Protect Yourself from Internet Recruitment Scams

We received this message from Maite, from Spain – who has now found a lovely family through smartaupairs and is preparing for her arrival in June.

QUOTE

Please help me out, I just had a terrible experience with a family I contacted through internet, we weren´t doing the whole thing through an au pair organization but through a travel agency. Things where going great, to good to be true actually, but then when I was needed to pay for the ticket, they gave me a Nigerian address, it sounded pretty wired, though I paid. We still decided to have them check through a friend who lives in London, and she told us that besides everything was beyond wired, that the phone number the family game us was fake and the whole family as well. I'm completely dissapointed, but still I'm not giving up, I want to have this experience in working as an au pair. Is there anyway you can help me??

UNQUOTE

Below a message from IAPA, who work closely with BAPAA to provide a safe network for au pairs to find families:

Protect Yourself

Why you should always use a reputable and established au pair agency. Newspaper, internet advertisements or one of the many web-based matching services may appear to be acceptable and inexpensive alternatives for securing an au pair placement.

There are, however, potential risks in arranging a placement in this manner. 10 potential risks you face when not using a reputable and established au pair agency • high probability of unsuitable au pair or host family candidates • absence of a written contract • little or no experience in the au pair industry • lack of professionalism or financial stability • nonexistent standards or guidelines • insufficient references and /or medical certification • danger of document falsification • no rematch policy (secondary placement) if the initial placement is unsuccessful • no local support during the placement • limited understanding of national au pair regulations

This message was provided by the International Au Pair Association - please take note and tell your friends!