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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Worthwhile reading— https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/03/au-pair-program-abuse-state-department-214956[/quote]

I honestly believe that the au pair experiences as described in the article above are exceptions not the norm. But yeah as a host family, my APs have told me of a couple of awful experiences from their AP friends. I believe that the number of bad families is probably proportional to the number of bad au pairs in the program. Nothing is perfect but I do agree that some agencies could have better support for au pairs who are not treated nicely. Every au pairs I have interviewed wanted to talk to my current au pair, how do these bad families keep getting au au pairs...[/quote]

Some host families will bypass giving the information of APs they know they have abused and give recommendations from the one good AP or baby sitters instead, it's easy for an HF to say they have never had an AP, how is an AP to know?

I have been an AP several times and I have helped one of my host families find someone, I volunteered because this family was abusive and I wanted to warn other APs, they were a family in the Caribbean and I tried to warn other APs but APs heard the word '' Carribean'' and were already sold, they ended up with an AP who fought back against the abuse and the mom would call me to sort it (the AP was from the same country as me), they made adjustments after her and apologized several time to me since, realizing that they had treated me poorly, they have had 2 APs after that, none stayed for more than 3 months though they all had better deals than me and seem to overall have a good experience with the family, they also never asked me or the second AP for recommendation (and they seem too sweet to complain, type of girls).

So honestly, it is easy for an host family to entice an AP, especially if you are in a good location and when you say whatever they want to hear.

Once an AP is there, it's too late, and living where you work makes speaking up so much harder. I would say that some host families are really akin to abusive boyfriends where escaping means being both homeless and pennyless and losing it all.

I think LCCs shouldn't be part of the agencies but should be part of the government. I bet you that some families (and APs) would behave completely differently if the person checking on them was an official entity.

Modern slavery is very much alive and while I have loved being an AP and I don't regret any of my adventures because I wouldn't swap any minute with any of my kiddos, being an AP has shown me both the best and the worst of humanity in many sense of the word and I am not sure I would recommend it to my children (though I would happily have an AP (despite knowing enough bad APs to be warry of having one too.))[/quote]

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