Finding/vetting a nanny in Spain!

[MyKidsThrowFood]

I have a wedding in Spain (Marbella) next year. Kids aren't invited so need to find a nanny out there to look after my two (both under 5) on the wedding day. The problem is I have no idea what questions to ask to vet them! What's the Spanish equivalent of a DBS check? What are the different childcare qualifications I should ask about?
Help from any Spanish mums, holiday-goers or expats in Spain would be much appreciated. feeling quite intimidated by the whole prospect as have only ever left my DSs with people I know really well!

What day(s) of the week would you need childcare? What month?

There are not really "nannies" as such out here.
You will get a student or lovely older lady who does ad hoc childcare. DBS check, not really a thing.

I would use an agency, if you just try and get someone ad hoc they may not turn up and then you have the added stress of finding someone else.

https://www.childcaremarbella.com/

PS I'm not recommending them, they just came up on a google search.

Would it be an option to pay for a friend or family member to fly out with you?

@NannyR sadly most family and friends will be at the wedding. It's a big one!

That was exactly my thought.

What day and key the month?

@adriftabroad sounds like you speak from experience. Do you/have you lived in Spain? Is there no Spanish equivalent of a criminal record background check? Surely nursery workers or teachers etc would need something?!

@adriftabroad - it's June 2024. Friday/Saturday afternoon and evening

There are UK nanny agencies who would be able to find you a nanny to fly out with you, it will be more expensive but you have the option of letting the children get to know the nanny before you go (and also extra help on the journey).

@veryberrypericherry how expensive are we talking? Have you used any you can recommend?

Ahhh I'm sorry I have no idea of prices but definitely ring a few agencies. I worked abroad as a nanny for peanuts back in the 90s! Absolutely steal I was 😂
There are good agencies in Bristol/London & SW but I don't know where you're based or if that matters.

Or you could contact a local UNI/College to ask if there is a student with relevant qualifications (they'd have DBS if on a child related/education course) to see if there's anyone who'd be interested in this. It could be that they do some babysitting for you and through the year and then go on the trip?

Hi OP, yes I live in Spain. In Valencia though: Marbella/Malaga is far more Britcentric so may be slightly different.

I really do not know about DBS checks. But I teach and have never been asked for one.

August would have been impossible, so great that it is June. Your best option is as a poster said above, to fly someone with you. Things like this need booking (obviously) and I really would not rely on booking so far in advance in Spain. I am not sure such things really exist. (Thing youre after, I mean)

An idea (that they do at Spanish weddings) is to get organisers to sort a "creche catered for room" for babies etc with some local nice older teens helping one main person in charge. It would work if there were several children.

They do it in many restaurants and venues.

The problem is, child free is not really a thing here as much as UK. (I wish it was)

As it is a weekend, nurseries are out plus you need to be resident to enrol.

I would advertise privately in the UK for a DBS checked au pair, willing to go to Spain for a weekend in June! Flights paid - Accomodation paid 400 euro?

have you considered leaving the children with a family member in the UK?
that would be my presence. Otherwise I probably wouldn’t be going at all tbh

@StillWantingADog we are part of the wedding party so not an option not to go. Family are either at the wedding or not young/well/brave enough to look after two under-5s for a long weekend!

Fair enough but I do wonder what the B&G expect you to do. guess they don’t have kids or their own yet so reckon just finding some sort of babysitter you’d be happy with will be easy….not likely

Yes I think it's exactly that. They don't have kids so don't see the issue. When we've raised the issue it has caused tension as they obviously don't want to worry about our kids in relation to their big day. Fair enough I guess but inevitably we will want to prioritise what's best for our kids over anything else.

To be fair, we had no kids at our wedding so can't judge. But it was in the U.K. and no one coming from abroad had kids, so didn't seem like such a big ask to get a babysitter.

Maybe should have posted this on AIBU

Hi - just to add that the equivalent of a DBS is called the Certificado de Delitos Sexuales and it’s a requirement for anyone working with children.

I’m head of department in a Spanish school and work for an exam board and we can’t hire anyone without them, even just to invigilate an exam. They’re easy to get from the police, and free, so don’t be worried about asking for it.

As it's so far in advance I'd join a couple of local expat forums and ask. You could fly out a couple of days early to meet someone? A TEFL teacher might do it to earn a bit of extra cash?

June is end of term in Spain. No way a TEFL teacher will be able to do it. Or any teacher!

I thought it was YOUR wedding OP!

I would not be going. What a palavar. No way.

…and it absolutely is an option to not go at all!

The wedding is the Saturday after the end of term isn't it?

Thanks for that! I am about to set up my own school and it was on my list of things to sort out.

Nobody asks for it in my province but I want/need to have it for my own peace of mind (I have an English one)