Au Pair in Spain - Summer or Academic Year

Since March 2017, I'm living on the island Fuerteventura and working as an Au Pair. I have one word to describe the past 8 months; wonderful!.

The family I work with is amazing, I feel like a family member and the kids treat me like a big sister; which is also the reason that I decided to stay not for 6 months, but for 13 months!

When I applied at the company in the Netherlands, the told me about Destino Idiomas and about how they work. Every now and then I receive an email or phone call from them to check up on me!. I really appreciate that!.

Working here in Spain is wonderful and working with a organisation that is supportive and keeps contact during your stay makes it even better!

I chose to work with Destino Idiomas because I consider the director, Ana, straightforward, honest, and an Au Pair advocate, having been one herself. She was very supportive throughout my home-stay.

I strongly advise taking full advantage of the placement process. I was not completely satisfied with my placement; however I do take responsibility for this because for the most part, it was my lack of communication and specificity about what I wanted that resulted in my placement.

If you want to be within walking distance from grocery stores, cafes, and parks, I recommend clarifying that with the agency and host family. I requested a small town, thinking that it would be similar to where I am from in terms of layout and accessibility, however the family lived in a small neighborhood on the outskirts of a town, and a fifteen minute drive from any business establishments. I think its important to factor in what activities you will want to do in your free time when choosing a location. Also, I would suggest being flexible with your criteria— for example, although my host family lived in a more isolated area than I would have liked, this was was made up in part for by the fact that they had relatives and friends living nearby so the house was always full of guests and activity.

I also recommend thinking critically about the child care you can provide, and what type of family fits your expectations. I was placed with a child with challenging behaviors, thinking that I was prepared for the work because I had previous experience with children labeled difficult. However, I had worked with children with challenging behavior in the range of 3-4 years-old and 10-11 years-old, rather than 5-6 year-old, and the difference threw me off guard. That being said, I had no previous experience working with children 11-13 months, and I ended up having an amazing time bonding with host family’s baby, and thoroughly enjoyed watching her learn to speak and walk!

Finally, be specific about your expectations when talking with the family ahead of time, and find out theirs, in order to get a more realistic image. For example, over phone call or email, ask them what a typical work day will be like, and communicate what you have envisioned. That way, you can adjust your expectations before arriving.

Maybe specificaly in Sanxenxo or Pontevedra (weekends). I have never been before more than 2 weeks without my family, friends, in a completely different place, etc. It was my first experience like an au-pair. But this decision - to travel like an au-pair, was one of the best in my life. You can recognize various unknown things, other culture, people, do something you have never done before...
Of course that nothing is perfect. First week I had various problems, but your host family, people from the agency, friends or family from your country can help you. Or other au-pairs. :) I met one Canadian au-pair in Sanxenxo. First I was quite shy, however she was a big support for me. We have got some of the same views. We tried to speak Spanish together, to know the country from which the other is, our host families and town...
My host family was like my real family. Parents of girls were very nice to me (I took care of 2 girl - 8 and 5 years old). When they had some doubts, they usually told me it. It is important to know, what you should do in better way. Their cleaning lady always had some advice, what I should do with girls.
Great luck for me was tutoring from Spanish. I had 2 clases/week with a very sympathetic and dear lady. The last Saturday we did excursion together to a place with beautiful views to ocean. I hope that I do a progress in Spanish.
Thank you very much to the family, agency from Spain and from Czech Republic!
I really miss these moments and Spain, too.

I absolutely enjoyed my time as an Au pair on the Canary Islands.
Needless to say; the weather was quite beautiful most of the time. More importantly, the family I was placed in was warm and welcoming, they showed me around the island and made me a member of their family. Though living on an island without a university and only about one hundred thousand people could get a little bit lonely, this also depends largely on your own efforts. The agency helped out with that, giving the option to join a distinct group in an app for meeting new people. In addition, they were always there for me when I had questions or problems, or just wanted someone to practice my Spanish language skills with!
Muchas gracias, tuve un tiempo maravilloso!