What is an au pair?

Destino Idiomas’ Au Pair in Spain Programme offers you the opportunity to immerse yourself in Spanish culture, while living with a host family. You will get the opportunity to explore Spain and our lifestyle as an insider, make new friends, live new experiences and gain new skills which will be valuable in both your personal and professional future.

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Recipe for best au pair:
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3 parts of truly affection for children,
3 parts of real, previous child care experience,
3 parts of energy, initiative and creativity,
2 parts of responsability and matureness,
2 parts of patience,
2 parts of skills for daily family life,
1 part of honesty,
1 part of empathy,
1 part of punctuality,
1 part of flexibility to unforeseen happenings,
0 parts of mobile addicted to person.

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What is an au pair?

• ​​Young person willing to live a cultural exchange experience by travelling to another country and living with a host local family.
  
• The au pair must have previous childcare experience and be good at kids.
• The au pair will look after host family's kids and do some light housework.
  
• In exchange, the au pair receives full board and lodging, weekly pocket money, and free time to attend language lessons or other.​
• Au pair duty hours: 25 to 30 per week, including a couple of babysittings. These hours are usually distributed Monday to Friday.​

Requisites

• Female and male applicants. Demand is significantly lower for male applicants though.
• 18—30 years old.
• ​Non smokers preferred.
• Drivers are in demand (22 y.o. or over)
  
• Single / No children.
• Experienced with children.
• Have no criminal records.
• Have at least high school diploma.
• In good state of health (physichal & psychological)
• Basic knowledge of Spanish preferred. Though many families host au pairs with no Spanish. 
• English is most requested language by Spanish families. Good knowledge of this language will be fine regardless of your nationality.
• Do not hesitate to contact us if your language is other; some families are interested in other languages. 

Length of stay

• From 1-12 months.
• Short stays up to 90 days usually take place in summer time. (June and July most common starting dates).
• Long stays usually go for the academic year September till June. (January and March other starting dates for long stays).
• ​But every scenario is possible, specially if well planned ahead.  ​For example, first time host families usually start hosting an au pair for a short stay regardless the time of the year. 

Benefits

• Single room.
• Full board.
• Pocket money: 75€-25hrs p.w./ 80€-30hrs p.w. Destino Idiomas encourages host families to offer better pocket money to English native speakers.

• Extra hours: 5€ per extra hour.
• Public transport passes: In big cities, suburbs or whenever au pairs need to use public transport to do their duties or to attend language lessons, families should offer a public transport pass or some extra money on top of weekly pocket money for transport.
• ​​​Time off: During the week + at least one complete weekend a month (average full weekends every week).
• Holidays: For every 12 months of stay, the au pair has the right to 2 weeks paid holidays, Shorter periods should be prorated. Family and au pair have to agree best time to take those holidays. If the aupair benefits from holidays before due time and eventually do not honour the lenght of stay, host family may prorata last week's pocket money and deduct any possible excess.
• Medical insurance: if you come from outside of the UE, you will bring your own medical insurance, host family will reimburse after arrival 50% of the cost for the time you are with them.

Au pair childcare duties

​Your duties will vary according to kid's ages and whether they are attending school or on school holidays. Their wellbeing and safety always comes first.

School time:

• Get them up in the morning, help with personal hygiene and dressing. 
• Prepare breakfast.
• Take and collect them from school by walk, to schoolbus stop, by car, etc.
• Take them to after school clubs: sports, arts...
• Help with homework.
• Fun time: arts and crafts, face painting, sports, dancing, baking..
• Bed time: hygiene, pijamas, school bags, uniforms ...
• Babysitting.

If they are not yet in school / holidays:

• Get them up in the morning, help with personal hygiene and dressing. 
• Prepare breakfast / feed babies.
• Change nappies.
• Take them for a walk, to the park, etc.
• Interact and stimulate with games, activities, physical exercise etc.
• Bed time: hygiene, bathing, nappies, reading stories, etc.
• Babysitting.

​​This is not an inclusive list and it varies according to family needs. These should be about 75% of your responsibilities as au pair.

Au pair household duties

Most Spanish families do not require much house work from their au pair, if any. Many have external domestic staff to help with housework.

However, the au pair is expected to behave as another adult in the family and will help and assist in the normal running of a home.

• Keep the children’s rooms and bathroom clean, neat and tidy.
• Take care of children’s laundry: washing up, drying, ironing/folding.
• Occasional cooking for you and the children.
• Clean after yourself when cooking for you and/or the children.
• Load / empty diswasher.
• General light cleaning of the house: dusting, hoovering...
• Help with pets and plants at home.
• Help with small errands.​
• Keeping your room neat & tidy (not really a duty but a common sense thing).

This is not an inclusive list and it varies according to family needs. These should be about 25% of your responsibilities as au pair.

Language

• Basic knowledge of Spanish is an advantage, but many families host au pairs with no Spanish. 
• English is by far, most requested language by Spanish families.
• Good command of English is essential regardless of your nationality.
• Do not hesitate to contact us if your language is other; some families are interested in French, German, Chinese... 
• Parents would like you to interact with the kids 24/7 in English or other language you may speak (French, German, Chinese ...)
• In exchange, host parents will interact with you in Spanish.
• You are free to enroll in a Spanish language course, it is up to you, it is not compulsory.
  
• Only if you apply for an au pair visa, then you must enroll in a course to get the visa.

Destinations

My families' portfolio cover all over Spain: cities, towns and villages alike.
​
North to South, East to West, including the islands - Canary and Balearic.

You can establish your preferences on your application form, I will do our best to satisfy your preferences, though I cannot guarantee a specific destination. 

I kindly remind candidates that the success of any matching and therefore the experience itself falls on matching people with people and not with a place.

​Because people are more important that places.

See Discover Spain.

Your room

• Live-in, within the family home.
• Single not shared.
• Furnished with bed, wardrobe, side bed table.
  
• Optional: tv, study table and chair.
• Window with natural daylight + lamp.
• Size: proper, adequate one.
• Heating: have proper heating for cold weather.
• Air conditioning /fan: to relieve from hot temperatures.
• Lock: not compulsory.
• Shared with kids or ensuite bathroom depending on host families' homes.