How to become an au pair in Spain?

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Spain has 7 different programs for the different au pair citizenships.
Choose here which programs you want to see and compare.

prerequisites for au pairs

Au pair
World
Working Holiday
New Zealand
Youth mobility
Canada

age

17 - 99

Article 4 European Agreement on "au pair" Placement.

The person placed as an "au pair" shall not be less than 17 or more than 30 years of age.
Nevertheless, exceptions to the upper age limit may be granted by the competent authority of
the receiving country in individual cases when justified.




Between eighteen (18) and thirty (30) years, both inclusive, at the time of application.

18-35

The au pair should be between the ages of 18 and 35 years inclusively on the date the application is submitted.


language skills

Minimum language skills are not defined, but we recomend to the au pair to have at least a basic knowledge (A1) of the Spanish language.



Minimum language skills are not defined to get a "Youth Mobility" visa. 

Recommendation: Au pairs will find it helpful
to speak a little Spanish upon entering the program, but it is not a requirement. Au pairs are encouraged to enroll in local language courses during their stay in Spain.

education

There are no prerequisites regarding the school education for the au pair. 


It is not a mandatory requisite to prove relevant qualifications or credentials.

marital status

There are no official rules regarding the marital status of the au pair. However, most au pair agencies request the au pair to be unmarried.

No official restriction, but most of the host families only accept unmarried au pairs. 

children

There are not official rules if the au pair is allowed to have a child/children on her/his own or can be accompanied by them. 

Please remember that every person who enters the Spanish territory has to have a valid visa or passport. 

We recommend that the au pair clarifies this in the beginning with the host family.

The au pair must not be accompanied by dependants.

There are not official rules if the au pair is allowed to have children on her/his own or can be accompanied by them. 

Please remember that every person who enters the Spanish territory has to have a valid visa or passport. 

The au pair has to clarify this with the host family.

prerequisites for families

Au pair
World
Working Holiday
New Zealand
Youth mobility
Canada

definition of family

Any couple with a child/children or a single-parent family with a child/children can become a host family.

languages of family

There are no official restrictions regarding the spoken language of the family, but since one of the main targets of the program is that the au pair improves her/his knowledge of the Spanish language, we recommend that the mother tongue of the host family is Spanish.  

citizenship of family

There are no official restrictions regarding the citizenship of the host family.

prerequisites for agencies

Au pair
World
Working Holiday
New Zealand
Youth mobility
Canada

agency support

It is not mandatory to involve an au pair agency to become an au pair in Spain.

other restrictions

Au pair
World
Working Holiday
New Zealand
Youth mobility
Canada

other restrictions

According to the European Agreement on "au pair" Placement:

Article 5

The au pair shall have a medical certificate,established less than three months before placement, declaring that person's general state of health.

Article 6

The rights and obligations of the person "au pair" and the receiving family, as those rights and obligations are defined in this Agreement, shall be the subject of an agreement in writing to be concluded between the parties in question, in the form of a single document or of an exchange of letters, preferably before the person placed "au pair" leaves the country in which
that person was resident and at latest during the first week of the placement. 

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Hi, my name is Christoph Knauer

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