Privacy Policy

Au Pair in America is a trading name of the American Institute for Foreign Study, Inc (“AIFS US”), which is part of a group of companies with the American Institute for Foreign Studies (UK) Limited (“AIFS UK”). Our contact details are at the end of this Policy (see HOW TO CONTACT AIFS below).

AIFS US and AIFS UK (collectively “AIFS”/“we”/“our”/“us”) take your privacy very seriously and are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.

This Policy, together with a) our Website Terms of Use, b) our Cookie Policy, c) our Au Pair Terms and Conditions d) our Match Agreement (each as described in OTHER TERMS WHICH MAY APPLY TO YOU below), applies to personal information that we and/or third-party agents acting on our behalf (“our Agents”) collect about you.

Where we refer to the “Au Pair in America Website” in this Policy, we mean the websites which can be accessed at https://www.aupairamerica.com, https://www.aupairamerica.co.uk/ and any other aupairamerica website operated by us (including any updates or supplements to them), and where we refer to the “Program”, we mean the Au Pair in America, Au Pair Extraordinaire and/or eduCare in America, programs.

Please read this Policy carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your personal information and how we will treat it.

TOPICS COVERED:

Manage Cookies

 

WHO THIS POLICY APPLIES TO

This Policy applies to:

  • “Au Pairs”, i.e. someone who registers for or applies to the Program to become an Au Pair and/or who takes part in the Program as an Au Pair;
  • “Visitors” to the Au Pair in America Website, i.e. someone who visits and/or uses the Au Pair in America Website but who does not register for or apply to the Program.

Unless we say otherwise, the terms of this Policy apply to all Au Pairs and Visitors.

 

OTHER TERMS WHICH MAY APPLY TO YOU

This Policy refers to the following additional terms, which also apply to your use of the Au Pair in America Website and, if applicable, your participation in the Program:

WEBSITE TERMS OF USE

Our “Website Terms of Use” govern your use of the Au Pair in America Website.

COOKIE POLICY

Our “Cookie Policy” sets out information about the cookies we use on the Au Pair in America Website.

AU PAIR AGREEMENT

If you are an Au Pair, as part of your application to the Program, we will ask you to read, acknowledge and sign our Terms and Conditions for Au Pairs (the “Au Pair Agreement”).

MATCH AGREEMENT

If you are an Au Pair and you are matched with a Host Family as part of the Program, we will also ask you to read, acknowledge and sign a match agreement (the “Match Agreement”).

 

INFORMATION WE COLLECT (INCLUDING WHEN AND HOW WE COLLECT IT)

We collect the following personal information from and about you:

1. Information you give us

2. Information we collect when you visit the Au Pair in America Website

3. Information provided by third parties


1. Information you give us. You may give us information about you:

  • when you register your interest in or apply to take part in the Program;
  • as part of the placement and matching process (for example, in any interviews or assessments you undertake);
  • when you take part in the Program;
  • when you use the Au Pair in America Website, for example, if you upload any documents or files that contain personal information;
  • if you complete a survey or provide feedback on the Au Pair in America Website;
  • when you report a problem with the Au Pair in America Website; and
  • if you contact or correspond with us (for example, by phone, e-mail or otherwise) for any other reason.

If you are an Au Pair:

when registering your interest in the Program, you:

  • must provide us with your name, gender, telephone number, email address, password, date of birth, nationality, country of residence and town/city of residence. You must also tell us whether you have a driving licence and how many hours of childcare you have undertaken in the last three years;

when applying to take part in the Program and/or as part of the placement process, you:

  • must provide us with your address, native language, passport and visa details, emergency contact details, education and work history, hobbies and interests, childcare experience, childcare and character references, swimming ability, and background information in your biography (which may include information about your friends, family and upbringing). You must also tell us how many siblings you have and whether you have ever lived away from home for two months or more;
  • may provide us with your [marital status and] religion;
  • must provide us with a profile photograph of you and a minimum of five childcare/activity photos or videos of you;
  • must provide us with a criminal record check, which may include details of the commission or alleged commission by you of any criminal offence;
  • must provide us with medical records where you have any medical condition which is relevant to your ability to take part in the Program or to be placed, which may include details of your medical history and any medical or health conditions (including any disabilities);
  • may provide us with information to enable us to provide you with insurance (or provide information from your own insurance policy); and
  • may provide us with your Skype ID, other languages you speak and any additional information about yourself.

when taking part or after taking part in the Program, you:

  • may provide us with information about you, for example, in any feedback, comments, blog articles or complaints you make or provide about the Program or your involvement in the Program; and
  • may provide us with your then-current contact details to enable us to keep in touch with you as an alumnus of the Program.


2. Information we collect when you visit the Au Pair in America Website. Each time you visit the Au Pair in America Website, we will automatically collect the following:

  • certain technical information, for example, the type of device (and its unique device identifier) you use to access the Au Pair in America Website, the internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your device to the internet, your login information, browser type and version, time zone setting, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system, mobile network information and platform;
  • information about your visit to the Au Pair in America Website, including the full Uniform Resource Locators (URL), clickstream to, through and from the Au Pair in America Website (including date and time), pages you viewed, page response times, download errors, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information (such as scrolling, clicks, and mouse-overs), and methods used to browse away from the page; and
  • certain cookies that are capable of identifying your device (see our Cookie Policy to understand which cookies the Au Pair in America Website uses).


3. Information provided by third parties.

If you are an Au Pair:

when applying to take part in the Program and/or as part of the placement process:

  • we will obtain information about you from our Agents, for example, in any interviews you undertake with those Agents;
  • we will obtain your psychometric test results from Performance Assessment Network, Inc. when we ask you to complete a psychometric questionnaire (called the 16pf® Questionnaire);
  • we will obtain information about you from other third parties, including law enforcement agencies, governmental authorities, insurance companies, embassies, child protection authorities and childcare/character/educational referees;
  • we may obtain details of your English language proficiency from iTep International LCC if you choose to complete their English language test;

when taking part or after taking part in the Program:

  • we may obtain feedback, comments or complaints about you from your Host Family and/or others taking part in the Program.

 

 

HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION AND OUR LEGAL BASIS FOR DOING SO

We collect personal information so that we can operate effectively and provide you with the best possible service. The information we process depends on the context of your interactions with us, with our Agents and with the Au Pair in America Website, and your involvement in the Program. It also depends on the choices you make, for example the consents you provide, the functions you use and the privacy settings you select. You may choose not to provide or allow us to collect certain information, but if this is the case, we may be not be able to consider you for the Program (where that information is necessary for us to do so). We will only process personal information where we have a valid lawful basis to do so.

Learn more below about how we use your information and what our legal basis is for using it if you are an:

Au Pairs
Type(s) of personal information we process Why we process this personal information Our legal basis for processing this personal information
  • Name
  • Telephone number
  • Email address
  • Address
  • Date of birth
  • Password
 To help us to identify you and any account you hold with us (including verifying your eligibility to access and use the Au Pair in America Website). To allow us to perform the Au Pair Agreement with you, and/or to take steps at your request prior to entering into the Au Pair Agreement with you.
  • Date of birth
  • Native language
  • Other languages spoken, including details of your English language proficiency
  • Country and town/city of residence
  • Education and work history
  • Childcare experience
  • Childcare/character/educational references
  • Information required for insurance purposes (including information from your own insurance policy)
  • Personal information you provide to our Agents
 To enable us (and our Agents) to contact you about the Program and/or consider your eligibility for it. To allow us to perform the Au Pair Agreement with you, and/or to take steps at your request prior to entering into the Au Pair Agreement with you.
  • Date of birth
  • Native language
  • Other languages spoken, including details of your English language proficiency
  • Education and work history
  • Childcare experience
  • Childcare/character/educational references
  • Personal information you provide to our Agents (if appropriate)
 To enable any Host Family to consider your suitability for their family. To allow us to perform the Au Pair Agreement with you.
  • Name
  • Gender
  • Email address
  • Date of birth
  • Telephone number
  • Address
  • Native language
  • Passport and visa details
  • Information required for insurance purposes (including information from your own insurance policy)
  • Personal information you provide to our Agents
 To carry out our obligations under the Au Pair Agreement and to provide you with information and services that you request from us. To allow us to perform the Au Pair Agreement with you, and/or to take steps at your request prior to entering into the Au Pair Agreement with you.
  • Profile photograph of you
  • Other childcare/activity photos and videos of you
  •  Psychometric profile
  • Hobbies and interests
  • Swimming ability
  • [Number of siblings]
  • Your biography as supplied by you
  • Personal information you provide to our Agents (if appropriate)
  • Skype ID
  • Whether you have lived away from home for two months or more
  • Whether you have a driving licence
 To promote you to potential host families and to allow them to contact you. To enable us to pursue our legitimate interests to allow a Host Family to consider your suitability for their family.
  • Name
  • Telephone number
  • Email address
  • Address
  • Information in any feedback, comments or complaints you make or provide about the Program or your involvement in the Program
  • Any other relevant personal information
 To deal with any enquiries, correspondence, concerns or complaints. To allow us to perform the Au Pair Agreement with you, and/or to take steps at your request prior to entering into the Au Pair Agreement with you.
 

  • Name
  • Telephone number
  • Email address
  • Address
  • Date of birth
  • [Marital status]
  • Passport and visa details
  • Information required for insurance purposes (including information from your own insurance policy)
 To support you with your participation in the Program, e.g. with:

· your visa application;

· your repatriation;

· your travel, accommodation and insurance; and/or

· paying costs and expenses on your behalf.

To verify your visa eligibility and/or comply with visa regulations.

 To allow us to perform the Au Pair Agreement with you, and/or to take steps at your request prior to entering into the Au Pair Agreement with you.
  • Name
  • Telephone number
  • Email address
  • Address
 To enable us to keep in touch with you after you have participated in the Program. To enable us to pursue our legitimate interests to:

· run an alumni programme;

· understand your experience of the Program; and

· improve and/or promote the Program.
  • Name
  • Telephone number
  •  Email address
  • Address
 To send you information about the Program, and/or other opportunities or services of ours and other companies in our group which may be of interest to you. Your consent.
  • Religion
 To enable any Host Family to consider your suitability for their family, in each case provided that there is a genuine occupational requirement to do so and you have chosen to provide this information. Your consent.
  • Nationality
 To verify your visa eligibility and/or comply with visa regulations. To allow us to perform the Au Pair Agreement with you and/or to comply with our legal and contractual obligations to third parties including our insurers.
  • Certain medical and health details
 To assess your fitness to work (including allergies, etc). To allow us to perform the Au Pair Agreement with you and/or to comply with our legal and contractual obligations to third parties including our insurers.
  • Certain medical and health details
 To enable us or your Host Family to provide information to the emergency services if an emergency arises. To protect your vital interests.
·

  • Name and telephone number of your emergency contact
 To enable us or your Host Family to get in touch with your emergency contact if an emergency arises. Substantial public interest.
  • A criminal record check
 To check your eligibility for the Program.

To co-operate with law enforcement and/or border control authorities.

To fulfil a legal obligation.

 Substantial public interest.
  • Information we collect when you visit the Au Pair in America Website as described above
 To conduct internal operations, including data analysis, testing, research, statistical purposes and troubleshooting.

To ensure that content on the Au Pair in America Website is presented in the most effective manner for you and for your device.

To analyse traffic to the Au Pair in America Website.

As part of our efforts to keep the Au Pair in America Website secure and to prevent fraud.

 To enable us to pursue our legitimate interests to:

· understand how the Au Pair in America Website is used;

· improve the Au Pair in America Website;

· keep the Au Pair in America Website secure; and

· prevent fraud.
Visitors
Type(s) of personal information we process Why we process this personal information Our legal basis for processing this personal information
· Information we collect when you visit the Au Pair in America Website as described above To conduct internal operations, including data analysis, testing, research, statistical purposes and troubleshooting.

To ensure that content on the Au Pair in America Website is presented in the most effective manner for you and for your device.

To analyse traffic to the Au Pair in America Website.

As part of our efforts to keep the Au Pair in America Website secure and to prevent fraud.

 To enable us to pursue our legitimate interests to:

· understand how the Au Pair in America Website is used;

· improve the Au Pair in America Website;

· keep the Au Pair in America Website secure; and

· prevent fraud.

 

More about the information we use and why

Where we have a legal basis to use your personal information without consent (as we have described above), this Policy fulfils our duty to process personal information transparently, and helps us to do so fairly and lawfully and in a manner, that you would expect given the nature of our relationship with you, by giving you appropriate notice and explanation of the way in which your personal information will be used.

Where consent is required for our use of your personal information, we will ask you to positively opt-in by ticking the appropriate consent box or otherwise communicating your consent.

Where you provide us with personal information relating to other individuals (for example, if you are an Au Pair and you give us your emergency contact’s name and telephone number, you must obtain the consent of those individuals before doing so.

If you have any questions or require any further information regarding our use of personal information please contact our data protection officer (see HOW TO CONTACT AIFS).

 

SHARING YOUR INFORMATION

We may share your personal information with your consent or as is necessary with selected third-party service providers, and other companies within our group that support us in the performance of the activities set out in the table above.

We require all our third-party service providers and all other companies within our group to take appropriate and stringent security measures to protect your personal information in line with our policies. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal information for their own purposes and we only permit them to process your personal information for specified purposes in accordance with our instructions.

We may also need to share your personal information with a regulator or otherwise to comply with the law or to respond to valid legal process, including from law enforcement or other government agencies.

Why might you share my personal information with third parties?

We may share your personal information with third parties where it is necessary in order to consider you for the Program or place you with a Host Family, where required by law (as above), or where we have another legitimate interest in doing so that is not overridden by your interests and fundamental rights. (For example, to protect Au Pairs, Host Family Contacts or other Host Family members, or to operate and maintain the security of our computer systems.)

Who will you share my personal information with?

We will share — and, in some cases, you will provide — certain information about you with and to the following third parties for purposes specified:

  • we use Google to track your usage of the Au Pair in America website. We do so to improve our users’ experience of the Au Pair in America website.

In addition, if you are an Au Pair:

  • we will share certain information about you (including your name, age, hobbies and interests) with Host Family Contacts when they agree to our Host Family Privacy Agreement. We do so to enable Host Family Contacts to consider potential Au Pairs for their family;
  • we will share more detailed information that we collect as part of your application to the Program (including your psychometric test results, childcare/character/educational references and other background information) with Host Family Contacts when they sign our Host Family Agreement. We do so to enable Host Family Contacts to consider further information for the purpose of selecting an Au Pair for their family;
  • we will share certain information about your health with Host Family Contacts that you are matched with, at the point the match is made. We do so to enable Host Family Contacts to assess any medical and/or health issues which are relevant to your role as an Au Pair;
  • we may share information that we collect as part of your application with our Agents. We do so to enable our Agents to assist us in interviewing, placing and matching you with a Host Family;
  • we may share or ask you to share certain information (including your name, address, passport and/or visa details) with third party suppliers such as travel and accommodation providers (including airlines and hotels); insurance providers; embassies; and border control agencies, who will process that information. We do so to facilitate your travel to and from the U.S. and your stay in the U.S. as part of your participation in the Program;
  • we may share or ask you to share certain information (including your name, address, passport and/or visa details) with embassies and government departments (including the Student Exchange Visitor Information Service (SEVIS) – US Department of State); who will process that information. We do so to progress your visa application and to comply with visa regulations as part of your participation in the Program;
  • we may share your contact details (including your name and address) with mail and logistics company, DHL. We do so to enable DHL to deliver a visa pack to you to enable you to complete a visa application;
  • we may share or ask you to share certain information (including your name, age and address) with third parties carrying out background checks who will process that information as part of a criminal record check and share the results with us. We do this so that we can consider your eligibility for the Program;
  • we will ask you to share your financial and/or payment details with a third-party payment processor, secure trading, who will process that information (although we ourselves will never access that information). We do so to collect your payment of the Program fees;
  • we will ask you to complete a psychometric questionnaire (called the 16pf® Questionnaire) with Performance Assessment Network, Inc., who will process your results on our behalf and share these results with us. We ask you to do this so that we can give Host Family Contacts an independent report on your personality for the purpose of selecting an Au Pair for their family; and
  • we will give you the option of completing a voluntary English language test with iTep International LCC, who will process your results on our behalf and share these results with us. We do this so that we can assess your English language proficiency when considering you for the Program.

 

RETAINING YOUR INFORMATION

We will only retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including to satisfy any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal information, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the information, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your information, the purposes for which we process your information and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.

In some circumstances we may anonymise your personal information so that it can no longer be associated with you, in which case we may use such information without further notice to you. Even if you request that we erase your information, we may still need to keep it (see YOUR RIGHTS) or may keep it in a form that does not identify you.

The following retention periods will apply, unless we inform you otherwise (or you request that we erase your information).

If you are an Au Pair and you:

  • register your interest in or apply to take part in the Program but do not take part in the Program, we may retain some of your personal information (including your name, email address and date of birth) for a period of 7 years following the date when you first complete your registration and/or application; or
  • take part in the Program, we will process your personal information while you take part in the Program, and may retain some of your information for a period of 7 years thereafter, for example, to keep in touch with you and/or for legal reasons. We will only retain information as necessary.

If you are a Visitor and you do not use the Au Pair in America Website for 1 year, then we will erase your information.

We may keep certain information for longer periods than those stated above if you have agreed to us using it, for example, for keeping in touch about our services or for our promotional purposes (such as part of a blog post on the Au Pair in America Website).

Please contact our data protection officer if you would like further details on how long we retain your information (see HOW TO CONTACT AIFS).

 

TRANSFERRING YOUR INFORMATION OVERSEAS

This section is only relevant to Au Pairs or Visitors based in the European Economic Area (“EEA”).

If you are an Au Pair based in the EEA, we will transfer, process and store the information we collect from you to AIFS US and other relevant third parties (such as host families) based in the U.S. i.e. outside of the EEA. We do so as it is necessary for us and any Host Family to consider you for the Program, and so that you can take part in the Program (i.e. necessary for the performance of the Au Pair Agreement).

If you are a Visitor based in the EEA, we will transfer, process and store the information we collect from you to AIFS US and other relevant third parties based in the U.S. We do so as it is necessary for us to understand how the Au Pair in America Website is used and so that we can improve the Au Pair in America Website.

In each case, we will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your personal information receives an adequate level of protection and is treated in a way consistent with EU laws on data protection.

 

CHILDREN’S INFORMATION

We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under the age of 16 and you should not register your interest in or apply to take part in the Program if you are under the age of 16. If you become aware that your child or any child under your care has provided us with information without your consent please contact our data protection officer (see HOW TO CONTACT AIFS).

 

KEEPING YOUR INFORMATION SECURE

All personal information that you provide to us is stored on secure servers. We have put in place (and require anyone we share your information with to put in place) appropriate measures to protect the security of your information.

In addition, we limit access to your information to those of our employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. We will require them only to process your information on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

You should be aware that the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your information, we cannot guarantee the security of the information transmitted to the Au Pair in America Website; any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access or inadvertent disclosure.

We have also put in place procedures to deal with any suspected data security breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected breach where we are legally required to do so.

 

UPDATING AND ACCESSING YOUR INFORMATION

You have the right under data protection laws to access personal information held about you, subject to certain conditions, and to request its rectification or deletion.

If you would like to access or amend the personal information which we hold about you or you would like us to stop using your personal information, please contact our data protection officer (see HOW TO CONTACT AIFS).

Alternatively, if you are an Au Pair and you have completed an application to take part in the Program, you can access and amend most of your personal information by signing in to your account on the Au Pair in America Website. However, once we have shared your personal information as described in SHARING YOUR INFORMATION above, you will be unable to amend that information by signing in to your account. If you would like to amend any of your personal information but you are unable to do so by signing in to your account on the Au Pair in America Website, please contact our data protection officer (see HOW TO CONTACT AIFS).

To learn more about the rights you may have in relation to your personal information see YOUR RIGHTS.

 

YOUR RIGHTS

By law you have the right to:

  • Request access to your personal information (commonly known as a “data subject access request”). This enables you to receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you and to check that we are lawfully processing it. We will need to prove your identity before we release any personal information to you.
  • Request correction or erasure of your personal information (unless we have the legal right to retain it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal information where you have exercised your right to object to processing (see below).
  • Object to processing of your personal information where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or that of a third party) and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground. You also have the right to object where we are processing your personal information for direct marketing purposes.
  • Request the restriction of processing of your personal information. This enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of personal information about you, for example if you want us to establish its accuracy or the reason for processing it.
  • Request the transfer of your personal information to another party.
  • Change your information processing preferences at any time (where this specifically relates to marketing messages, see MARKETING).

You should be aware that if you ask us to stop processing your personal information in a certain way or to erase your personal information, and this type of processing is necessary to consider you for the Program or for you to participate in the Program, we may not be able to do so. This does not include your right to object to direct marketing, which can be exercised at any time without restriction.

If you want to exercise any of the rights listed above, please contact our data protection officer (see HOW TO CONTACT AIFS).

No fee usually required

You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal information (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, we may charge a reasonable fee if your request for access is clearly unfounded or excessive. Alternatively, we may refuse to comply with the request in such circumstances.

What we may need from you

We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access the information (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is another appropriate security measure to ensure that personal information is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it.

Right to withdraw consent

Where you have provided your consent to the collection, use or transfer of your personal information for a specific purpose, you have the right to withdraw your consent for that specific processing at any time. To withdraw your consent, please contact our data protection officer (see HOW TO CONTACT AIFS). Once we have received notification that you have withdrawn your consent, we will no longer process your information for the purpose or purposes you originally agreed to, unless we have another legitimate basis for doing so in law.

 

MARKETING

If you are an Au Pair we would like to send you information by email SMS and/or via social media about opportunities or services of ours and other companies in our group which may be of interest to you (including, for example promotional materials and newsletters). We will ask whether you would like us to send you these messages when you apply to take part in the Program.

You have the right at any time to stop us from contacting you for marketing purposes or giving your information to other members of our group. If you no longer wish to be contacted for marketing purposes, you can unsubscribe by using the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of our marketing messages or by contacting our data protection officer (see HOW TO CONTACT AIFS).

We will not provide your personal information to any other third-party businesses for marketing purposes.

 

OTHER WEBSITES

The Au Pair in America Website contains links to other websites, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This Policy only applies to the Au Pair in America Website so when you link to other websites you should read their own privacy policies.

 

CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

We keep this Policy under regular review and will post any updates on this webpage. This Policy was last updated in May 2018.

 

HOW TO CONTACT AIFS

In the UK, AIFS UK is the data controller in respect of your personal information and is registered with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office with registration number Z6393161. AIFS UK’s registered office is 37 Queen’s Gate, London, SW7 5HR.

We have appointed Richard Howell as our data protection officer to oversee compliance with this Policy. If you have any questions about this Policy or how we handle your personal information please contact our data protection officer at dpo@aifs.co.uk, +44 20 7581 7300, 37 Queens Gate, London SW7 5HR, United Kingdom.

Complaints

If for any reason you are not happy with the way that we have handled your personal information please contact us at dpo@aifs.co.uk, +44 20 7581 7300, 37 Queens Gate, London SW7 5HR, United Kingdom. If you are still not happy, you have the right to make a make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office see: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/.