Help with searching and finding

At AuPairWorld, au pairs and host families search on their own initiative for a matching au pair or host family that fits their wishes. For this purpose, you can register free of charge and create an individual profile. In the profile, you specify certain search criteria, for instance as an au pair, your preferred host country, your country of residence or the languages that you speak. On the basis of these search criteria, the AuPairWorld search management tool EasyFind automatically displays matching profiles. In addition, AuPairWorld informs all of its users of matching new registrations by sending an email message – the Daily Update – to your designated email address.

As soon as you have found an au pair or host family profile that interests you, you can get in touch with the other AuPairWorld user. To do this, you can start by sending a "hello" greeting to this user, expressing your interest. If the involved host family has a Premium Membership, the family and au pair can also immediately start exchanging messages.

In addition to these tools for finding a matching au pair or host family, AuPairWorld also provides its users with all kinds of useful information and tips concerning the ins and outs of the au pair stay – from legal regulations and requirements for au pairing in different countries, to suggestions for the successful management of au pair contracts, to ideas on how to choose the best au pair or host family. The AuPairWorld Support Team also gladly answers any further questions you may have by phone and email.

We only show profiles of au pairs and host families who have been active on the platform during the previous 14 days. In addition, only profiles that have a current or future start date for the au pair stay are shown. Profiles of au pairs or host families who have successfully completed their searches are typically deactivated by the au pairs or host families themselves or by the AuPairWorld team.

Should you notice that an au pair of host family in your search results is, in fact, not actively searching, please contact us. We appreciate our users' support in helping make AuPairWorld the most trusted online au pair agency.

In your EasyFind, you have the possibility of sorting your search results according to date of registration or last login. In the open search available under "Find an au pair" and "Find a family ", profiles are displayed according to last login. This way, every au pair or host familiy has the chance to be at the top of the list if they regularly log in.

You need to be aware that the search results that you get in the general search function (Find an au pair, Find a host family) gives a general overview of au pairs and host families registered on AuPairWorld. These profiles do not necessarily fit to your detailed search criteria and preferences.

To receive more exact search results, you should use the EasyFind search tool available for all registered users. With this tool, our system selects the profiles that agree most closely to your personal search criteria and preferences specified in your profile. Searching with EasyFind is therefore the simplest way for you to find an au pair or host family that really fits for you.

As in many areas of life, no two experiences are the same when it comes to the search for an au pair or a host family. Sometimes users find their matches very quickly, and sometimes it simply takes a little longer until one is able to select the right candidate. The search process typically takes between 1-3 months. Factors that can influence the length of the search include how much experience one already has using the search tools, in which country and in which city one lives as a host family, where one wants to go as an au pair, and how actively one pursues the search.  

Sometimes one finds an au pair or host family very quickly and sometimes it takes longer. A look at our statistics shows that most host families register at AuPairWorld between 1-4 months prior to the desired start date of the au pair stay.  As an au pair, you should not only orient yourself on the basis of your own wishes for a particular start date but also adjust to the needs of your host family. If you begin the process six months prior to the desired start date, you have the best chances of finding a suitable host family or au pair.

To ensure that your au pair stay will be a positive and memorable experience, it is important that you feel comfortable with your host family. Our tips will help you find the right family:

• It is important that you get to know a potential host family as well as possible in advance. That means: Ask the family everything that you would like to know. Talk with them about all the important points that are relevant for your stay. Find out if they have the same expectations for the stay as you do. Our list of questions will help with this.
• Have you gotten to know all of the family members? Ask the family how they like to spend their free time, what hobbies they have and what the interests of their children are. If the children are old enough, you can also perhaps talk with them on the telephone or with Skype.
• If your planned host country is not so far from where you live, you could also consider going to visit your planned host family in advance. That way you can see how the family lives and what it's like in their regular surroundings. By getting to know each other personally, you will find out more easily if you get along well with each other and if you are a good match.
• You can also ask your family and friends for their opinion. They know you best and should be able to help you make the right choice.

With these tips you should be able to feel comfortable about choosing your host family. Naturally, you can never be completely certain in advance that everything will work out the way you expect. However, if necessary, you can always change families and then have a great stay with a different host family.

Video with tips on how to find the right host family for you

Of course it is annoying when you send a message to an au pair and do not receive a response back from them. In such cases, we suggest that you write once more in a friendly way to remind the au pair about your pending message and set a deadline of two or thee days for hearing back from them. If the au pair does not answer within the deadline that you have proposed, then you should view this in effect as a negative response from this au pair and move on with your search.

In such a case, it is likely that the au pair has made other plans (with another host family or for some other educational option) and is no longer searching actively on our platform.

When such an au pair has not logged onto the AuPairWorld system for two weeks, their profile will automatically stop being shown to searching host families. This means that even if they have neglected to inform you and other host family contacts that they are unfortunately not available, they will stop being listed in the current search results.

It is not uncommon for families to contact 30 or 40 candidates before they find the one who is right for them. Do not get discouraged or place all of your hopes on a single candidate and before long you will find your match.

If you receive very few messages or replies from English-speaking au pairs, this may be because you are only searching for British, Irish or American au pairs. These native speakers of English can be in high demand, but they are not the only au pairs who often speak very good English. Au pairs from other countries in both Western and Eastern Europe often also have excellent English skills. Consider including countries like Ukraine, Poland, Roumania or the Nordic countries in your search criteria.

In any case, remember that the level of English isn't the only important factor in choosing an au pair. Having skills in your children's native language (if it's not English) is also important, as well as general questions of compatibility with your family.

Be sure to check out our 7 tips for success in your au pair search for further ideas about finding the right au pair for your family.