Go Au Pair's History
Designated in 1989, Go Au Pair is one of the original six sponsoring agencies authorized to execute the Au Pair Program. Starting out as a nanny business, Go Au Pair has been childcare focused since the beginning and continues fulltime focus on childcare by exclusively offering the Au Pair category BridgeUSA program. Over the last 30+ years we have helped tens of thousands of Au Pairs and Families with successful exchange experiences. We are a solid medium-sized agency in terms of volume and our headquarters office remains in its original location in beautiful Salt Lake City, UT.
We offer the standard Au Pair Program as originally defined by the State Department. We also offer the EduCare Au Pair option (established in 2001 by the State Department) and the Au Pair Again option (“repeat participation” established in 2008). Although no longer available, Go Au Pair participated in the Summer Au Pair Pilot Program during its brief run from 2005 through 2008.
We currently recruit Au Pairs from over 37 countries. More than half of our international partners have worked with us for 10+ years recruiting, screening and preparing Au Pairs for their time in America. Go Au Pair was the first agency to welcome an Au Pair from China, Hongbin Yu, as featured in this article from the New York Times. We have remained successful with Chinese Au Pairs ever since. Our most popular countries for Au Pairs over the last decade include China, South Africa, Mexico, Germany, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Ukraine and El Salvador.
Go Au Pair has attempted Au Pair programs from numerous countries which unfortunately were shut down due to poor trends on Au Pairs returning home. We once worked with Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, Georgia, India, Kenya, Albania, Armenia, and Cameroon but program participation was effectively suspended through consistent visa denials.
Go Au Pair currently services over 55 cities across the US in over 25 states. Over half our Local Area Representatives have 4+ years of experience.
We have been members of the International Au Pair Association since 2000 and were the proud winners of their first ever Au Pair of the Year Award in 2004 with our Au Pair, Lenuta Tedora, from Romania. Go Au Pair won a second time the following year in 2005 with our Au Pair, Mariela Poveda, from Ecuador. In 2022, we won a third time with our Au Pair, Alisson, from Ecuador. Go Au Pair has been members of the Alliance for International Exchange since 2006.
Over the years, we have witnessed incredible moments of strength, compassion and fun. Our Families and Au Pairs have overcome natural disasters, national disasters, global disasters, personal disasters and the small day-to-day disasters by trusting and relying on each other like family. Go Au Pair is proud to support their stories.
Go Au Pair strives to promote meaningful global family relationships, inspire personal enrichment and fun.
Our Host Families and Au Pairs become lifelong friends. Our Au Pairs appreciate thoughtfulness and support from their Host Parents and thrive off the sibling-like love they receive from the Host Children. Our Host Parents are delighted to partner with the Au Pair in caring for the kids and are pleased to have another role model in the home. Our Host Kids are thrilled to spend time with their “big brother” or “big sister” and excel in the nurturing environment the Au Pair creates.
Our Host Families and Au Pairs inspire each other. Host Parents describe their Au Pair as “a breath of fresh air” and relish in the open mindedness, enthusiasm and zest for life their Au Pair introduces. Host Kids learn foreign languages, games, songs, holidays and food from their Au Pair. Our Au Pairs improve their English, experience American culture, actively participate in daily family life, and learn more about themselves than they ever expected.
Our Host Families and Au Pairs have so much fun! Exploring new neighborhood places, trying new foods, singing and dancing, movie nights, pizza nights, family vacations, birthdays, holidays, adventures, dinner time, playing games, inside jokes, wrestling, baseball, soccer, swimming, meeting extended family, laughing, telling stories, even homework and housework are fun with the Au Pair Program.
Through the Au Pair Program, Go Au Pair fosters wildly successful cultural child care experiences.
Every day, the Go Au Pair Community embodies the spirit of the Au Pair Program. For us, this means committing to success, celebrating family love, seeking cultural experiences, cherishing personal growth, having fun, and trusting in our team.
What we're all about
The Go Au Pair Community is dedicated to success.
Families choose Go Au Pair because they are committed to their children’s success and to their own success as parents. They want the success of a family-like love provided to nurture their kids. Our Host Parents are dedicated to their role as parents, seeking the in-home assistance they need to be less stressed, better organized and to have more fun. Our Au Pairs commit to leave their family, friends and home, to travel halfway around the world, to live with people for a year they have met only through a webcam. They commit themselves to new language, new food, new surroundings, new experiences, new challenges, and a whole new level of awesomeness. The rest of the Go Au Pair Community, our representatives around the world and around the U.S. and our staff at Headquarters, are dedicated to the success of our Families and Au Pairs helping them to achieve their goals.
The Au Pair Program is built on family.
Family is the basic unit of our culture and during their time in the U.S. Au Pairs see first-hand the values we teach to our children, the values most important to Host Parents and experience the love of their “second family” or “American family”. An Au Pair becomes a member of the family as Host Parents and Children open their home, their community and their hearts in welcome. In return, Host Families discover the capacity to grow their family love beyond anything traditional child care offers. Go Au Pair’s headquarters staff and representatives work like a family and we are grateful for the opportunity to share our company’s family values with our participants.
The Go Au Pair Community is curious about culture.
Our participants and our company are excited for the opportunity to learn about each other! We choose to go beyond stereotypes, to leave our comfort zones, to experience for ourselves first-hand, to examine our own cultures, and to explore with openness the culture of another person. We choose to understand (even if we don’t always agree).We are passionate about “American culture”, showing it, sharing in it, and reshaping it with every Au Pair experience.
The Au Pair Experience is a journey of personal growth.
Go Au Pair is merely here to witness and provide a few pointers along the way. For an Au Pair, this is a profoundly life-changing experience that launches them into the rest of their life. They face challenges, small setbacks and mistakes but through the support of their Host Family and Go Au Pair they find their own strength and courage to overcome obstacles and grow. Through the help of an Au Pair our Host Families are afforded the opportunity to live their best life; conquering parenting, careers, marriages, household tasks, personal interests and fun.
Parents gain confidence with an Au Pair teammate.
When it comes to selecting the perfect childcare solution, Parents often put the benefits to themselves towards the bottom of the list. But with Au Pairs, it’s impossible for Host Parents to not feel better. Host Parents describe the value of having an Au Pair teammate as “eliminating frustration”, “working without guilt” and “bringing in peace”. With an Au Pair in the home, Host Parents achieve goals beyond parenting because they know their children are loved, they can be present with the family, and their Au Pair is reliable no matter what situation life throws at them next.
Have we mentioned yet that Go Au Pair is fun?
Being an Au Pair in America is fun. Meeting people, travel, daily life with your Host Family, local activities, eating, school, it is all fun. Having an Au Pair in your home is fun. New conversations, new traditions, new zest for exploring, new foods, new games, new laughter, it is all fun. All seriousness aside, we value fun and encourage enjoyment and amusement among participants, representatives and employees alike.
But we couldn’t enjoy the fun of the Au Pair Program without also honoring our responsibilities and trusting in the global team work required to make each experience a success. Every member of the Go Au Pair Community has clear responsibilities and Au Pairs, Host Families, International Partners, Local Area Representatives and Headquarters staff are held accountable for their duties and commitments with the program. We pride ourselves on integrity, understanding, ownership, expectations and working together for the spirit of the program.
It starts with your free registration.
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