How can I find an IAPA member au pair agency?

Use the member search on iapa.org. It is the official directory of the International Au Pair Association (IAPA), the global trade association for organisations working in au pair and cultural exchange programmes. IAPA has about 140 member organisations active in more than 40 countries, so the search is the starting point for both au pairs and host families who want to work with an agency that has committed to IAPA's quality standards.

Who the search is for

IAPA's own site splits the "Get Connected" section into three audiences:

• For Au Pairs – find a member agency
• For Host Families – find a member agency
• For Agencies – become an IAPA member

If you are an au pair or a host family, you use the same member search; the difference is what you do with the results. An au pair is checking whether an agency is legitimate before signing up or paying anything. A host family is checking whether an agency is accountable before it places someone in their home.

Step-by-step: using the IAPA member search

1. Go to iapa.org.
2. Open the member search (linked from the "Get Connected" area and from the "Thinking about becoming an Au Pair?" section, which offers "Find out which Agencies are Members of IAPA").
3. Look up agencies by country or region.
4. Check the agency's membership status and type — the site distinguishes full voting members from affiliate members (for example, recent news welcomes "Affiliate Member" organisations from Namibia and Ecuador, and a full voting member from Australia).
5. Contact the agency directly through the details in the directory and confirm the specific programme, country and dates you need.

Expected result: a shortlist of agencies that are IAPA members in your target country, which you can then compare on programme details, fees and contract terms.

What IAPA membership actually tells you

Membership is a signal, not a guarantee. According to IAPA, members benefit from being "recognised as a quality agency," and IAPA's work includes Quality Standards, cooperation, information and education, policy work and research. That means a member agency has agreed to operate within an industry framework rather than as an unaffiliated intermediary.

What it does not tell you on its own:

• The exact fee an agency charges you
• Whether a specific placement will be approved by a government (visa and permit decisions sit with national authorities, not IAPA)
• Whether the agency is a good personal fit for your family or your preferences

Treat membership as a filter that removes the least accountable options, then verify the rest yourself.

Why this matters: the alternative is unregulated middlemen

IAPA's news section shows how much of the au pair process depends on government decisions rather than agencies. Recent headlines include "No Visas, No Answers: Australia's Working Holiday Visa Delays Leave Au Pairs and Families in Limbo" and "Philippines Suspends Au Pair Approvals for the Netherlands." An agency cannot override a suspended approval or a visa delay. What a member agency can do is tell you accurately what is happening, because it is plugged into IAPA's industry information and policy work.

If you choose an agency with no association membership and no verifiable track record, you carry that risk alone.

Practical checks before you commit

• Confirm the country you actually want. A member agency in one country may not place au pairs in another. Search by destination, not just by agency name.
• Ask what happens if the visa or permit is refused. Given the delays and suspensions reported by IAPA, get this in writing.
• Ask who your in-country contact is once you arrive, and what support exists during the placement.
• Compare more than one member agency in the same country. Membership sets a floor, not a ranking.
• For host families: ask how the agency screens au pairs and what it does if the placement breaks down early.

Quick reference

Start with the member search, shortlist two or three agencies in your target country, and put your visa, fee and support questions to each of them before you sign anything.