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RESOURCES FOR THE EXPERIENCE

MAIN DESTINATIONS
AU PAIR PROGRAMME

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Spain

Why be an Au Pair in Spain?

Spain is a country that offers a lot of possibilities, including learning the second most spoken language in the world.

Spain has a population over 48 million inhabitants; it has always been one of the favourite touristic places not only within Europe but also at a worldwide level.

Its capital city, Madrid, as well as Barcelona, are the two cities that receive the biggest number of tourists per year, and many tourists visit La Alhambra, in Granada, the City of Arts and Sciences, in Valencia, the Great Mosque of Córdoba, the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, and small, beautiful cities like Toledo or Segovia.

Apart from the wide cultural variety you may find in Spain, there is its incomparable cuisine and a sunny weather, which will allow you to enjoy its beautiful beaches (Ibiza, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Barcelona, San Sebastián, Cíes Islands, Valencia, Alicante).

And, as if that weren't enough, do not forget the so popular festivals such as Las Fallas of Valencia or the festival of San Fermín in Pamplona, as well as the nightlife, together with the good mood of its people, which makes it a funny and friendly destination.

The main Spanish cities are:

Cities	Inhabitants
Madrid	3,255,944
Barcelona	1,621,537
Valencia	814,208
Seville	703,206
Zaragoza	674,317

Main conditions of the Au Pair programme in Spain:

Range of accepted age: 18-30 years old
Working hours: 30 hours per week, which may be extended or reduced as agreed upon with the host family and according to the weekly pay established.
Holidays and free days: the Au Pair shall have a holiday week every six months. The Au Pair must have at least one free day, always including Sundays.
Ticket expenses: the Au Pair will bear any expenses involved in her/his trip, unless the family are willing to pay such expenses, either in whole or in part.
Insurance: if the Au Pair belongs to a member state of the European Union, the Au Pair must request the European Health Card, which is valid in Spain. Furthermore, it is advisable that the host family hire an accident and liability insurance policy during the Au Pair's stay .
If the Au Pair does not come from the European Union, the Au Pair must hire an appropriate health insurance which must be paid by the Au Pair and the host family equally, unless otherwise stated in the agreement executed with the host family.
Language: you do not need any basic Spanish level at all; however, in order for the Au Pair to be integrated as soon as possible into the family life and Spanish culture, we recommend that the Au Pair have a basic Spanish level.
Weekly pay: EUR 60-90, USD 65-95, GBP 45-65

Visa:

EU or EFTA countries:

Citizens of the European Union or EFTA do not need any visa to be an Au Pair in Spain. They only need a valid passport, an agreement executed with the family, and register upon arrival in Spain for long time periods with the Registry of Inhabitants, and request a Registration Certificate of European Union citizen.

Countries having a Working Holiday visa agreement with Spain:

Australia, Canada and New Zealand have a Working Holiday agreement with Spain, therefore citizens from these countries may request this type of visa.

To that effect, they must contact the Spanish embassy in the source country in order to check requirements, expected number of visas they will need for a year and file their request.

Other countries:

Any Au Pairs not included in the foregoing list will need to request an Au Pair visa for Spain.

If your stay as an Au Pair will last less than three months, you must check if your country is exempt from requesting a visa, otherwise, you must request a short-term or a student visa.

If your stay as an Au Pair will last more than 3 months, the best option to obtain a visa is through the student visa. To that effect, you must register, before requesting the visa, with a Spanish language course, university or any course to obtain a master's degree.

In the case of the Spanish language course, to obtain the visa you must sign up for the course and submit the pertinent registration with a school supported by the Cervantes Institute and the course must last at least 20 weekly hours.

RECOMMENDED AGENCY:

If you want to be Au Pair or host Family in Spain, Ireland or UK, NeedAuPair recommends to contact the physical Au Pair agency "Vip Au Pair"

http://www.vipaupair.com/

The main objective of our Vip Au PAir is to facilitate a balanced work and family life for families, and at the same time, allow young people originating mainly from Europe to take part in the Au Pair program in safe and secure working conditions, both through the high cultural level of the families and also through the establishment of measures to avoid the exploitation of Au Pairs with working hours and allocated tasks.

All of the VIP Au Pairs, are young people between 18 – 30 years old, originating mainly from Europe, and have been carefully selected by our team, all having in common that: they like to work with children and have previous experience caring for children, and also are highly motivated to get to know the culture and language of a new country, and form part of a host family where they will fit in another family member like an older brother or sister.

Essential links:

Spanish embassies around the world

http://www.exteriores.gob.es/portal/es/serviciosalciudadano/paginas/embajadasconsulados.aspx

Information from the Government of Spain to foreigners

http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Portal/es/ServiciosAlCiudadano/InformacionParaExtranjeros/Paginas/Inicio.aspx

Cervantes Institute

http://www.cervantes.es/default.htm

Au Pair Agreement

European health card

http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=559&langId=en

Given the particular regulations of each country as regards the visa and any changes that may occur as to the process to obtain it, Needaupair.com is not responsible for the information, opinions, and advice expressed on this website and, in every case, it recommends that users get information on these topics in each reference country.

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Au pair contract

Prior to the commencement of the Au Pair programme, and as a formalisation of the agreement reached between the Au Pair and the host family, both parties shall sign an Agreement (sample of agreement), which may be modified by the parties pursuant to the conditions of the Au Pair programme in the target country.

The available sample of Au Pair agreement that you may download is based on the European agreement signed by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in January 18, 1972 (European agreement).

Nevertheless, you may use any sample of agreement accepted in the target country. It is very important to include every aspect related to your future stay as an Au Pair such as:

Data of the host family (first and last names of parents, number of kids, their ages, address, etc.) and of the Au Pair (first and last name, age, marital status, nationality, etc.).
Duration of stay (start and expiration date of the Au Pair programme).
Au Pair's weekly pay.
Number of working hours (if possible, a fixed timetable).
Tasks to be performed.
Holidays.
Board and lodging (description of room) and family rules.
Health insurance: in case a private health insurance is required, establish who will be responsible for the payment thereof.
Termination of agreement: usually the prior notice period is of 14 days.
Any other issue like costs of visas, language centres, transportation to the target country, etc.).

Likewise, it is convenient to attach the weekly planning to the Agreement, which planning shall state the timetable and main tasks to be developed by the Au Pair.

In the event the Au Pair shall need a visa to enter the target country, one of the documents that will be requested by the country's embassy is the Agreement signed by the parties.

Early termination of the Au Pair programme:

In case the Agreement has been signed for an indefinite period of time or even if signed for a certain time period, either party may early terminate the Au Pair programme by giving 14-day prior notice.

Furthermore, it may be terminated with immediate effect in case either party has committed a serious error, or if other serious circumstances require so.

During the prior-notice period, the Au Pair must live with the host family, carrying out her/his usual tasks and receiving her/his weekly pay. Should the prior-notice period not be respected by the host family, except for serious errors, the family may be responsible for any expenses incurred by the Au Pair until completion of said 14-day period (hotel, meals, transportation, etc.).