Now that it is the end of the year I thought that I would post a something about the auxiliar de conversación program in Madrid. There is a lot of confusion about what the program actually consists of because it really depends on your experience and your school placement. So I am just going to add my thoughts to the multitude of other posts by former language assistants in order to provide some clarity for future auxiliares.
1. The different programs
There are various ways to become an English Language & Culture assistant in Spain, it really just depends on what you’re looking for. In my case, I applied to all the different companies and then made my decision based on the placements that I had received from the different companies. The main ones that I know of are: Comunidad de Madrid, BEDA, CIEE, Meddeas, and Fulbright. Just to make things easier, I will give a brief explanation of each program and the pros and cons.
Comunidad de Madrid: If you go through this program, you are going directly through the Spanish government. You will have to apply online via their web platform Profex. It is pretty easy to use, but if you have any questions, just make sure to follow their step-by-step instructions so as to not mess up your application. The application opens at the beginning of January for the following school year. Placements are based on a first come first serve basis, so if you REALLY REALLY want to go through this program, I highly recommend staying up/getting up really early (depending on your time zone) to complete the online application.
Pros: You can apply for anywhere in Spain, and since you are going through the government and not the middle man, I think it makes the application process much smoother. You also get MAPFRE (the highest/most covering plan) health insurance while you’re in Spain, so going to the doctor is not a hassle at all.
Cons: Depending on where you are placed, you may or may not get paid on time. I was placed in Madrid, where typically all assistants are paid more or less on time; however, I have heard that in the South and in more rural areas, your direct deposit may be something that you have to fight for. The orientation is also a complete joke. You can ask anyone that went that it leaves you more confused than when you got there. Also, this program doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that others may have. Meaning that there isn’t really any assistance at all. They’ll give you a placement, health insurance, and a date to show up, but not much else other than that. There is a new course component that the government added this year, but it’s really more busy work than actually difficult. It’s also good to note that unless you decide to renew, you don’t actually have to complete it.
BEDA: This program works closely with the Ministry of Education. Instead of receiving a placement in a public school like in the previous program though, you’ll be assigned to a private school, most likely Catholic/ Cristian. If you’re not comfortable with that, then don’t apply for this program.
Pros: Really about the same as the previous program because it is a program that comes directly from the Spanish government as well. It’s just covering the private schools instead of the public ones. You do get a bit more support though than you would through just the ministry. There are coordinators to help you with orientation, getting settled in the city, insurance issues, and any TIE problems you might have while you’re here.
Cons: This program is only for the Comunidad of Madrid, so if you want to go elsewhere you can’t apply through this program. Also, as I should’ve mentioned in the above part, just because you get a placement in Madrid doesn’t mean that you will be working in the city center. (This also applies to CIEE program). Most language assistants live in the city center and then commute about an hour via train to their school everyday. The biggest con of this program is that BEDA assistants have to take a course throughout the year with test, quizzes, projects, etc. that they have to pass.
CIEE: This is the program I actually chose to come through, based on assistance and placement. There are various different programs within this company, but I can really just vouch for the Teach in Spain: The Basics program. You pay about $1,000, but that money goes towards your stay in a hotel for orientation for 2 nights, 2 full breakfasts and dinners, health insurance, support throughout the year, and transportation from the airport to the hotel upon arrival. So if you look at it that way, it is kind of worth the money to give you some piece of mind. They also help you pre-departure by providing you with some paperwork and visa assistance for that whole process.
Pros: Guaranteed placement in the Comunidad de Madrid. Full orientation that is much more helpful than that of the actual Ministry of Education upon arrival, and 24 hour support if you need it throughout the year. CIEE also hosts a lot of cultural events throughout the year that you can participate in if you so desire. They also offer TEFL certifications online before you go so if you want to feel more confident in your teaching abilities you can sign up for the course.
Cons: You will have health insurance through INext; however, IT STILL MAKES GOING TO THE DOCTOR A PAIN!! I went to the HM hospital that they recommended me and since they are specialists, you HAVE to make an appointment and pay a minimum of $80 just to see the doctor up front. If you have any tests done, then that’s an additional cost. INext will reimburse you eventually, but it will be sent in the equivalent dollars and to your home address in the USA. Versus, I went to the local urgent care near me (and they finally took me after much cajoling) and when I was billed it was only like 35 euro, plus a prescription.
Meddeas: I don’t remember a lot about this program, but I couldn’t find a lot out about it when I applied even. I had an interview with them, but never heard from them again after that. I’m not going to speak more about it here since I don’t want to give advice about something that I don’t even know about.
Fulbright: I’m just going to warn you up front that trying to get the ETA position in Spain with the Fulbright is nearly impossible. If you really want to, I say go ahead and apply because you never know, but just keep in mind that you have less than a 12% chance of getting it. Also, you can have almost the same experience with any of these other programs, but not have to do the Global Classrooms component or the “community service” project. I mean you can volunteer if you want anyways, but it isn’t compulsory.
Pros: You have the support of the US government, so they take really nice care of you. You also come earlier in the year and start by Sept. 15 if I remember correctly, so you have so many more apartments to choose from at the start of the semester. You also have bragging rights for the rest of your life and hiring priority when you decide to return to the States.
Cons: You have a lot more work. You have to participate in the Global Classrooms competition which the teachers think of as a hassle anyways. There is also the community involvement project that you have to maintain throughout the year, which can get complicated when you want to travel and goof around like all the other language assistants in the country!
2. The Visa Process
I cannot say this enough. The government will provide you with the necessary documents that you need in order to come here. For the rest, LOOK ON THE WEBSITE OF YOUR CONSULATE AND JUST FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS STEP BY STEP. It seems a lot more difficult than it is.
The real problem is once you get here. You have 90 days I think to make an appointment in order to get your TIE card. This is basically like your Spanish ID card for the rest of the year and will expire during the summer when you leave. As far as renewing goes, I didn’t renew, so I don’t know the details, but there are a lot of online blogs that can help you with that as well. My biggest piece of advice for this is to bring every single document that could be of importance to your life and a few photo copies of it, in addition to multiple copies of everything that is on their list online. That and just smile and be nice when you go to the office. Spanish bureaucracy can be so frustrating to deal with, but they hate their job as much as you hate being there so just be polite and hopefully they let you slide on through.
*On a side note: for the TIE in theory you need to get the empadronamiento. But just know that they may or may not ask for it (if you’re lucky). It isn’t difficult to get, but it just requires filling out more paperwork and going to city hall to register before you even go to your TIE appointment. If you’re not renewing, you can probably get by without having it, unless they ask for it. In that case, you’ll have to come back another day with a new appointment.
3. Arrive Early
I know it isn’t very Spanish to be early, let alone on time, but if there is one thing I can stress, it is to come to Spain early in the fall. Come in August, even if it’s the end of month to find an apartment. I came at the end of September for my CIEE orientation thinking that they wouldn’t have us arrive so late if apartments were so scare. Boy, was I wrong. Slim pickings is an understatement. The panic and chaos of language assistants trying to find somewhere to live besides a hostel or Airbnb is a real, real thing. Do yourself a favor and come earlier, get your apartment. If you don’t want to stay in the city, you don’t have to. Just take all that extra time to have fun and travel, but at least you’ll have somewhere to keep all your things and you won’t be fighting people for pisos like women at an annual blowout sale.
4. Your school is everything
Your school placement can make or break your year basically. I got really lucky and had 6 other fabulous language assistants at my school that I got along with really well. We hung out after classes, on the weekends, and even travelled together. But I know people who were the only language assistant at their school. Be nice to your teachers and try to befriend them. Most of them are happy that you’re there. If they’re not, don’t bother with them because they’re just jealous that you make so much money for the amount of time that you work (seriously). If you end up with a school that you don’t like, know that there are ways to change your placement if there’s room. But also remember that you only work 16 hours a week and it’s really only a small portion of your time compared to the year’s worth of traveling, going out with friends, and living the magnificent madrileño lifestyle.
5. Allergies are real
Many people here, myself included, have never ever ever had issues with allergies before in their life. But here is a whole other ballgame. Be sure to come stocked with allergy medication just in case. You can get it here but it’s a bit expensive because they give it to you in such small quantities.
6. Vodafone is better than Orange
’nuff said. Go with Vodafone even if it’s just your pay as you go “prepaid” cell plan.
You don’t need to buy a phone here as long as yours is compatible (which most modern-day smartphones are). You just bring your old American phone and tell them which SIM card you want. They’ll set it up right there in the store for you and it’s only about 15 euro a month depending on which plan you get.
7. Private Lessons=$$$
Private English lessons are high in demand in Madrid. You won’t have trouble finding students once you get the word out. Ask your roommates if they know anyone, ask teachers at your school, use lingobongo.com, etc. We get paid quite well for the amount of work that we do, so you can live really comfortably, but if you want to travel, I highly recommend to get a couple private lessons a week to help make ends meet each month. Unless for some reason of course, you just have money stashed away somewhere that needs to be spent!
8. You won’t learn Spanish unless you try
Just because you are moving to Spain does not mean that you will be speaking Spanish all the time. Yes, my Spanish has improved since being here, but not as quickly or as much as I would’ve liked. What I didn’t realize is that we are paid to speak English all day everyday, so unless you make the effort and find some intercambios, or make some Spanish friends, or take lessons, you won’t hardly be speaking Spanish at all. That could be a good thing for those of you who don’t actually speak Spanish and aren’t sure how you’ll get along. If that’s you, don’t panic! You’ll quickly learn the basics that are necessary for daily life, but besides that you;ll find that more and more people speak English here with each passing year.
9. Academic Culture Shock
Remember, you’re going to be in a school in another country. I was placed in a high school, and while all the Spaniards are curious about American high schools and have seen the stereotypes on TV/movies, the reality is quite different. The relationship between teachers and students is much more informal than we’re used to in the States, at least from what I remember from high school. I’m not saying that they’re all friends though. There seems to be a lack of respect really towards teachers, where students just flat-out talk throughout the class (quite loudly I might add) and don’t care if they are kicked out of the class or sent to jefatura (which is like getting sent to the principal’s office). To reciprocate, teachers will just talk about how bad or stupid kids are at a normal volume right in front of them. They’re just very honest I guess.
Also, if you’re in a public school, there probably isn’t a dress code. So just prepare yourself for seeing some interesting clothing choices that wouldn’t be appropriate in an US school, especially when the weather gets warms.
There are strikes a lot throughout the year too. You still have to go even if the teachers and students don’t have to, unless told otherwise by your bilingual coordinator.
Finally, the grading system is bogus. It’s at 1-10 scale, with 5 as passing. The majority of students just want to pass with a 5 so they don’t care if that’s all they get. Also, the teacher keeps track of their grades throughout the semester, but then it all gets thrown out the window at the end of the semester for evaluaciones where teachers sit around for 3 days in the teacher’s lounge and discuss the student’s participation, conduct, and grades from all their classes to determine if they pass or not.
My 2 bachillerato students and I for their end of the year dinner
10. Remember that you’re in Spain!!
Sometimes things in Spain can be quite frustrating for someone who grew up in the efficiency that is the USA. Just know that their system is different, but that it also works. So just go with the flow, do it their way, and it will get done eventually! 🙂
The Spanish live a much more relaxed, no pasa nada, lifestyle- embrace it! It will make your year more fun as well! Don’t forget that you are living an incredible opportunity, so eat, drink and just enjoy the time abroad while you are there! (Also, the shopping is fabulous as well!). Who knows?! You might end up staying for many years…
Saborearlo 