GreatAuPair
Corporate brand
UnclaimedGreatAuPair is a U.S.-based online matching service for au pairs, families, and other household caregivers.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
GreatAuPair is an American online marketplace and au pair organization headquartered in Austin, Texas. The company connects families with au pairs and other household-care providers, including babysitters, elder caregivers, pet sitters, house sitters, and tutors. Its central service is a profile-based matching system through which families and prospective caregivers describe their experience, qualifications, preferences, and expectations. The company was founded in 2001 by Jamie and Shannon Pitts. The couple had previously used au pairs to help care for their children while living in San Ramon, California. Jamie Pitts conceived the website after leaving a technology-related job that involved a lengthy commute between the family home and San Jose. The founders' objective was to create a direct way for families and caregivers to find one another rather than rely solely on traditional placement channels. GreatAuPair's service allows users to view profiles without charge, while access to contact details requires payment. Profiles may contain résumés, photographs, personal essays, childcare philosophies, and other information intended to help both sides assess compatibility. The company also publishes information about visa requirements and states that it conducts background checks on au pairs from the United States. Its marketplace has extended beyond traditional au pair placements into a broader set of domestic and personal-support roles. The business grew rapidly during its first decade. It reported 7,000 registered users in July 2002, more than 60,000 families and au pairs connected by December 2003, and 6,000 families and 17,000 au pairs using the service in October 2008. By 2013, it said that it had connected more than one million families and caregivers. In 2011, GreatAuPair became a division of InteliMark Enterprises, a company based in Gardnerville, Nevada. GreatAuPair has been presented by travel and family-care writers as a relatively comprehensive or easy-to-use international matching platform. At the same time, the company operates in a sector with significant legal, financial, and safeguarding complexities. In 2007, it warned users about scams involving people posing as au pairs or families and requesting money transfers. The company has also been part of public debate over whether the U.S. au pair exchange program functions primarily as cultural exchange or, in practice, as a form of low-cost domestic labor. In 2019, GreatAuPair and other permitted sponsors agreed to participate in a $65.5 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit concerning alleged coordination of au-pair compensation. The participating companies did not admit liability and agreed to communicate that compensation could be negotiated between families and au pairs. The brand's positioning combines international cultural exchange, childcare affordability, and online self-service matching. Its model gives families and caregivers considerable responsibility for evaluating one another, discussing duties and compensation, and complying with immigration and employment requirements. GreatAuPair remains an active brand according to the supplied reference material, although current ownership, leadership, financial performance, and operating scale are not established by the available sources.
History
GreatAuPair was established in 2001 by Jamie and Shannon Pitts, who were living in San Ramon, California, and had experience hiring au pairs to assist with childcare. Jamie Pitts developed the idea for an online service after leaving a technology job that required a long daily commute to San Jose. The founders sought to make it easier for other families and prospective caregivers to identify one another, compare expectations, and begin the placement process through a website. The service gained users quickly. GreatAuPair reported approximately 7,000 registered users by July 2002 and more than 60,000 families and au pairs connected by December 2003. By October 2008, it reported 6,000 families and 17,000 au pairs. The platform's growth reflected the appeal of a direct, internet-based alternative to conventional agencies, particularly for families seeking international childcare and for caregivers looking for placements abroad. The company's marketplace was built around user profiles. Families and caregivers could present résumés, photographs, essays, childcare preferences, and information about their experience. Profile browsing was available without charge, while users generally had to pay to obtain contact details. GreatAuPair also supplied information about visas and related program requirements and described background-check procedures for au pairs from the United States. Over time, the platform expanded its categories to include elder caregivers, babysitters, pet sitters, house sitters, and tutors. In 2007, the company addressed a safety problem affecting online matching services when users were tricked by purported au pairs or families seeking money. GreatAuPair warned users not to send funds to unfamiliar contacts and highlighted risks associated with communications involving several developing countries. The incident underscored the limitations of a marketplace model in which users must independently verify identities and intentions. External commentary during the 2000s and early 2010s generally described GreatAuPair as a useful or comprehensive resource for finding au pairs, nannies, and babysitters. It was also characterized by travel writers as an easy-to-use U.S.-based organization with international reach. In December 2010, Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Ari Behn were reported to have used the service to locate a native English-speaking au pair for their children. In 2011, GreatAuPair became a division of InteliMark Enterprises, based in Gardnerville, Nevada. By 2013, the company stated that it had connected more than one million families and caregivers. The brand therefore evolved from a family-founded website into a substantial international matching platform while retaining its direct-contact marketplace model. The company has also operated amid controversy surrounding the U.S. Department of State's au pair exchange-visitor program. Critics have argued that the program can resemble a guest-worker arrangement because families receive comparatively low-cost childcare, while sponsors and recruiters describe it as a cultural-exchange opportunity. Commentary about GreatAuPair has noted that these competing messages can produce different expectations among families and au pairs, potentially leading to disagreements over duties, compensation, and cultural exchange. In 2019, GreatAuPair and 14 other companies authorized by the U.S. Department of State to place au pairs agreed to a $65.5 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit filed in 2014. The case alleged that the companies had coordinated to maintain a uniform au-pair wage of $197.75 per week for a 45-hour workweek, in addition to room and board. The companies argued that the value of food and accommodation had not been reflected in the hourly comparison and maintained that they had followed Department of State guidance. They did not admit liability, but agreed to tell parents and caregivers that pay could be negotiated. Current leadership, ownership beyond the InteliMark relationship, revenue, and present operating scale are not established in the supplied reference material.
- 2019
Participation in au-pair wage settlement
[1]GreatAuPair joins a $65.5 million settlement involving claims concerning coordinated au-pair compensation.
- 2013
More than one million families and caregivers connected
[1]GreatAuPair reports that it has connected more than one million families and caretakers.
- 2011
GreatAuPair becomes an InteliMark Enterprises division
[1]GreatAuPair becomes part of InteliMark Enterprises, which was based in Gardnerville, Nevada.
- 2008
Reported marketplace scale reaches 6,000 families and 17,000 au pairs
[1]The company reports 6,000 families and 17,000 au pairs using the service in October.
- 2007
User-safety warning over payment scams
[1]GreatAuPair warns users about fraudsters posing as families or au pairs and requesting money.
- 2003
More than 60,000 families and au pairs connected
[1]The company reports having connected more than 60,000 families and au pairs by December.
- 2002
The service reports 7,000 registered users
[1]GreatAuPair reports approximately 7,000 registered users in July.
- 2001
GreatAuPair is founded
[1]Jamie and Shannon Pitts establish GreatAuPair after drawing on their own experience hiring au pairs for childcare.
Products and positioning
An international, online, self-service marketplace that helps families find au pairs and household caregivers while giving prospective caregivers access to family and employment opportunities.
Childcare marketplace · 2001
Au pair matching
The platform enables families and au pairs to create profiles, search for potential matches, review experience and preferences, and initiate contact. It supports international placements and provides information relevant to visas and program participation. GreatAuPair's model leaves families and caregivers responsible for discussing duties, compensation, schedules, and suitability.
Household and personal-care services
Other caregiver matching
Beyond au pairs, GreatAuPair provides matching categories for babysitters, elder caregivers, pet sitters, house sitters, and tutors. These listings broaden the service from an international childcare platform into a general household-support marketplace.
Online marketplace tools · 2001
Profile and contact-access services
Users can create profiles containing résumés, photographs, essays, and descriptions of childcare beliefs or household needs. Profile browsing is available without charge, while access to contact information requires payment, making profile discovery and paid communication central parts of the business model.
Controversies
2019
Class-action litigation over au-pair wages
GreatAuPair and 14 other authorized au-pair companies participated in a $65.5 million settlement of a lawsuit alleging that companies coordinated to pay au pairs the same wage. The companies did not admit liability and agreed to clarify that compensation could be negotiated.
2007
Fraudulent payment requests involving users
Several GreatAuPair users were reportedly deceived by people claiming to be au pairs or families and asking for money. The company responded with a warning advising users to be cautious about sending funds to unfamiliar contacts.
Brand decisions
2019
Settlement and compensation-disclosure commitmentOtherBackground
A class-action lawsuit alleged that au-pair companies had coordinated compensation at a common weekly rate.
Action taken
GreatAuPair joined a $65.5 million settlement without admitting fault and agreed to tell families and caregivers that pay could be negotiated.
Aftermath
The settlement addressed the litigation while leaving broader questions about the economic and cultural-exchange structure of the U.S. au pair program in public debate.
Settlement fund. $65.5 million (2019)
2011
GreatAuPair becomes part of InteliMark EnterprisesM&ABackground
The company had grown from a family-founded matching website into an international caregiver marketplace.
Action taken
GreatAuPair became a division of InteliMark Enterprises.
Aftermath
The brand continued operating as a GreatAuPair service, with its headquarters later identified as Austin, Texas.
Sources1 sources
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