I lived with a family who had an Au Pairs who were similar ages to me at the time and got to them and their Au Pair friends quite well. There is definitely a d

I lived with a family who had an Au Pairs who were similar ages to me at the time and got to them and their Au Pair friends quite well. There is definitely a divide between families who do a good job of integrating and involving an Au Pair into family life and generally upholding their end of the cultural exchange bargain, and those who use Au Pairs as cheap labor. I know of some Au Pairs whose families blatantly ignored the minimum living standards. Imagine the dehumanization of being given a converted closet to live in (as a ~25yo) with strict curfews, limited car access, and having every incurred family expense scrutinized. Meanwhile the 3 month-old baby you are looking after has a large room with blinds that are never opened because the room serves only as a sleeping nursery. On the other hand, the family I lived with did an exceptional job of treating their Au Pair as an independent adult and integrating them into family life. The cultural exchange aspect definitely has value, and to working Americans the system provides cheap child care. The system is worth keeping, but I'd definitely support improved protections for Au Pairs that prevent abusers from freeloading.