappropriate behavior (fake accounts, harassment, abuse, scammers, and more) on our platform.
We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding harassment and encourage our community to report any misbehavior and/or anyone violating the values of the Au Pair program or the Terms and Conditions on our platform via raising a complaint or by contacting our team directly. If we receive such a report, our dedicated team will take appropriate action, including suspending the suspicious user’s account and notifying people contacted by them.
We are constantly evaluating and improving our processes and, if needed, will always cooperate with law enforcement agencies to protect AuPair.com users.
All AuPair.com users can easily report cases of abusive behavior or assault online or by phone. We encourage any member who believes they have been the victim of a crime to report it to law enforcement. Our team will promptly investigate, assess, and take appropriate action on any reported misbehavior and will cooperate fully with law enforcement in any investigation.
If someone reports abuse on AuPair.com, we will attempt to identify the alleged perpetrator(s) and suspend the account in question. The incident will be investigated by our team and, if necessary, all people who were in contact with the perpetrator will be informed.
Click here to read how we deal with reported incidents of misbehavior.
We are also constantly improving our security against those with malicious intent. However, we do not disclose the security procedures and tools we use. We want to protect the AuPair.com community as much as possible and not give criminals an advantage.
At AuPair.com we take
fraud very seriously and have a zero-tolerance policy towards fraudulent behavior of any kind. Our team uses security tools to check every profile for fraudulent activity and alerts. In addition, suspicious profiles, activities, and messages from our users are checked manually. The general rule to avoid fraud or scams on such platforms as Au Pair.com is to never send money to anyone for any reason. If you want to learn more tips on how to avoid scammers, read our article.
If your family already decided that the Au Pair program is exactly what you need, now is the time to get things done. You need to register, fill in your search criteria and browse through a wide choice of Au Pair applicants.
Let’s assume that you already met the one that seems to be a perfect match. What should you do now?
Have(multiple) video-interviews
The person you’ve chosen is going to spend some time with your family and, with a bit of luck, become an additional member of your family. The online profile you saw on AuPair.com won’t give you any guarantee that your impression about the Au Pair is right. The
video interview with the Au Pair gives you much higher chances to actually get to know the person behind the screen.
Make a short call to your prospective Au Pair and, after some small-talk, offer the applicant a longer chat with your whole family during which you will be able to ask about everything you would like to know. It works both ways - prepare yourself for clarifying your Au Pair’s doubts.
Make sure to arrange not fewer than 3 video-interview with the Au Pair. This way you really get to know the person before you decide to take further steps.
For your safety, we strongly encourage you to communicate with other users through our messaging system. Start by asking the key questions via our chat, which is automatically monitored for fraud and abuse. To protect yourself, we recommend keeping all written communication within our platform and avoiding third-party systems. Only after several video-calls, and once you feel confident, should you consider switching to another chat system.
Verify candidate’s identity:
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Before signing the contract, verify the identity of the Au Pair by asking him/her to show an official ID card or a passport during a video interview. Check both sides of the document, make sure the photo matches the person you are speaking with. Ask him/her to wave the ID back and forth in the light to see the hologram in the ID. If the hologram is missing, it may indicate a forgery.
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Verify the phone number by calling the person - contact only via messengers such as Whatsapp is not sufficient.
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Ask for the Au Pair’s social media link and check them, be critical and pay attention to the history, followers, likes, etc.
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When you are meeting them in person for the first time, ask them to show you their ID again.
Sign the contract with the Au Pair
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If your Au Pair needs a visa, the contract will be most likely a mandatory attachment to the visa application
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If you need to register your Au Pair at the immigration office, the contract will be necessary too
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If any misunderstandings during the Au Pair’s time in your house occur, the contract will help you a lot to clarify them
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If things go really bad and you need to inform the authorities about it (e.g. report the Au Pair’s actions to the police) the contract will be an important piece of evidence
But most importantly, the Au Pair contract helps you to clarify the rules according to which you are going to cooperate. Before you sign it, you need to complete the document and discuss all the points together with the Au Pair during the video interview. That will help you a lot to assess the Au Pair’s approach and acquire the right expectations for the Au Pair.
Premium members receive a version of the contract from us which contains additional questions to avoid misunderstandings.
Get used to the new situation
When your Au Pair has already arrived, you need to make sure that your whole family has time to adjust to the new situation. In particular, your children should be well prepared for the changes. Make sure to speak with them before the program start date and ensure that they understand what is going on and who the new person in your household is.
Pay also attention to the Au Pair - she / he is going to be stressed and maybe overwhelmed with the
responsibility. You can consider taking a few days off and staying at home with the Au Pair to help her / him get to know your daily routine and get adjusted to the
Au Pair schedule.
Free Registration as Family
General tips to keep in mind
Communication is a key factor for a safe and successful Au Pair program. Try to look at the whole thing from your Au Pair’s perspective and imagine all the concerns she / he may already have or may encounter in the future.
Speak with each other, but be prepared for asking about the Au Pair’s wellbeing more than once. Young people may tend to hide their insecurities and your support is priceless.
Looking forward to meeting your Au Pair?
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You’re about to start your stay as an Au Pair, but there are some things you have to take care of before you leave. Do you feel stressed to cope with everything? You’re probably thinking “where to begin?”.
Don’t worry! At AuPair.com we have made a list with all the important things you have to remember before and during your period as an Au Pair to stay safe during the whole
Au Pair program.
Have (multiple) video-interviews and meet the children
The more chats you have with them, the more you will get to know the family before your
arrival.
You should have at least 3-5 video chats with the Host Family before making a decision. Both you and the family have to be really sure that you get on well with each other. Besides, you have to see if the kids feel comfortable with you and if they are willing to have you as the Au Pair.
Also, ask your host family to show you your
room and the whole house during the
video-call, or at least to send you some
photos. Many Au Pairs get disappointed when they arrive to their future home, and that makes their stay not as good as they expected. Remember that you will live there for several months.
For your safety, we strongly encourage you to communicate with other users through our messaging system. Start by asking the key questions via our chat, which is automatically monitored for fraud and abuse. To protect yourself, we recommend keeping all written communication within our platform and avoiding third-party systems. Only after several video-calls, and once you feel confident, should you consider switching to another chat system.
Verify Host Family's identity
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Before signing the contract, verify the identity of the Host parents by asking them to show an official ID card or a passport during a video interview. Check both sides of the document, make sure the photo matches the person you are speaking with. Ask them to wave the ID back and forth in the light to see the hologram in the ID. If the hologram is missing, it may indicate a forgery.
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Verify the phone number by calling the family - contact only via messengers such as Whatsapp is not sufficient.
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Ask for their social media link and check them, be critical and pay attention to the history, followers, likes, etc.
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When you are meeting them in person for the first time, ask them to show you their ID again.
Signing the contract before the stay begins
Make sure that you and the family have signed the contract before the stay begins. Don’t take the risk of waiting until you’re there to sign it. That way you will be sure that you will spend your Au Pair time with that Host Family officially and legally, and you won’t have any possible problems with the local authorities.
Getting in touch with other Au Pairs in the area
A beginning in a new place and in a new country can be tough. Fortunately, it is very easy nowadays to establish contact with people through social media. You can always try to
reach other Au Pairs in the area. Some of them might have been living there for a while, so they could help you to get used to the new situation.
There will be also other Au Pairs who don’t know anybody, like you. Our advise: type on Facebook something like: “Au Pairs in (your area or city)” and you will surely find a group. Social media are a good way of meeting people, especially when someone is new in the area.
Bring cash and your credit card to your host country
You should always have some cash before flying to your destination. You always have to be ready for
any kind of mishap (e.g. your Host Family cannot pick you up at the airport and you have to take a taxi or the bus). Also remember that you need to exchange your money to the currency of the host country. Do not wait until you have landed in the country to do so. Be foresighted.
Credit Cards
Using an ATM in another country can be very expensive. First of all you should go to your bank and get informed about the taxes you pay if you take out
money in another country, or maybe your bank offers special credit cards to those clients who want to go abroad. As an alternative you might want to open a new bank account in another entity in your country that has better conditions for its clients living abroad.
Finally, online banks can be an interesting option too. Given that they have no physical headquarters, you can always solve any inquiry with the bank via online.
Free Registration as Candidate
Getting an insurance before the stay begins
Every country has its own healthcare system so gather all the necessary information about which specific
health insurance you may need in the country regarding your Visa. If you’re European and will spend your Au Pair time in another EU country, you can always get your
European Health Insurance Card. However, in all the other cases, you will have to pay for a special health insurance.
You must keep in mind that, in both cases, you should have obtained your health insurance and you should have all your documents ready before flying to your destination.
General tips to keep in mind
Remember that you are going to a distant country and the culture and customs may be surprising to you. In case of any doubts, ask your family for advice - communication and mutual understanding will help you a lot to avoid any inconveniences. When going out, always have with you your mobile phone and phone numbers of your Host Family, your family, police and even your country embassy in case of any emergency.
Remember also to keep your documents safe - in particular your ID card, passport and credit card. Don’t hand them over to anyone else!
Even if you follow these instructions, there is always a risk of getting into an unexpected situation. Please,
do not hesitate to contact us and/or official authorities if something happens to you. If you are in immediate danger or need emergency help, call the emergency number of your host country. Make sure you know emergency phone numbers and other useful contacts in your Host country before you start your journey.
Here are some emergency numbers for different countries:
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112 for all EU countries
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911 for the USA and Canada
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999 for Great Britain
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000 for Australia
Here are some contact details for organizations that work in emergency situations:
The USA:
The EU and the rest of Europe:
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