Au Pair Life in Spain: What's It Really Like?

Before you pack up and move abroad, you better be certain au pair life is right for you.

To help you determine if you should be an au pair abroad, I’m sharing what a typical day in the life of an au pair looks like.

This post was originally published on Oct. 13, 2014, and updated on Feb. 18, 2020.

In the fall of 2014, I moved to Spain and lived with a family in a small town outside of Madrid as their au pair. My host family, who I’m still in contact with today, has two boys (Carlos and Pablo).

At the time, Carlos was nine years old. Pablo was seven years old.

Before I dive into what a typical day in the life of an au pair is like, I thought I’d answer a few frequently asked questiions about au pair life.

What is being an au pair like?

I loved my au pair host family in Spain. Thinking about becoming an au pair? Read this post to see if au pair life is right for you. — Me and my host family in Spain! We’re still in contact, and I’ve visited them multiple times since I was their au pair.

Being an au pair is a lot like being a big sister—at least, that’s the type of relationship my host family in Spain encouraged,

Host families who welcome an au pair into their home understand they’re not getting a childcare professional. My host family wanted an au pair that would be a positive influence on their children and expose them to a different culture.

From the get-go, I was treated like family—never like an employee. Being an au pair was like going to stay with distant relatives I’d never met. We were only strangers for a short while, then my host family’s house in Spain felt like home.

Related Reading:

What is the difference between a nanny and au pair?

Having been both a nanny and an au pair, I can say with confidence the two positions are NOTHING a like.

The primary difference between a nanny and an au pair is that a nanny is an employee while an au pair is a part of the family.

When I was a nanny, I earned significantly more money and, therefore, had significantly more responsibilities.

Also, as an au pair, cultural immersion was a very big part of the equation. My host mom expected me to speak with Carlos and Pablo in English when we were at home, but she wanted me to speak Spanish everywhere else so I could improve my own language skills.

I very much felt like my host mom, Veronica, genuinely cared about me. She was hosting an au pair not only to expose her own children to another culture but also to give a young person the opportunity to experience another way of life.

How many hours a day does an au pair work?

There's so much more to being an au pair than playing with your host family. Find out what a typical day in the life of an au pair is like. — Being an au pair in Spain is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! When I signed my au pair contract, I had no idea how much fun I’d end up loving my host family.

As an au pair, I worked approximately two hours per day (Monday-Friday).

One of those hours was in the morning, and the other was in the afternoon. I never worked on the weekend.

This is fairly typical for Spain, where au pairs don’t earn a salary. Instead I got “pocket money,” which was €50 per week.

What does an au pair do?

It was my responsibility to wake the boys up in the morning, help them get ready and take them to school. This included making sure they got out of bed, making them breakfast and driving/walking them to school.

In the afternoon, I picked them up from school and took them to their grandmother’s house to eat lunch. Once we were back home, I’d help them with their homework (specifically, English) until my host mom or dad got home from work.

Do au pairs clean?

Cleaning wasn’t part of my au pair duties. My host family had a cleaning person that came in once or twice per week.

I did clean up after myself and kept my room tidy just like I would at home.

Au Pair Life: Here’s What It’s Really Like

Now, to help you decide if au pair life is right for you, here’s what a typical day in the life of an au pair is like. This is obviously my own experience.

For another au pair’s experience, check out this Go Oversea’s post detailing a typical day in the life of an au pair in Ibiza, Spain.

Of course, anyone who’s ever worked with children knows there are no ~*typical*~ days. Each one is a little bit different, but that’s what kept the job so fun and interesting.

Rise and Shine

7:45 AM : My alarm goes off telling me to wake up. I hit snooze.

7:54 AM : Snooze time is up, and my alarm sounds again. Every minute (more like every second) counts in the morning, so I know I have to get out of bed—even though I’d much rather stay under the covers.

7:56 AM : Wash face. Put contacts in. Brush hair. Get dressed. I only have a few minutes to get myself ready before it’s time to wake the boys up.

8 AM : Rather than just ripping back their covers, I wake the boys up gradually with music. I go with some happy T Swift or chill Frank Ocean. On Fridays, I play Miley, and the first song is usually “Wrecking Ball.”

Come On, Boys

8:05 AM : Phase two of the wake up commences. I go into Pablo’s room first where I open the curtains, turn on a light and put his clothes on the bed. He’s more inclined to get dressed faster if he doesn’t have to set foot on the cold, tile floor. Understandable.

8:06 AM : I walk down the hall to Carlos’ room and repeat. Carlos is much more reluctant to wake up and ignores me when I say good morning.

8:15 AM : After I’ve finished getting ready, I go back and check on the boys again. Pablo is up and pulling on his school uniform, but Carlos has his covers up over his head. I have to take all the blankets and top sheet off the bed to get him moving.

Making Breakfast

8:17 AM : I go downstairs to get breakfast prepared. All that entails is setting out milk, Nesquick, glasses, spoons and straws. Breakfast is simple, and I’m so very thankful for that.

8:20 AM : Once the boys’ breakfast is laid out, I make myself a piece of toast with peanut butter and sliced banana. I also boil water for green tea.

8:22 AM: Carlos and Pablo make their way downstairs (finally). If they’re not down by 8:25 AM, I go back upstairs to check on them. Last week, I went upstairs to find Carlos still in bed…that was a fun morning.

Getting Out the Door

8:30 AM : It doesn’t take long for the boys to finish their breakfasts. When they’re done, they brush their teeth and comb their hair. If it was up to them, they would forgo hygiene altogether. Few words are exchanged in the morning because everyone is so tired.

8:40 AM : Leave for school. In September, we walked to school, but now that the mornings have gotten a bit chilly, we take the car.

8:45 AM : Arrive at school. It’s just around the corner from the house. Yet another reason to be grateful. I park and walk the boys up to the front gate where we say goodbye, which is just me yelling “Hasta luego!” as they run off to catch up with friends.

Language Classes in Madrid

8:46 AM : I leave the car parked at the school and walk down to the bus stop.

9:05 AM (if I’m lucky) : The bus arrives to take me to Madrid. Most days, it’s late.

9:45 AM : I arrive at Plaza de Castilla and switch public transportation. From Castilla, I take the metro to Puerta del Sol.

10:15 AM : At long last, the commute is over, and I’m in the city center. My language school is a two-minute walk from the station.

10:30 AM : Class begins. I grab a desk by the window in hopes that fresh air will keep me awake.

12:30 PM : Class ends. Back to the metro. Back to Plaza de Castilla.

1:50 PM : The bus leaves Castilla. Yeah, I have to wait a bit in the station, but there’s wifi, so I don’t mind.

Lunch & Au Pair Free Time

2:30 PM : Back in Alalpardo. I walk to my host grandmother’s house for lunch. Every day is something different and delicious. Even if it wasn’t, I’d probably scarf it down anyway since I haven’t eaten since 8:30 AM.

3 PM : I walk home. Our house is just down the street from the grandparents’ house. I have the rest of the afternoon to nap, study, Skype and blog.

Picking the Boys Up from School

4:45 PM : Walk to school to collect the boys and the car. I drop them off at their grandparents’ house for a snack.

6 PM : The boys return to the house after finishing their snack, and we start homework. Carlos gets right to business, but Pablo…well, not so much. If Juan Luis worked first shift, he’s home to help me.

On my au pair contract, it said my au pair duties included helping the children with their homework. Helping Carlos with his English homework was one of my favorite parts of au pair life. — Before you sign your au pair contract in Spain, make sure you clarify your au pair responsibilities with your host family. One of my duties was helping Carlos with his homework after school.

Free from Au Pair Duty

7:30 PM : Veronica gets home for work, and I’m off au pair duty.

7:45 PM : I lace up and hit the pavement for an evening run. Lots of other people are out as well running, biking or walking their dogs. Alalpardo has many dirt paths to choose from, and the setting sun provides a gorgeous backdrop.

8:45 PM : Finish my run. Stretch. Shower.

Eating Dinner with my Host Family

10 PM : Dinner is served. Like her mother-in-law, Veronica is a really good cook. The meal is light but satisfying.

10:30 PM : Clean up dinner. Get ready for bed.

Nighty Night

11 PM : One last scroll through Instagram and Twitter.

11:30 PM : Goodnight.

A Day in the Life of An Au Pair

So, there you have it! That was a fairly typical day in the life of an au pair according to my own au pair experience in Spain.

If you’re considering au pair life and have questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below.

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