Au Pair in America Reviews 

Sono di Napoli, mi ha seguito fin dall’inizio dell’application, Mara, disponibile, paziente e super immediata nelle risposte. Sono entrata ora online nella piattaforma, per il momento davvero tutto così professionale, mi spetta solo trovare famiglia e iniziare questa avventura! Grazie APIA ❤️

I was supported by Mara Ambruoso throughout my Au Pair application process, and I couldn’t have asked for a better tutor. She was always very helpful and supportive, not only by providing emotional support and encouragement, but also by helping me complete the application forms and answering all my questions and concerns. She was always available, patient, and understanding, which made the whole process much easier and more enjoyable. I had a wonderful experience with her and would absolutely recommend her to anyone starting their Au Pair journey!

I was assisted by Mara during the whole process, she helped me a lot and answered all my questions very quickly.
I’m very satisfied with her work.

I made real friends, I got to see so many new places and meet so many new people, experience different cultures and hear different accents (I LOVE ACCENTS). It was a year that will stay in my heart forever!

My experience with Au Pair in America has been very positive overall. From the beginning, I felt supported throughout the process, and the staff were helpful and responsive whenever I had questions or needed assistance.

Being an au pair in the United States has been an amazing opportunity to experience a new culture, improve my English, meet people from all over the world, and travel. I also really appreciated having a Community Counselor who was available to support me during my program.

There were, of course, some challenges along the way, but overall I am very happy with my experience and grateful for the opportunities this program has given me. I would recommend Au Pair in America to anyone who is considering becoming an au pair in the United States.

i’ve been through 2 rematches, I’ve traveled a lot, and i’ve been growing a lot through all this process!
It’s definitely not a program for the weak, it’s about being brave and not giving up! but the program has definitely made me STROONGER and i’m really happy and proud about that

The worst experience I've ever had. I stayed with the Colombo family in Washington, and what I experienced there was nothing short of inhumane. The host mother was extremely aggressive and blamed me for everything, constantly yelling at me, and demonstrably bullying and insulting me. The host father was an arrogant guy who burped and farted during meals and just stood there watching everyone else eat. The dog was beaten, and the older child was extremely aggressive and even pushed the mother. The excuse was always that they had ADHD. The au pair before me demonstrably fled late at night because the host mother had a meltdown, and nobody cared. I would recommend that this agency thoroughly vet their host families... Simply awful.

Finally, after everything I've had to go through, my host mother demonstrably made an Instagram highlight (everything was screenshotted) where she described how awful I am, put me down again because of my hair loss, for which I was constantly bullied, and made me feel terrible through and through

Amazing experience thanks to Apia, support throughout from start to finish

I am in Atlanta, GA, and have had a wonderful experience with Au Pair in America! They follow the rules and care about BOTH their host families and au pairs. There are five local staff people, all of whom have large clusters (au pair groups). It is a very popular company here.

I was assisted by Mara, who was very kind and always available to help me.

I was followed by Mara during the application and I found myself really well, she is super helpful and ready to solve any doubts

Ad agosto finalmente partirò per la prima volta come Au Pair in America e l’emozione è tanta. Tutto questo grazie all’agenzia Au Pair in America, con cui ho fatto due incontri dal vivo e uno online, con la mitica Silvia Lo Vetere che è sempre stata disponibile ad accogliermi e seguirmi all’inizio di questo percorso. Poi sono stata data nelle mani di Gaia Martina, come mia interviewer, per cui un grazie non sarà mai abbastanza. Disponibile sempre, anche in orari inverosimili (anche alle 22 di sera sempre disponibile) o comunque sempre pronta a risponderti anche nei weekend e in giornate di festa come per Pasqua! Avere una persona così al proprio fianco rende il percorso migliore! Grazie Gaia!

Bitte überlegt euch diesen Schritt gut! Ich spreche hier aus meiner eigenen, persönlichen Erfahrung vor Ort!

​Die vielen positiven Bewertungen im Internet spiegeln meiner Ansicht nach nicht das vollständige Bild wider.
Ich habe den Eindruck, dass viele Au-Pairs mit negativen Erlebnissen am Ende einfach nur schweigen, um mit der traumatischen Zeit abzuschließen und nicht mehr damit konfrontiert werden.

Nach allem, was ich selbst erlebt und bei anderen Au-Pairs in meinem direkten Umfeld mitbekommen habe, schätze ich den Anteil an sehr schlechten Erfahrungen als extrem hoch ein.
Viele der Au-Pairs, die ich kennengelernt habe, befanden sich in meinen Augen in sehr schwierigen Umständen und berichteten von einem aus meiner Sicht unzumutbaren Umgang durch ihre Gastfamilien.

​Ich persönlich habe die Betreuung und Unterstützung durch die Agentur als unzureichend empfunden und hatte zudem mit einer sehr problematischen Gastfamilie zu tun. Ich war in einem der New England Staaten und diese Erfahrung hat mich derart geprägt, dass ich Au-Pair-Programme inzwischen grundsätzlich ablehne.

​Man läuft meiner Erfahrung nach große Gefahr, als billige Arbeitskraft ausgenutzt zu werden. Ich fühlte mich wie in einer 24/7-Schleife ohne echte Freizeit, da unbezahlte Mehrarbeit von mir verlangt wurde. Aus meiner Sicht wurde das von der Agentur mit dem Argument toleriert, man wohne ja im selben Haus und könne die Kinder nach Feierabend nicht einfach ignorieren. Ich stand durch diesen ständigen Druck und die immer weiter steigenden Forderungen der Gastfamilie kurz vor einem Burnout. Zudem wurden mir Aufgaben übertragen, die ich rechtlich so gar nicht hätte machen müssen.
​Dabei halte ich mich für eine sehr freundliche und zuverlässige Person. Ich habe die Arbeit mit meinen Gastkindern geliebt und kam super mit ihnen aus. Die erste Zeit schien auch alles perfekt, die Gastfamilie gab sich als sehr nett (eine Oberflächlichkeit, die sich nach meiner Erfahrung bei vielen Familien nach kurzer Zeit abrupt ändert).

​Als ich das Programm abbrach, habe ich die Agentur wegen des aus meiner Sicht untragbaren Verhaltens der Gastmutter kontaktiert. Aus rechtlichen Gründen nenne ich hier nur einige Beispiele, wie mit mir umgegangen wurde: Es gab ständige Kontrollen und Kommentare zu meinem Essverhalten, ich wurde angeschrien und sogar in meiner Freizeit extrem kontrolliert und zur Arbeit herangezogen.
Obwohl mehrere andere Au-Pairs meine Schilderungen durch ihre eigenen Erfahrungen mit dieser Familie bestätigten und wir demnach aus unserer Sicht klare Belege und Fotos eingereicht haben, hatte ich den Eindruck, dass vonseiten der Agentur überhaupt nichts unternommen wurde. Die Familie blieb im Programm. Für mich fühlte es sich so an, als ob hier kein Einzelfall vorliegt und die wirtschaftlichen Interessen der Agentur über dem Wohl der Au-Pairs stehen.

​Von den über 19 Au-Pairs, die ich dort persönlich kennengelernt habe, sind meines Wissens nach lediglich 4 bei ihrer ersten Gastfamilie geblieben. Alle anderen haben das Programm vorzeitig abgebrochen, wechselten oft mehrfach die Gastfamilie (Rematch) oder haben psychisch extrem unter der Situation gelitten.

​Ich habe sehr lange gebraucht, um diesen extremen Stress und den emotionalen Ausnahmezustand psychisch zu verarbeiten. Lasst euch nicht von den polierten Social-Media-Kanälen blenden. Meiner Meinung nach werden dort nur absolut positive Einzelfälle zu Marketingzwecken inszeniert.

​Als Beleg dafür, dass diese Probleme systemischer Natur sind, kann man auch die internationale Debatte verfolgen: Norwegen hat beispielsweise die Vergabe von Au-Pair-Visa eingestellt, da die Bedingungen in solchen Programmen dort als unzumutbar eingestuft wurden.

Meiner eigenen Erfahrung nach werden diese Programme leider viel zu oft als Markt für billige Arbeitskräfte genutzt, bei dem die offiziellen Rechte der Au-Pairs in der Realität kaum Schutz bieten und Verstöße von den Agenturen gefühlt nicht geahndet werden.

Being an au pair in America 12 years ago was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in a new culture, improve my English, and grow both personally and professionally.

What makes this experience truly special is that, even after 12 years, I am still in contact with my host family and with the amazing friends I met during my stay. They have become an important part of my life, and many of those relationships feel like family rather than friendships.

Living with an American family allowed me to experience everyday life in the United States in a way that no vacation ever could. I created unforgettable memories, traveled, gained confidence, and developed skills that continue to benefit me today.

I highly recommend the au pair experience with AU PAIR IN AMERICA, I am very grateful for the support and professionalism of the agency, which helped make this experience so positive and memorable. I would highly recommend the au pair program to anyone looking for a life-changing cultural exchange experience.

My tutor, Mara, always followed and helped me during all the steps of this journey and was always super helpful in answering all my doubts. During the interview she made me feel comfortable and answered all my questions and also gave me some very useful advice.

Unsere Tochter war mit Au pair in America in der Nähe von Pittsburgh. Ihre LCC Debra Mendelson hat sich nicht um sie gekümmert. Unsere Tochter hat sich mehrere Male vertrauensvoll an Debra gewendet und um Hilfe und Unterstützung gebeten. Debra hat immer nur geantwortet, dass sie sich nicht einmischen kann, hat aber hinter dem Rücken des Au pairs die Nachrichten direkt an die Gastfamilie weitergeleitet und komplett gegen die Schweigepflicht verstoßen. Debra war ausschließlich auf der Seite der Gastfamilie. Das Wohlbefinden der Au pairs ist Debra nicht wichtig. Debra ist korrupt. Wir hoffen, dass Debra nicht weiter für Au pair in America arbeiten darf. Wenn Sie erfahren, dass Ihre Tochter oder Ihr Sohn im Pittsburgh-Cluster von Debra ist, dann können wir nur davon abraten.

I would like to thank Mara for her outstanding guidance throughout this journey. She has been incredibly attentive and detail-oriented, always ready to address every question with clarity and patience. Her dedication in carefully managing and improving our profile made a real difference, and her support turned the entire experience into something smooth, simple, and genuinely enjoyable. I truly appreciate her professionalism, commitment, and the positive energy she brought every step of the way.

I reached out to my LCC Debra in Pittsburgh multiple times because I was not happy, but Debra was not willing to help me. She passed on the messages I had sent her in confidence to the host family behind my back. She breached confidentiality and was not impartial. Plus she was corrupt and protected the host family ( infact, they even told me). Until the very end she showed me, that she didnt really have an interest in mediating between the aupair and the host family. If Debra would have done her job, im sure my experience would have been different. So if you pick apia, make sure you dont end up in this cluster in Pittsburgh, zero stars for Debra.

I was assisted by Mara; during the interview, she made me feel comfortable and explained everything clearly, always giving the right recommendations. I am very happy.

I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Au Pair program and for the chance to experience life in another country. Working with children has been the most rewarding part of this journey for me, and it has reinforced how much I truly enjoy spending time with them.
However, my experience has also had challenges. During my time in the program I went through two rematches and lived with three different families. These situations were not easy, but they taught me a lot about adaptation, communication, and knowing my own values and boundaries.
I believe the program could continue improving the screening and preparation process for host families and Au Pairs, so that expectations are clearer and both sides can truly experience the cultural exchange the program promotes.
I would also like to highlight that my current LCC has been an incredible support. She has truly made me feel heard and supported during difficult moments. Her guidance and kindness played a big role in my decision to stay and finish the program, and I will always appreciate that.
One thing that was disappointing for me was not being allowed to change my program status to IQ after arriving in the United States. I understand there are policies, but this decision limited some opportunities for me. If I had known this earlier, I might have considered making that change before coming to the U.S.
Despite the difficulties, I appreciate the lessons I have learned and the people I have met along the way. I will continue doing my best to complete my program in a positive and professional way. Thank you for the opportunity and for the experiences that have helped me grow.