AuPairCare

AuPairCare failed us when the placement began to unravel

Our family’s experience with AuPairCare was deeply disappointing and ultimately left us feeling unsupported, misled, and frustrated. We entered the program with high hopes. As a family with two young children, we believed an au pair would provide a cultural exchange opportunity while also helping with childcare. We selected an au pair through AuPairCare after reviewing her profile, conducting interviews, and relying on the agency’s representations regarding screening, preparation, and support. Unfortunately, the reality was very different. Within a short period after arriving, our au pair began expressing dissatisfaction with many aspects of the placement. Concerns ranged from our location and lifestyle to expectations that had been clearly discussed before matching. We made repeated efforts to accommodate her concerns, improve communication, and create a positive environment. Despite these efforts, the relationship continued to deteriorate. The most troubling aspect of the experience was not simply that the match failed. We understand that not every placement is successful. The greater concern was what we perceived as inadequate vetting and insufficient support from AuPairCare throughout the process. Several issues became apparent: • We questioned whether the agency had adequately evaluated the au pair’s readiness for the realities of living with and working for a host family. • Information disclosed after the placement raised concerns about whether important warning signs may have been missed during screening. • When significant problems emerged, we felt the agency’s support was reactive rather than proactive. • Communication often seemed focused on managing the situation rather than resolving the underlying issues. • As host parents, we frequently felt that our concerns were minimized while we continued to meet our obligations under the program. The situation ultimately ended with the au pair leaving our family. This created significant disruption for our children, emotional stress for our family, and additional childcare costs and logistical challenges. Our purpose in sharing this experience is not to criticize one individual. Rather, it is to highlight concerns about the level of vetting, preparation, accountability, and host-family support provided by AuPairCare. Families considering an au pair program should ask detailed questions about: How candidates are screened and evaluated. What information is verified independently. How prior concerns or warning signs are documented. What support is provided when a placement begins to fail. How host-family concerns are investigated and addressed. Every family’s experience will be different. However, based on our experience, we would not choose AuPairCare again and would encourage prospective host families to carefully evaluate alternative agencies before making a decision. We hope that by sharing our story, other families can make a more informed decision and avoid the difficulties our family experienced.

I feel very comfortable with my host…

I feel very comfortable with my host family. The routine is becoming more familiar, and we are all getting used to being a team. Living together is improving little by little. I am also improving my English step by step, and I appreciate everyone's patience with me throughout the process.

Unresponsive

I reached out several times to try to learn more about the program and never heard back from anyone. I scheduled an informational call, received a confirmation and cal appt and then no one ever called me. I haven’t been able to reach them to give them business so I can only imagine how challenging it would be to communicate with this company through the au pair process.

I am absolutely delighted

I am absolutely delighted with my experience; I feel very comfortable with my host family, and I’m already starting to feel like part of the family and building bonds with my host kids.

My experience as an au pair has been…

My experience as an au pair has been very enriching and life-changing. I am learning how to take care of children with more responsibility, patience, and care, while also becoming more independent and improving my English through cultural immersion. I am also building special bonds with my host family and living moments that are contributing a lot to my personal and professional growth.

Great relationship with my host family

I have been to so many places with my host family. Most of the times we saw their friends or relatives and I could talk with them too! That’s a good way to know people and culture here!

Great experience and excellent service

I had a really positive experience with this company. The staff was always friendly, professional, and helpful whenever I had questions. Everything was well organized, and the service met my expectations. I especially appreciated how smooth and stress-free the whole process was. I would definitely recommend them to other people looking for a reliable company.

My experience as an Au Pair is being… AMAZING

My experience as an Au Pair is being amazing. I feel very comfortable with my host family and they make me feel at home. We have very good communication and I always feel supported and respected. One of the best parts of this experience has been the opportunity to travel, improve my English, learn about a new culture, meet new friends, and become more independent. I also really enjoy spending time with the kids and being part of their daily lives. At the moment, I haven’t needed extra support from the company, but everything has been going very smoothly. Overall, I am very happy with my experience and grateful for everything I am learning and experiencing.

Emotional abuse

I was expelled based on indirect accusations about my intentions. The LCC was condescending from the start. Many au pairs in the area had already warned me about her, and even the host mom I was in rematch with said she gave off a bad vibe. When the LCC found out I had been in the program for 5 months without starting any credit courses while I was in rematch, she used it as an opportunity to put me down. She told me my English was poor, that I didn’t know how to write, and that she doubted I could start and finish a course on time. She was also visibly surprised that I had chosen a French course - which I was paying for myself - instead of an English one, and kept making comments undermining my English, a language I’ve spoken since I was 9 and one of the 4 languages I’m fluent in. The host family placed me in a neighborhood that a local friend who helped me and drove me there described as unsafe. The place also smelled strongly of food, and my friend wouldn’t let me stay there. I ended up at their house for a few weeks and didn’t tell anyone at the agency - by that point, I didn’t trust a single person there. Three days into my rematch, I found out that the person responsible for deciding whether I could stay in the program was a close friend of the LCC who had treated me so poorly. I knew then that I was going to be expelled, and I was. I’m not perfect, and I made mistakes, especially early on when I was naive and inexperienced. But the host family also failed to follow the agency’s own rules, and instead of holding them accountable, the agency blamed everything on me claiming I had requested too many rematches, when I had only asked twice and indirectly accusing me. We pay a significant amount of money to come to the U.S. trusting this agency, and once we arrive, they do whatever they want. Au pairs are treated as disposable. Au Pair Care does not protect au pairs. I returned home having to start therapy, convinced I was a terrible person. My friend suggested I sue, and I even contacted the government, but I was so exhausted that I just wanted to go home. They even tried to sabotage me when they knew I was going back with another agency. I thought I could/would never be an au pair again after that and was an experience that I wanted to have, but nine months later, after healing, I’m back in the U.S. as an au pair with a different agency and I found an amazing host family that gives me stability, safe environment and treats me like a human. However, I will never forget how I was treated.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ I felt emotionally abused and assaulted.

Area director Long Island

My area director Catherine Galli has been extremely helpful, always responds and willing to help in any situation good or bad. I have been a host mom for 6 years and lean on the agency for help in any situation and she’s always available, thank you.

It has been a great experience

It has been a great experience, it is a great family and the area manager is very aware of us and is looking for activities so that we all integrate

location

location, in general my host family.

Kansas City

Everything is just really good, the city, my area director and in general the people here.

My host mom Carolina

I love the different cultures

At every moment

At every moment, you feel supported; they explain everything about the program very clearly and are attentive to any problems or concerns that may arise.

I am currently finishing my second year…

I am currently finishing my second year in the au pair program, and overall I’ve had a positive experience with the agency. They have been supportive and helpful whenever I needed assistance. I would especially like to thank my area director, Wendie Karel, for her support and availability. She has been understanding and helpful during the times I needed guidance, and I truly appreciate her help. Overall, I’m grateful for my experience with the agency.

My experience with my new host family…

My experience with my new host family it´s super, i have a really good LCC, I have many oportunities for to know more about this culture. Austin-Texas

Rina is really nice and helpful!

Unprofessional and non supportive staff

Au pair care does not care about their clients, they do not support their clients at all. Staff are highly unprofessional and lack communication skills. They are untrained on resolving conflicts. They will take your money to secure the match and when it does not work out they hit you with all these non refundable fees and offer to refund less than 50% of your money back. if you are reading reviews about this company you are better off using a different au pair company because when things go wrong you will lose your money and not find anyone that is willing to help or resolve the issue. Do yourself a favor and don't use Aupair care

Good

Everything is good