Au pair agencies know this; so do the families au pairs work for. This is leverage for abuse and failure to appropriately pay au pairs for their work. This, by definition, constitutes a form of human trafficking known as labor trafficking.
Testimonials from au pairs here in America
While investigating the very real plights faced by au pairs, I had the honor of directly speaking with many of them. The stories from au pairs about the treatment they face at the hands of host families and au pair agencies are chilling.
“There are lots of things that are very wrong with this program.”
Many au pairs described bait-and-switch scenarios; host families and au pair agencies often told them they’d be working a set amount of hours with initially agreed-upon tasks and salaries.
Once many au pairs actually begin working for the host families is when things change. It is common for au pairs to be forcibly given much more work than they were told without payment adjustments made accordingly.
Both the host families and au pair agencies know au pairs’ ability to remain in the United States largely depends upon their employment via the agencies.
