babysitter/nanny

regional director

content writer

regional coordinator

partnership manager

American Institute For Foreign Study

AIFS was voted one of the best places to work in CT for 2015. The work culture is casual and the people that work here are laid back, easy going, down to earth, and open minded. It's a great place to start gaining work experience right out of college. I worked for Academic Year in America (AYA)- the high school exchange program. This is one of the more challenging programs to work for since they make you work long hours in the summer and numbers are really important in this program. AYA strives to place every single exchange student each year and that means employees work OT as much as possible in order to reach the goal. Although you don't get any time off in the summer, they reward you with trips abroad for your hard work at the end of placement season. It's a culture you have to get adjusted to, but in the end, it's rewarding. You have to be hard working and motivated to keep up. If you want to sacrifice 2 months of summer and travel a lot during the fall months, you would love it here! it can be sales oriented at times but the managers make sure the employees are cared for and make it really fun despite the long hours in the summer. The long hours are only specific to AYA. Managers are open to new ideas and feedback from employees.

There has never been a typical day at this job in the almost (April 1st) 35 years I have worked with APIA. What haven't I learned about myself (both professional and personally), people from around the world and in my own backyard and a changing society?  Management is hands on, engaged, knowledgeable, professional and supportive. The workplace culture is fast paced, challenging, honest, professional and at times demanding (in a good way). The hardest part of the job is working with the power the Au Pairs currently have (their ability to change their visa's during the year), housing Au Pairs during emergencies (the ability of Host Families to 'throw an Au Pair out of their homes at any time') and being on call 24/7.   

I've been a community counselor for almost 2 years and I've loved it so far. I enjoy helping and being part of this cultural exchange program. As a home stay mom this job gives me the flexibility to still be present for my kids and provide an extra income. The headquarters  office in Stamford  are very good at responding emails if you have any questions or need any support. 
I enjoy working with host families and au pairs, You do a little bit of everything in this job, marketing, sales, mediation,  event planning (For the monthly clusters). I enjoy every aspect of this job.


Colleagues are great and are what keep staff here.  Laid back (sometimes too much) environment lends to a non-professional atmosphere at times.

Pay is poor and basically hourly (salary, non exempt) for non-managers, work can be intense and non managers can do the work of their managers.  Expected to work overtime in busy times, but have to fight to get paid for it.  Benefits are excellent.

Most management has been there for so long they seem to be tenured and can do no wrong.  Don't fully understand what their staff does.  Communication is poor.  Hardly any professional development opportunities.

There is hardly any movement opportunities even for top performers.

Great benefits and a really nice office in Stamford.  Lots of favoritism for a small group of employees who have been there a long time.  Weak HR team that does whatever CEO tells them to do.  Mostly great people to work with.  Low turnover, great location, great benefits, but when there are layoffs there is no communication.  People just disappear.  The top level is only worried about how much money they make and will lay off for that purpose even when they are not in financial hardship.  CEO puts personal friendships ahead of fairness and it is well known in the office.  If you don't care about that stuff then you will love it because of the perks and the people.

Overall, AIFS is a great company to work for with many perks and knowledgeable, smart, hardworking, and personable staff. However, working for some of the divisions (especially the non-profits) is far from ideal as they make you work long hours during summer time with hardly an opportunity to catch your breath. 
Management has been in their positions for many years and often seems detached from the realities of their employees' jobs and workload. Not enough support from the top down.

I wish AIFS would do yearly surveys to check in with employees on how everything is going.

Nice work atmosphere, open office layout and strong culture. If you are a young professional or a professional with children this is a good place to work. Work/life balance is strong. The most difficult part about working for AIFS is that there are limited resources as far as staffing goes. However, with this limitation also comes a strong sense of teamwork and potential to build your operational skillset.

Typical work day involves meetings with staff, answering phone calls and emails, and working on strategy.

I've refined my communication skills and learned so much about our global partners.

I appreciate the flexibility, autonomy and positive work environment at AIFS. It is an easy place to come to work every day. There is a focus on travel and work-life balance. Hardest part of the job is intensity during peak seasons but most enjoyable is the friendly and collaborative team culture. 

AIFS has been around for 60 years now. There is a mix of long standing and newer leadership. The culture is slowly shifting, but overall colleagues seem engaged with the mission of bringing the world together. Being remote can be challenging as there is quite an in person presence in Stamford, CT, but many colleagues are remote since the strt of the pandemic and I find them and my supervisor supportive.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Babysitter/nanny 6 salaries reported	$21,401 per year
Regional director 4 salaries reported	$73,375 per year
Content writer 2 salaries reported	$62,500 per year
Regional coordinator 3 salaries reported	$26.77 per hour
Partnership manager 3 salaries reported	$78,333 per year

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