AU PAIR PROGRAM

What is an Au Pair?

The Au Pair Program is an arrangement that allows young people between 18 and 30 years old to spend a long time in a foreign country in order to learn the language of that country.

The au pair will live in a family as an equal family member, and the host family will provide accommodation, full board and pocket money 70€  per week in Spain. The relationship between the au pair and the family is absolutely personal, and its success will generally depend on the family’s willingness to help the au pair to organize her/his studies and free time, as well as the au pair’s willingness to carry out her/his duties. Under no circumstances should this arrangement be considered as a domestic service.

Au Pairs are considered “older brothers or sisters” by children, and are expected to become additional members of the host family. For both parties, the Au Pair program is an excellent way to be part of a cultural exchange and an opportunity to get to know something new and interesting.

What do we offer?

It is primarily child care, light housework and language teaching. The work will last between 5/6 hours a day from Monday to Friday (between 25 and 30 hours a week), including hours dedicated to babysitting. During periods of school vacations and if the family needs it, the au pair may be required to provide additional services for which they will also be paid additional pocket money depending on the extra help received.

Importantly, we must not forget that the au pair program is intended for people who want to learn the language and culture of the host family, so, although they can teach their language to the family, they should not be speaking all day in their own language or any other language.

Advantages and program benefits

The au pair must be paid the amount of 70€ for approximately 25-30 hours a week, and with extra money or free time for additional work. The au pair will work 6 hours a day, and can never be made to work more than two hours extra. Most families pay the monthly transportation fee, accommodation in a separate room and full board 7 days a week. The au pair will have enough time to attend Spanish language courses or improve their cultural and professional training and their weekly rest will be full Saturdays and Sundays. After a stay with the family of 6 months the au pair will have 1 week of vacation paid for by the family, or 2 weeks after a 1 year stay with the family.

In any case, the cost of travel and studies in Spain is covered by the au pair, as well as the costs of the Spanish courses attended in Spain, while in most cases the cost of of insurance is shared. Habitants of the EU are covered by health insurance within the countries of the union. If the au pair does not live in the European Union or can not receive this insurance for any reason, he/she must get another insurance valid for his/her whole stay before his/her departure.

HOST FAMILIES:

This is an ideal solution for those families who want to have a quality service for the care of their children, giving them the opportunity to learn other languages.
The duration of the program depends on the needs of each family and the time in which the candidate is willing to live in another country. The duration of stay can be between 1 to 3 months up to a year.

At our agency we prepare a detailed profile of the families and a complete profile of each au pair. We make a pre-selection of all the files that we have and we provide the host families with profiles that best fit their needs and their form of life. In any case, we guarantee the families that if two months from the arrival of the au pair at the home of the host family, things are not going as expected in principle or, if coexistence is impossible, there is a possibility of changing the au pair for another one that best suits the requirements of the applicants. Although these situations rarely occur, we are willing to do everything possible so that our clients enjoy this experience with total peace of mind and security.

The great cultural exchange is one of the main advantages of having an Au Pair. As part of the program, participants will share with the family intricacies of their culture and language. This helps children have an international experience without leaving home. Similarly, living with a native speaker of English, French, German, etc makes it easier for children to learn a new language and put it into practice.

DO YOU WANT TO BE AN AU PAIR?

General requirements

• Age 18 to 30 on the date of arrival (varies by country of destination)
• Minimum availability for 6 months throughout the school year. In summer there are
  families that accept 2-3 month stays, but that is the minimum. In the USA the minimum
  stay is 12 months.
• Have experience and interest in working with children. Be able to provide references
  for child care. If you do not have many references, we recommend you offer yourself in
  your community to volunteer with children or contact nurseries that accept volunteers to
  help them, and thus be able to accumulate experience and references.
• You must like children and have the ability to deal with them.
  It is advisable to have an English level: Basic / Intermediate, enough to have simple
  conversations.
• Be an open, flexible and prepared person to adapt to the new country and its culture.
• Single and without children
• Be a non-smoker or be willing not to smoke at home or in the presence of children.
• Health status suitable for living and working with children.
• Absence of criminal record
• Qualification for child care highly valued
• Driving license will be assessed
• First aid certificate will be highly valued and some families require it.

We recommend the completion of the basic online first aid course of the Red Cross for Spanish au pairs.