FAQ: Safety and security with AuPairWorld

At AuPairWorld it's very important to us that our website is always safe for our users. To make sure this is the case, we have developed various review and auditing routines that function automatically and also through manual steps performed by our employees. These include looking critically at the behaviour of our users, checking profiles and in some cases asking for proof of identity. You can find out about everything that AuPairWorld does for security in detail on our security pages.

Our members of staff continually check profile data in terms of completeness and plausibility. Furthermore, we ensure that every user holds only one active profile and respects the basic idea of au pairing. In some cases, we may ask for proofs of identity. Profiles which do not correspond to the basic idea of au pairing or do not meet our plausability criteria are refused. Profiles which have been inactive for a certain period of time are automatically deleted.

By entering into direct contact (for example by phone, Skype, etc.), au pairs and host families can find out if they get along well with each other and if they meet mutual expectations. Users specify and agree upon all conditions of the au pair placement by their own initiative and together with their matching host family or au pair.

AuPairWorld offers a great deal of useful information on the website on how to plan and manage an au pair stay. Thus, our users can download a model au pair contract from our site, for instance. The AuPairWorld Team is also always gladly at your disposal to offer live support, should you have any questions or should you be facing difficulties.

Over the years, AuPairWorld has continually been developing security measures to ensure the quality and reliability of the profiles and data provided on our website. Checking profiles is one of aspect of this, and contrary to what you might think, many of these checks are done automatically by our systems. However, the biggest part is done manually by the AuPairWorld Team. Here you can read more about AuPairWorld's security measures.

As an au pair or as a host family you can also take simple and easy steps to verify whether your contacts on the website are genuine or not.

If you have any doubts about an au pair or a host family, stop the contact at once and then inform us. We will be glad to look into the matter for you and take further steps if necessary.

Searching for an au pair or a host family is a very personal undertaking. For this reason, it is a top priority for us at AuPairWorld to provide all of our users with an appropriate level of privacy. You don't need to have any worries about your profile information being findable through a general internet search or presented, for example, in Google search results. This information is secured within the AuPairWorld environment. Your contact data will never be shown to other users at AuPairWorld nor will this data be given to third parties*.  It is always your decision when and with whom you choose to exchange contact data via the AuPairWorld messaging system.

Viewing of the full names of users in profiles is also limited. Only logged-in AuPairWorld au pairs can see the full names of host families. And only logged in host families with a Premium Membership can see the full names of au pairs. All other users of the website only see abbreviated versions of names in profiles. The same restrictions apply for any references and videos that are part of user profiles.

Photos and texts can thus be uploaded into your profile without privacy concerns. Only the first profile photo is viewable for all users. All the other photos in the profile can only be seen by logged-in users. Similarly, only the first few lines of the first profile text is viewable by all users. The complete first text as well as the other two texts will only seen by other logged-in users. We recommend, of course, that you take advantage of the full resources of your profile and complete all three texts and present your wishes as an au pair or family by sharing photos and other information. An incomplete profile is simply not very attractive for other logged-in users. And you can be sure that this information will only be seen by other logged-in AuPairWorld users looking for a matching aupair or family.

*Exceptions specified in AuPairWorld's Privacy Policy

Even though we have survived the pandemic, there are still some precautions that should be taken before an au pair stay in order to have the best possible experience with au pairing and to make it easier for you to deal with possible corona symptoms. We have summarised some of our tips:

Communicate different points of view

• Before the start of the stay, rules on masks, visitors, activities, social distancing, travel plans and other topics should be openly communicated and agreed upon.
• The host family should inform the au pair about local rules.
• Regular communication and open exchange promote trust between the parties. 
• Different families and au pairs have different ideas about how much risk is acceptable and how risks should be managed. Different risk tolerances should be discussed in advance to avoid possible disagreements.

Discuss certain safety arrangements

• Questions about mask rules and testing criteria in case of symptoms are important.
• Both should get tested before the start of the stay to ensure a safe start.
• A clear plan should be developed for information sharing and possible testing in case someone in the family shows symptoms.
• Information about vaccinations should be shared in advance and whether the vaccination status is okay for both parties.

In addition, we recommend that you inform yourselves in advance about any travel restrictions.