International au pair conference: opportunities, growth and global networking
28.03.2025
DR-WALTER was once again a sponsor at this year's WETM-IAC (Work Experience Travel Market and IAPA Annual Conference). The international au pair conference, which took place in Alicante from March 19 to 21, 2025, offered a valuable platform for exchange and further development of the industry. As a long-standing expert in the insurance of au pairs, DR-WALTER used this opportunity to maintain existing partnerships, make new contacts and adapt innovative insurance solutions to current challenges. Educational sessions provided exciting impulses for the future of cultural exchange.
IAPA's commitment to cultural exchange
DR-WALTER has been an active associate member of the IAPA International Au Pair Association for 17 years and supports its commitment to international cultural exchange. Most importantly, the association currently supports the Alliance for International Exchange, which works to maintain and strengthen exchange programs such as au pairing, internships and college and university studies in the USA.
The IAPA continues to grow: with 145 members from 45 countries, organizations from the USA, Belgium, China, Spain, the Netherlands, Madagascar and Ecuador have now joined as new full members. A special highlight of the Annual General Meeting was the honouring of long-standing member organizations that have been building bridges between cultures with their commitment for decades.
A moving moment: The “IAPA Au Pair of the Year Award”
An emotional highlight of the conference was the ceremony to present the “IAPA Au Pair of the Year Award”. Isabella “Issy” Foster from Great Britain was honored in a festive setting. Together with her American host mother and her parents, she traveled to Alicante to celebrate this special moment. Her moving story about the close bond with her host family and her three host children underlined the profound importance of the au pair program.
Challenges for Au Pair in America
In 2024, 19,352 au pairs came to the USA, around 2,000 fewer than in the previous year. The situation has worsened under “Two Months of Trump 2.0”, as Mark Overmann from the Alliance for International Exchange reported: ongoing payment pause for Department of State grant programs and potential travel ban for certain countries.
Under the new US administration, international exchange programs are under increased scrutiny. But the importance of BridgeUSA's cultural exchange programs is undeniable: 1.7 million leaders around the world are alumni of U.S. exchange programs and spread positive messages about their experience in the U.S. The au pair program doesn't just connect countries, it connects people. Without au pairs, 87 percent of the families would be negatively impacted due to their inability to find suitable childcare for their family.
In 2023, the BridgeUSA programs injected 811.2 million dollars into the US economy. Cultural exchange therefore not only brings America international prestige, but also tangible prosperity.
