Within ten years, the number of foreign au pairs in Germany has declined by a third. Whereas 12,000 au pairs decided to go to Germany in 2001, the number of au pairs was only slightly above 8,000 in 2011. As a result of this development, 15% of all German au pair agencies had to shut down. This is the main result of the recently published representative business survey on au pairs in Germany, carried out and published by Dr. Walter GmbH.

According to the survey, most foreign au pairs in 2011 came from the Eastern European countries of Ukraine, Russia and Georgia. The same applies for the most issued visas among au pairs by the Federal Foreign Office (Ukraine 998, Russia 747, Georgia 681). According to the survey, the number of Chinese au pairs is constantly growing. In 2011, already 300 Chinese au pairs stayed in Germany.

Among young Germans, the favorite European destination was the United Kingdom, according to the survey conducted by Dr. Walter GmbH. Other popular destinations of German au pairs were France, Spain and Ireland, despite the financial crisis in Europe. Outside of Europe, the most popular countries included the USA, Australia and New Zealand.

Since there are hardly any detailed statistics on German au pair placement, au pair insurance broker Dr. Walter GmbH decided to conduct an annual survey. Its results aim to support the optimization of framework conditions for au pairs and host families alike.

For this year’s business survey, Dr. Walter GmbH has analyzed the data concerning au pair placement for the sixth time since 2004. Through a questionnaire at www.au-pair-agenturen.de, the insurance expert asked more than 200 au pair agencies in spring 2012 to answer questions with regard to their financial situation and the development of their au pair programs.
In addition to the results, reports by accredited experts from the area of au pair placement also provided comprehensive information about the exchange programs. Together, these data provide a comprehensive guide for au pairs, host families and experts alike.

The business survey 2012 is published by Calypso Verlag. To order the survey, please go to
www.calypsoverlag.de

Konjunkturumfrage 2012: Entwicklungen und Trends im deutschen Au-pair-Wesen
(Business survey 2012: Developments and trends in German au pair placement)
Neunkirchen-Seelscheid: Calypso Verlag
Pages: 52; size 30 x 21 cm
9,90 € (Germany)
ISBN 978-3-940291-059

Data base for the business survey: 63 participants from approx. 220 German au pair agencies