Country guides · Au pairs and families
Being an au pair in Spain
Later days, bigger families, warmer weather and a looser framework than northern Europe — what that means in practice.
6 min read · Updated January 2026
The rhythm of the day
Spanish households run late by northern European standards. Lunch is the big meal, often at 2pm. Dinner is at 9 or 9.30, and young children are frequently awake until 10. Your working hours will cluster in the late afternoon and evening rather than the early morning.
The paperwork
Spain has no dedicated au pair visa for most nationalities. The standard route for non-EU au pairs is a student visa attached to an accredited Spanish language course of enough hours, which permits limited part-time activity. Get the course enrolment first, then apply.
The language
Spanish families often want English spoken with the children, which is great for them and a trap for you — if every hour at home is in English, your Spanish will not move. Protect the language course, and find a local activity where nobody speaks English.
Good to know
August empties the cities; many families go to the coast and expect the au pair to come along (those are working days). Extended family are around constantly, which is warm but means less privacy than you may expect.
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