Why sponsor the award?
The IAPA “Au Pair of the Year” award is an important way to recognize not only one young person’s achievements as an au pair, but to salute the efforts of all au pairs across the world. This award also gives credibility and positive recognition to the au pair program as a whole through its wide international media coverage.
What is IAPA?
The International Au Pair Association (IAPA), is “the global trade association for qualified au pair agencies and companies, actively engaged in the au pair industry.” There are 159 IAPA members located in 42 countries around the world. Cultural Care Au Pair has been an IAPA member since its inception in 1994 at the WYSTC (World Youth and Student Travel Conference) in Vancouver, Canada.
IAPA's goal is to work with its members to ensure the rights of au pairs and host families and to “establish internationally approved guidelines for au pair exchange programs”. Because the demand for au pairs is on the rise, new agencies are continuing to emerge, and more regulation at the international level is necessary. IAPA plans to assume this responsibility by creating a system of self-regulation and by introducing professional standards. Their objective is to set realistic standards that can be readily implemented. |
How does the competition work?
Host families in the U.S.—and in all other countries that have IAPA-supported programs—are encouraged to nominate their au pairs for their exceptional performance. The contest is officially announced in the fall and nominations are due to the au pair agencies in December and selected finalists are due to IAPA in January. Host families complete a nomination form, and explain in 500-850 words why their au pair should be considered for this honor. Each participating agency is allowed to submit three of their families’ nominations to IAPA.
These submissions are reviewed by a selection panel comprised of IAPA Board Members and the Association Manager, and several finalists are selected. In order to be considered for the award, each au pair finalist must then write her/his own short essay describing her/his experience and why she or he deserving of the title. These essays are evaluated by the same selection panel, and a winner is chosen. The winning au pair is expected to act as a spokesperson for the au pair program and her/his peers around the world. She/he will attend an all-expenses-paid award ceremony during the IAPA Annual Conference and Work Experience Travel Market that takes place in Budapest, Hungary in March 2012. IAPA has presented seven “Au Pair of the Year” Awards, and Cultural Care au pairs have earned the title twice; in 2008 and 2009. In 2010 and 2011, Cultural Care chose three finalists and many state winners who we recognized on our blog, The Buzz. You can also view their profiles here. |
