Program Reviews

I was an au pair near Valencia in summer 2021.
Ana, who will be your main point of contact at Destino Idiomas, was extremely helpful during the entire process. For the application she made a template document which was easy to fill out. Then for the matching process she tried her best to meet my preferences, although this is not always possible. I must also say, Ana is very polite and you can never ask her too many questions, she always replied quickly and with good advice.
Being an au pair at a young age has been a challenging but very rewarding experience. I would say that, make sure you are prepared to be away from your family and friends for a long period of time, especially during covid as meeting new people (other than the host family) may be reduced depending on your host family!
Being an au pair is not easy, getting used to a completely different country and family can be scary but luckily my host family were very supportive and helped me fit in with them as quickly as possible! They have taken me to several places across Valencia. I have also improved my Spanish a lot and learnt a lot I’d have never learnt in a class room.
As well as this, I’ve formed a very special bond with my host family, especially the children which I will never forget. My host family were very helpful especially when I began to miss my family, they supported me.

Therefore, I 100% recommend destino idiomas as Ana is very helpful and there is no fee unlike other au pair programmes. Just have in mind that there will be other expenses including your DBS check, passport, flights, travel insurance etc!!

Destino Idiomas is amazing! The application process is extremely easy as Ana made a template and prompts that allow you to know exactly what you need to in order to create a great application. I recommend this programme to everyone; there is no fee and you are able to earn money without having to pay rent or for essentials!

I was able to match with a family in the exact area I wanted to stay and I loved being in Cordoba! Despite coronavirus I was still able to enjoy being in Spain, improve my Spanish and be immersed into the culture. I learnt so much and am so happy for the experience. It is completely different to the tourist experience of Spain and I was able to understand the country and Spaniards a lot better! It was a great segway to my university studies (I am studying Spanish) as I was able to improve my fluency and learn a lot about cultural customs. I was able to go to socially distanced concerts, outdoor cinema, visit Castles and Churches, historic sites, go hiking, swim in a stream by a waterfall, eat lots of paella and get to know a family really well!
Ana is very professional but also very kind, I can't thank her enough!

I stayed in Ourense for 9 months and had an incredible experience. My host family was very welcoming and helped me adjust to the differences in life here. They truly want their au pair to be part of the family, and the whole time I felt valued and loved. My host mom was very understanding and gave me a lot of freedom to go out at night and travel to other cities on the weekends. Ana from Destino Idioms also helped me when I had some small problems and periodically checked in to make sure I was doing well.
I had a unique experience because I decided to stay with my family during the Coronavirus quarantine, which was especially strict in Spain. My host family was very understanding during such a difficult situation, and my host mom and I shared the responsibilities of taking care of the kids. Ultimately, we spend 6 weeks indoors and were able to get even closer through the experience.
I feel that during my au pair year, I was very lucky in terms of finding my family and choosing to live in Galicia. The people here were all very friendly, and the surrounding country and cities are beautiful. My Spanish improved a ton, I became part of a family here, and I made memories that will last a lifetime. I would recommend that anyone considering taking an au pair year should do it!

I contacted Ana as a bright eyed 18-year-old wanting to immerse myself in the Spanish culture and improve my language. I left my host family feeling like a completely new person- I built a strong connection with my host family, I experienced working hard for the first time and I improved my Spanish massively. It’s definitely a life changing experience, but Ana was available for support whenever it was difficult. I grew up a lot through this experience and I recommend it for anyone seeking a challenge!

Wow! One word: Challenge. But a good one. It was a great experience, and I grew a lot as a person. Why challenging? Because you will have to adapt to another lifestyle, living with a family you do not know and far away from your friends and family. But that is exactly at the same time the beauty. Your host family will guide you and will make you feel at home, so no worries! It is almost guaranteed that you will grow! so dont doubt it and just go for it. to me it has been an experience i am happy i did not missed it.

This past summer, I spent two months in Galicia, Spain with a wonderful family I met through Destino Idiomas. Ana was very helpful in guiding me through the family-selection process, as this was my first time as an au pair. After I arrived, Ana checked in with me to see how I was doing for the first few weeks, and even after she stopped checking in, I knew she was still a resource for me. It was very comforting to know that if something went wrong, I would have help nearby because my family was back in the United States. In fact, one time, I had stomach issues and went to the clinic, and Ana was on the phone and able to translate for me. I improved exponentially in my Spanish through little effort on my part because I was constantly surrounded my Spanish. I learned so much about Galician culture and fell in love with their wonderful food. During my free time, I took weekends trips with other au pairs from Destino Idiomas that Ana put me in contact with. Although this experience was ony two months, I grew and learned so much and made lifelong friends.

During this past summer I had the amazing opportunity to live with a great family in Valladolid, Spain. This was an experience I will never forget, I was able to meet many new people, both locals and others in the Au Pair program. My Spanish improved exponentially even with minimal effort on my part. And I met an amazing little girl that I was lucky to take care of for 10 weeks. I also had the opportunity to travel every weekend which allowed me to get a greater cultural experience. Through my agency I was guided from the beginning of my experience when I was preparing to leave, throughout with phone calls to check in, and at the end with follow up messages to make sure I enjoyed my time in Valladolid, Spain. I would recommend this experience to anyone looking to go outside their comfort zone and learn about a new culture.

I had a great time in Spain! I've been an au pair in Barcelona for 6 months and really enjoyed my time here. I was able to meet a lot of people from all over the world, learn and improve my spanish and learn more about myself and what I want in life. Being an au pair is truly an amazing experience and you will definitely become more independent.

I am Dutch and was staying with a dutch family, so if you want to learn or improve your spanish my tip would be to stay with a spanish family. This way you will learn quicker because you only hear spanish and you don't have to switch between languages.

I would definitely recommend this program! Ana always let us know when there was a national holiday or when events would happen near you and she also checked up on you every once in a while.

I've been an au pair in Santiago de Compostela for 8 months. The day after I arrived, I went to the office of Destino Idiomas to introduce myself. Ana, from Destino Idiomas, told me a lot about the city and we had lunch together. My hostfamily was amazing, they showed me the city and made me feel at home. Ana was checking on me every once in a while. I didn't have any troubles, but it was nice to know that there was someone in case I needed help.

I've had an amazing time during my stay in Santiago de Compostela. I've visited lots of places, I've made new friends and I feel like my hostfamily became my second family.

Unfortunately, I had to leave Spain earlier than planned, because of a small accident. I've been in the hospital for a surgery and Ana from Destino Idiomas came to visit me. She supported me in my decision to go home earlier and she helped me with everything she could. I would've prefered to finish my gap year differently, but I still look back at it with a big smile.

I had a good time in Spain! To be honest it is hard to give a review because I was really lucky with my family. I have a sweet loving family and we get along very well, but it is never sure if it’ll be like that for someone else. I stayed in Ourense and I am glad i chose this city. There are not that many aupairs but there is a big English community here and the people here in Galicia are the kindest people i’ve ever met. The food here is good and it’s easy to travel around with for instance Blablacar or bus.
I feel like it will be really difficult for me to go back to my own life and leave my hostmother, children and friends here behind, but i am glad i will always have a home here in Spain if I decide to go back. Which I probably will. Groetjes Michelle