Au pairs who want to go to the USA will need to contact a designated au pair agency. This obligation to apply through a designated agency is regulated by US law. This means that it is compulsory for au pairs who wish to travel to the USA to contact one of the designated au pair agencies in order to legally work in the country.

Why do you still find American host families and au pairs who wish to work in the USA on Aupair World? Well, the same principle applies to the USA as a host country as any other country. That is, au pairs and host families are able to perform their own pre-search on Aupair World: host families and au pairs may select their match according to their individual search criteria (prematching). This is the first step to be taken. Next, once a host family and au pair have contacted and chosen each other, they need to agree upon the designated agency they wish to choose. The agency takes care of the application for the J1 visa that au pairs need for their stay. Au pairs and host families pay for the services provided by these agencies. 

You can find more information on this topic in our section Info host countries and in our interview with Ayusa-Intrax: How to become an au pair in the USA

More information on this topic:

One topic – your questions: Au pair in the USA
Interview: How to become an au pair in the USA
Question of the week: Obligation to apply through an agency for the USA: Why do I still find American families on Aupair World?

Related links:

Information for au pairs and host families – host countries at a glance
Testimonials of au pairs and host families  
Summary of topics: One topic – your questions