We also signed up for APIA and CC. We ended up finding a match with APIA, but I would have been happy to have gone with CC too. We like our LCC so we will probably stick with APIA, but I did like the ease of matching with CC much more, esp now that we are experienced with matching and know more about what we want in an AP. Definitely worth it to shop around, and the more experience you get, the quicker you can fly through applications rather than wasting time reading/sorting through ones that aren't going to pan out for you anyway.

We signed up with APIA and CC, interviewed tons of girls from APIA and never found one we fit with. CC matches you one-on-one and that process worked better for us. Found an au pair almost immediately and we adore her. I'm glad we signed up with both or I would have missed her. Definitely sign up wherever you can free, check out the different websites and matching processes, speak with the LCCs from all the agencies and then pick the one you like best. There's no reason to limit yourself.

I signe up with both APC and APIA. Most agencies will give you a 'free' sign up (waive the fees). I did it to see as many different APs as possible as well as compare what each brought to the table. I was also considering a male AP and APIA does not have them.

Many APs sign up at different agencies and you can sometimes see more of a picture of them in their different applications.

Honestly I liked the APC web app better than APIA's but I ultimately went with a girl from APIA...

Shop around. Since its 'free'...why not?

Got this advice from someone, but it seems like trying to sort through all the candidates in just one agency is a full-time job. If anyone has done this to search for an au pair, I would be interested to hear why and how it worked out. Thanks!