An au pair is in charge of taking care of the children. He or she will get food and accommodation provided by the family free of charge and a small allowance in addition (sort of pocket money). The family must also allow the au pair her time off.

Most of the time, the main reason for coming to Madrid is to learn Spanish and get experience abroad. Indeed, au pairing is an ideal way to become fully involved in the Spanish way of life! During the time off, the au pair is free for what she wants to do: learning Spanish at school or being lazy in Madrid.

Au pairs are not professional child minders and will not be a qualified nanny. Au pairs should not be responsible for children under 2 years of age.

There are no conditions set to become an au pair in Madrid. However, one will probably prefer girls (it can be boys... but it's rare) between 18 and 27, citizens of the European Union (in order to avoid visa problems) and experience with children is likely to be demanded.

Family Responsibilities

When hosting an au pair, she must receive food and accommodation provided by the family. Moreover, the au pair must also receive a small allowance (weekly pocket money).

Au pairs are not professional nannies and will not be considered as such. Although there are no set conditions to become an au pair in Madrid, female citizens of the EU country members are commonly preferred (in order to avoid visa problems). Experience with children is likely to be demanded, as well as a conversational level of Spanish.

A live-in Au-Pair will cost approx. 80€ - 100€ per week and must have her own room (bathroom can be shared).

To know more about "Au Pair", consult "Practical Life" section.

Au-Pair Responsibilities

She will be in charge of taking care of the children, i.e.:

• Speak the language, at least enough to understand and talk,
• Be sure they get up on time; dress them; make sure they get dressed themselves,
• Take them to school/nursery/activity classes...,
• Play with them,
• Be in charge of their meals,
• Tidy up their rooms,
• Be free to baby-sit them if needed, some evenings.

In addition to these requirements, it is common for families to ask for non-smoking, being in possession of driver's license and responsible and non-drinkers females. Some agencies may also require time spent tutoring or a good physical and mental condition evidenced by a Physician's Report.

Where to look for a position

When looking for an au pair to hire or as a family to work for, the most popular webpages are:

• IAPA (International Au Pair Association) - https://www.iapa.org/
• IAPO (International Au Pair Organisation):
• Butterfly et Papillon: Positions in England, Eire, Spain, Italy, Germany, USA and Australia
• GreatAuPair (serving 140+ countries)
• Au Pair World – Most important free webpage where to look for an Au Pair position - https://www.aupairworld.com/

Usually agencies will ask for registration fees to the family, the au pair or both.

Another great on-line resource is to post on expat classified's, like on EasyExpat's babysitter search.

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