Destino Idiomas

I stayed in Gijon, which is a costal city in Asturias, in the north of Spain for a period of 12 weeks. Overall the experience was really good for me. I initially wanted to come to improve my Spanish, learn more bout the culture, and explore a bit too- in the end, I feel that as well as doing this, the experience has helped me further improve my confidence, learn how to deal with language barriers, and in my case due to befriending some international students in the area (from Europe and Latin America), my cultural knowledge of not only Spain significantly increased too.

Ana (from Destino Idiomas) was very helpful throughout the process, and patient with me. She made the matching process much easier, and consistently checked up on me once I was in Spain too. The family I was with had had au pairs before so were very welcoming from the start, didn’t mind clarifying things when I was uncertain, and all of my au pair duties were completely manageable. I found that I very quickly got used to the routine.

In terms of money, I ended up saving up less than I intended to, as my weekly spending was much higher than usual, but this was due to doing more than usual- my main costs were bus/train tickets to other cities, buying things such as snacks on trips, some hygiene products, and even a few souvenirs. But even though I personally didn’t end up saving up much, I still made enough to cover the costs of coming, so I had no net loss, and many of these costs could easily be reduced.

I believe au pairing is a great way to be completely immersed in the culture of a certain country. Personally, in my free time over the weekends, I often went out either exploring Gijon or other nearby cities and villages. Spain is a beautiful country and even in the early spring, there was lots of nature to be seen. I was able to do some short hiking routes, and I got to try some ‘typical’ Spanish foods from different places too.
Overall it was a great way for me to see another part of the world and experience another culture, I would highly recommend au pairing to anyone thinking about it and using Destino Idiomas to do so.

This was such an amazing experience for me to improve my Spanish, be fully immersed in Spanish culture, and form a strong relationship with my host family (who I continue to be in touch with to this day). Destino idiomas greatly helped the smoothness of the process and it was very easy for me to find a host family that suited me best. As I was offered a range of families in a range of locations.
I would definitely recommend this experience to anyone of a range of ages and previous experience. As even those with a lower language ability will still highly benefit from this.

I stayed in the beautiful city of Santiago de Compostela for 8 weeks with a wonderful family. I felt immediately welcomed and put at ease, and had a lovely home to stay in. The family were very relaxed, but it was still good to check in with them about my responsibilities as an au pair. They were very flexible with my needs and even helped me arrange local trips and Spanish lessons. I would spend my set hours with the children during the day, and then in the afternoon I would visit the city, go to Spanish classes, or spend time with the family if they were going to the beach! At the weekend the family would always invite me to join them with their plans if I wanted to.

Ana from the agency was also extremely helpful, she gave me potential options that would suit me and helped me find the perfect family. A major positive of this agency was that they were able to accommodate the length of the trip I wanted whereas other agencies expected a 3 month stay (whereas I could only go for a duration of 8 weeks due to work commitments). Ana regularly checked up with me throughout my time in Spain and I felt I could talk to her about any problems I had (luckily there weren’t any) and we even met up for coffee! She also made sure I was in contact with other au pairs in the area in case I got lonely.

Santiago de Compostela is a very historical city with a grand cathedral and lots of tourists during the summer due to the Día De Santiago occurring on 25th July, with lots of pilgrims attending from around the world. This meant that there were always events and celebrations on during the month of July and even in August. Everything is within walking distance in the city, as well as having good train links to other key areas in Galicia.

This was the most incredible experience I have ever had. I got to learn a new language while staying with an amazing family. They were so welcoming and I felt like part of the family. I was full immersed in Spanish culture and loved every moment. We attended most of the festivals that occurred during my stay as well as family events. The children were very energetic and we spent most days running around in the park, exploring the area or playing in the pool. This was honestly the best experience I have ever done and I would highly recommend.

I was an Au Pair in Vigo for 4 weeks and I had the most amazing experience. I was with a family who were so supportive and they took me to see amazing things and I saw so many places. However sometimes I got lonely but I think this was due to me being out of season. Ana was amazing and was always checking up on me and I met her for a coffee. I also did some solo travelling on one of the weekends which was amazing also. I would 100% recommend this agency to anyone and also the chance at becoming an Au Pair.