AuPairCare Au Pair Wins International Au Pair of the Year Award

AuPairCare is proud to announce that German au pair Lena Halberstadt has been crowned Au Pair of the Year by the International Au Pair Association (IAPA).Lena traveled to Lisbon, Portugal this week to accept her award at theWork Experience Travel Market and IAPA Annual Conference (WETM-IAC).

IAPA's Au Pair of the Year contest has been held annually for the past 11 years. 2015 saw a record number of 59 entries from au pair host families all over the world. The essays emphasized the principle at the core of the au pair program: cultural exchange.

Lena's host family the Rasmussen's live just outside of Detroit, MI with their 5 children, and nominated Lena, saying:

"Lena was here for only a week when I realized we had hit the au pair jackpot.Five kids with very different personalities and a large age gap is no easy assignment yet Lena accomplishes it with ease."

For Lena, the feeling is mutual. She's thankful for all that she's been able to experience in the USA, explaining,

'They treat me as a family member and take me to every single family event! I love that, since one of the reasons why I am here is to get to know the American culture! We went to a real American wedding, visited festivals and parades. We also went on vacation to Florida together, which was awesome! Besides that I went trick or treating with the kids on Halloween and we visited my host mom's family for a big Thanksgiving dinner in Chicago.'

Congratulations Lena on your award! Read Lena's full nomination essay here.