Destino Idiomas. Your au pair in Spain agent.

Destino Idiomas

Why choose Destino Idiomas?

Destino Idiomas offers you to booster your Spanish while living with a family in Spain as an au pair. We look for young English native speakers, male and female - 18 to 30 y.o - truly fond of kids and willing to share their time with our welcoming families. Living with one of our families and immersing yourself in our culture will give you the opportunity not only of quickly improving your Spanish but also of living an unforgettable travel experience. We have families all over Spain and constantly receiving new requests. As an au pair you will be treated as a member of the family, receive lodge, board and weekly money in exchange for childcare and language assistance to their kids. Summer stays: 1-3 months. Rest of the year from 6 to 12 months.

We are a member of AEPA (Spanish AuPair Association) and follow their codes of conduct, offering a professional, honest and selective service to both au pair and host families.

Founded
2012

Reviews

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Kellen
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Kellens Review

My Experience was very unique because I lived in 2 different cities with 2 different families. Ana was greatly helpful through everything, including helping me with getting difficult papers whilst in Spain. My advice to anyone doing this program, is don’t be afraid to take the leap, you won’t regret it and Ana will be there to help you through it all. My other advice is to make sure you have completed all your papers and applications before you leave your home country, it’s much harder in Spain.

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
I tried Octopus(Pulpo) for the first time when I was living in Galicia and surprisingly it was one of my favorite foods that I tried throughout the year
Pros
  • Super kind and supportive family
  • Good support from Ana
  • Great chances to travel and explore the whole country by myself
Cons
  • Spanish government is horribly slow with papers
  • It can be hard getting used to a new culture at first
  • it can be scary going by yourself at first if you’re not super comfortable with the language
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Carly
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Au pair in Valladolid

I had an amazing experience, I lived in Valladolid as an au pair for 8 months with the help of Destino Idiomas, along side finding me a lovely family to live with Ana was a great support in checking in if I ever needed anything and connecting me with other au pairs so that I could easily make friends.

This experience was also amazing for learning Spanish and being able to travel around and see Spain and other parts of Europe as well. Throughout my experience my host family took me traveling, taught me how to cook traditional Spanish dishes and included me as a part of their family.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
I recommend having a better understanding of the language especially if you are going to be placed in a smaller city, you learn fast but the beginning of this experience would have been much easier had I been able to understand the language a bit better, at least at an A2 level
Pros
  • Learn Spanish fast
  • Experience Spanish culture and food
  • Make new friends and travel
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Gracie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Au Pair in Albacete, Spain

I had an amazing experience being an Au pair in Spain. This was hugely part to Destino Idiomas and my host family. The process to becoming an au pair went smoothly with the help of Ana. I cannot thank my host family enough for the amazing experience. I was always made to feel welcome and supported by them. I was fortunate enough to go on a few trips with my host family and for them to show and teach me about Spanish culture.
I absolutely recommend Destino Idiomas to become an Au Pair in Spain!

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
One thing that surprised me the most was having the opportunity to go skiing with my host family.
Pros
  • Opportunities to travel Spain
  • Built my confidence
  • Improve my knowledge of the Spanish language and culture
Cons
  • Experiencing loneliness
  • Some language barriers
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Elizabeth
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Au Pair in Asturias, Spain

I stayed in Gijon, which is a costal city in Asturias, in the north of Spain for a period of 12 weeks. Overall the experience was really good for me. I initially wanted to come to improve my Spanish, learn more bout the culture, and explore a bit too- in the end, I feel that as well as doing this, the experience has helped me further improve my confidence, learn how to deal with language barriers, and in my case due to befriending some international students in the area (from Europe and Latin America), my cultural knowledge of not only Spain significantly increased too.

Ana (from Destino Idiomas) was very helpful throughout the process, and patient with me. She made the matching process much easier, and consistently checked up on me once I was in Spain too. The family I was with had had au pairs before so were very welcoming from the start, didn’t mind clarifying things when I was uncertain, and all of my au pair duties were completely manageable. I found that I very quickly got used to the routine.

In terms of money, I ended up saving up less than I intended to, as my weekly spending was much higher than usual, but this was due to doing more than usual- my main costs were bus/train tickets to other cities, buying things such as snacks on trips, some hygiene products, and even a few souvenirs. But even though I personally didn’t end up saving up much, I still made enough to cover the costs of coming, so I had no net loss, and many of these costs could easily be reduced.

I believe au pairing is a great way to be completely immersed in the culture of a certain country. Personally, in my free time over the weekends, I often went out either exploring Gijon or other nearby cities and villages. Spain is a beautiful country and even in the early spring, there was lots of nature to be seen. I was able to do some short hiking routes, and I got to try some ‘typical’ Spanish foods from different places too.
Overall it was a great way for me to see another part of the world and experience another culture, I would highly recommend au pairing to anyone thinking about it and using Destino Idiomas to do so.

Pros
  • Weekly spending money- more cost effective than just travelling
  • Getting to know different lifestyles/ learning cultural differences
  • In a city- lots of things to see and do, even to just go on a walk
Cons
  • Some difficulty communicating with people outside of the family, due to having a relatively low Spanish-speaking level
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Izzie
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing!

This was such an amazing experience for me to improve my Spanish, be fully immersed in Spanish culture, and form a strong relationship with my host family (who I continue to be in touch with to this day). Destino idiomas greatly helped the smoothness of the process and it was very easy for me to find a host family that suited me best. As I was offered a range of families in a range of locations.
I would definitely recommend this experience to anyone of a range of ages and previous experience. As even those with a lower language ability will still highly benefit from this.

Programs

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Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Ana M. Usieto

Job Title
Director

What is your favorite travel memory?

There is a special memory for every trip I have made.

The first that comes to mind is my first trip to London when I was quite young. Coming from a medium size city in Spain, London and its diversity and multicultural flavor left a big impression on me.

I also have fond memories of my travel to Istanbul - the light, the sounds, the nature, and kind people. I love how contemporary New York and Berlin are.

Every place has its charm, and so it is the case with Spain, the wild and evergreen nature on the North, the light of the Mediterranean, its deep roots in Castille, its traditional festivities all over the country, especially in the summer…

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

I have been working in the au pair business for many years, but decided to run my own agency in 2013. It has allowed me to have more control and develop more personal work. I believe it has therefore allowed me to grow more professional.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

I could mention some, but what I always like most it is the fact that all of them agree that their initial fears or hesitations when they started their own travel experience, mainly as au pairs, fade away after the first weeks of stay and they allow themselves to open their minds.

Participants quickly realize that they can have their own opinion on countries and their people from their own first-hand experience. I also like when I see that they have grown as individuals and are able to have a positive outlook despite experiencing some of the more difficult elements of travel.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

I would choose our Au Pair in Spain program - it is a very successful one. Spanish families are really keen on taking an au pair into their homes and lives, and are willing to show them around and make them feel at home.

Whether it is a short stay in the summer from one to three months or a long stay from 6 to 12 months, Au pair in Spain allow young men and women to get to know Spain and its diversity and improve their Spanish through an affordable program that includes board, lodging and a living stipend, as well as enough free time to attend Spanish lessons, and the freedom make the most of their time abroad.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

Destino Idiomas is a small company that deals with no more than what it can manage. This way, close control and personal customer care is taken. We establish a close relationship with our host families and au pairs, keeping communication open at all times as our key to success. We do not offer false expectations and provide support all through the matching process to ensure that both parts get best possible match.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

As I mentioned above, a constant and good level of communication between all parts: the agency, families, and au pair candidates. Additionally, honesty in the service delivered and support to both our host families and au pairs are the fundamental pillars on which we construct our working method.