About – International au pair association

About Us

The International Au Pair Association

We are the leading global trade association representing organisations active in all aspects of au pair and cultural exchange programmes. We are dedicated to supporting au pair and cultural exchange opportunities for young people, protecting the rights of all au pairs and host families and establishing internationally approved guidelines for au pair exchange programmes.

IAPA is a global not-for-profit organisation with almost 30 years of history. We currently have more than 150 member organisations in over 40 countries worldwide. We ensure that our member organisations meet strict business and ethical standards, agreeing to abide by the IAPA code of conduct, signifying competence, fair dealing and high integrity.

History

IAPA was founded in 1994 by leading au pair organisations at the WYSTC (World Youth and Student Travel Conference) in Vancouver, Canada.

Since then the association has grown constantly to about 150 members who benefit from IAPA´s services, networking opportunities, quality standards, lobby activities and overall support.

We were very proud to be able to celebrate our 25th anniversary during our conference WETM-IAC in Luxembourg March 16-18, 2019.

We are a founding member of the World Youth Student and Educational (WYSE) Travel Confederation www.wysetc.org

Objectives

The Aims and Objectives of the Association Are:

We are the dedicated voice for the au pair and cultural exchange community with a mission to support and represent our members, giving au pair programmes a presence on the international stage.

We foster mutual understanding and cooperation between member organisations helping them to provide high quality au pair experiences.

We develop and strengthen cultural ties between nations by promoting au pair programmes among young people and host families, creating opportunities for them to take part in a transformative cultural exchange experience.

We act as an intermediary between agencies and governments, lobbying for the expansion of programs worldwide and their fair treatment as a valuable cultural exchange experience.

We advocate for safe and supportive placements for au pairs and host families by ensuring our members adhere to our specific guidelines/ rules and regulations.

You can download our current constitution

Constitution

Read Our Constitution

Organisation

The General Assembly

We hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) as required by our constitution. During the AGM members may
- Vote for their Executive Board
- Stand for Board positions themselves
- Decide on projects and activities (executed together with the Managing Director)
- Vote on membership applications and disaffiliations

The AGM is an opportunity for our members to directly influence the policies, goals and work of IAPA.
The last in-personAGM took place in Luxembourg on March 17, 2019 during our annual conference WETM-IAC.
In October 2020 and 2021 we held our next AGM virtually. 2022 we plan to be able to offer our members an in-person AGM again in March in Malta during WETM-IAC

Find Out More

Who We Are

Our Executive Board is formed and elected by our members. To be elected for a position on the IAPA Executive Board you must be a Full Member of IAPA (voting or non-voting). Executive Board Members are elected for a period of three years.

Once that period has ended any Board Member is eligible for re-election.

Find out more about the IAPA Board members´ duties and responsibilities and the different roles within the Board.