Programs on Programs

If you want to work and live legally in Spain, one of the easiest ways to do it (besides marrying a Spaniard) is by being an auxiliar de conversación. Auxiliares act as the on-hand English language assistant at a designated school. Your role will vary based on the school and the age group you're working with, but generally speaking you will help provide the students with language development by speaking and instructing them solely in English. You will not be the main teacher, just an assistant. As such, the most important requirement for this position is being a native English speaker, not necessarily a background in education (although that will probably help you out when you start the job). There's a wide range of programs for auxiliares, and choosing the right one for you is just as important as deciding to move abroad in the first place. I've tried to accumulate the information I have for some of the most popular ones to give a general guideline.

Ministerio de Educación

The Ministry's program is run directly through the Spanish government. The application period opens in January, and while it's open until early April, it is highly recommended that you apply early. You will be asked to fill out an application, complete a 500 word statement of purpose, submit a letter of recommendation, and upload a transcript. There will also be a section for you to select your regional preferences. If your application is complete, you're basically guaranteed to get in. You will eventually receive an email notifying you of your regional placement (usually starting late May), and then a while later a second email with details of your exact school placement.

• Payment details: €1000/month for Madrid, €700 for all other communities
• Pros: no cost to apply or participate; easy application and essentially guaranteed a spot; placements all over Spain unless a particular region chooses not to participate (this year, they were Cataluña, Valencia, and Castilla-La Mancha)
• Cons: cannot specify a particular city and limited options for ranking your top choices; program administration is disorganized and many things take forever to arrive (including placements); placements are first come, first served; program has a history of delayed salary payments to auxiliares 

CIEE

This organization has a wide range of study and teach abroad programs in different countries. For Teach in Spain, there's actually different programs depending on your comfort level with Spanish and prior teaching experience. There are both 2 and 4 week immersion programs for those who want to bring their Spanish up to scratch. Teach in Spain Regular is for those with little to no teaching experience, the Basics program is more suited for those with more of a background (such as those with an education degree), and the Professional program is for those who wish to teach in a business setting rather than at a school. I am focusing on the two most popular, the Regular and the Basics. The application process is very similar to the Ministry one, with just few more requirements but still simple. After completing your application, you will receive an email when accepted and eventually a school placement (starting in late April). *note: I am participating in the Regular Teach in Spain program, so I am best equipped to answer questions on CIEE

• Payment details: €1000/month in Madrid, €700/month in Andalucía
• Pros: more organized than Ministry program; placements are generally better because they are given out earlier; plenty of support and advice from the staff both before departure and after; on-time payments
• Cons: a rather hefty program fee (which covers things such as hotel accommodations your first week); only work in Comunidad de Madrid and Andalucía; CIEE acts as third-party between you and the government

I only applied to those two. The remaining programs on this page are other programs I have heard and researched on. I have also in some cases asked for information from former participants.

BEDA

This program works solely with Catholic schools. The applications period opens in November and run through the end of January. BEDA is a bit more selective than most other programs, as they require a Skype interview (done in English and usually quite short). Many people have stated that having some sort of teaching experience or a high level of Spanish gives you an edge when applying. If successful you will receive in assignment in either Madrid, Alicante, Andalucía, las Islas Canarias, Castilla-La Mancha, or Murcia. More details here!

• Payment details: Dependent on how many hours you work. This can range from €693 (16 hours a week) to €1040 (24 hours a week)
• Pros: more organized than the Ministry program; no late salary payments; plenty of support from the staff in preparing for NIE/TIE paperwork; no preference given to those who apply earlier
• Cons: program fee; required course with Comillas University that generally meets on Fridays (though not every Friday); limited to Catholic schools

Activa

Activa has a language assistant program to help them directly at their language schools rather than at an actual school. They do have programs that work in conjunction with schools to aid in language development but it's much more a language school than an actual school. They help in the preparation for all the official English language exams in Europe. To apply, you have to send your CV to the email listed on their site. They will contact you if they are interested in pursuing an interview with you. Language assistants with Activa work in 14 different cities across the Spanish peninsula.

• Payment details: €900/month
• Pros: located in some of the largest Spanish cities, including Barcelona and Valencia which no longer participate in the Ministry program; simple application process; rolling admissions
• Cons: (according to some) long hours; rather spotty with communication and difficult to reach them with questions

Fulbright

Of all the programs on this list, this is perhaps the most prestigious. The Fulbright Teaching Assistant Program is available in many countries ad the requirements vary for each. For Spain, 41 spots are available in Madrid and 17 in Cantabria. As such, it is much more competitive and the application is more extensive. Applications open in May and remain open till October, and they include a statement of grant purpose, personal statement, references, and a foreign language evaluation. After the application period ends, there is an initial screening process, and, if selected, your application will move on to the final selection round.

• Payment details: the amount of the grant varies by year depending on availability of funds and cost of living in your chosen area
• Pros: extremely prestigious
• Cons: much more difficult to receive a spot; will require undertaking a project in addition to teaching; aimed specifically at students and recent grads; no predetermined grant amount

Again any questions you may have, send them my way, and I'll try to help out as best as I can (or at least point you in the right direction!).

Friday Five

I'm going to be 100% honest here: I am the absolute worst at updating blogs. I once fell 7 weeks behind in Sevilla and spent a whole night catching everyone up. Casual. This is an attempt to remedy the situation. Welcome to Friday Five, where each Friday I will attempt to actually post 5 main highlights of the week. Think of it like SNL's Weekend Update. Except probably less focused on celebrities, the news, and things that would usually be considered important. And probably less frequent in the summer, since there won't be as much going on (I promise I'll do it weekly in the fall!).

Let's do this, then.

1. This week marks the last full week that one of my oldest and dearest friends, SC, will be at home. While we first met in the sixth grade through a mutual friend, our friendship really started off when we spent the entire day together on our eighth grade trip to Islands of Adventure. We went to high school together and never had any classes, but we rode together before and after school and were still great friends. We ended up at different colleges, but we always plan on date time when we're home for a break. SC and I both applied to the NALCA program to teach in Spain, but ultimately we've both decided to deviate from that. I, obviously, went with CIEE's program instead, while SC has just recently been offered a job in Texas. Tomorrow is her goodbye party, and I am so incredibly sad to see her go so far, but this girl is destined for big things, trust me.

2. Today also marks my 7th month anniversary with my boyfriend. It might not seem like a lot, but given our circumstances, we're really impressed with ourselves. Long-distance relationships are by no means easy, but we've been extremely lucky to have had a good go of it. We'll be celebrating by having a Skype date. Can't wait till we can have a real date again! :)

PS. no one ever mention this picture is on here, because my boyfriend a) does not like taking pictures and when I finally convinced him he b) blinked. Typical.

3. Today, I wrote a check for $24 and sent off a Criminal Background Check request form to the state of Florida. According to multiple sources (including the FL Dept. of Law Enforcement site), the State does not require fingerprints in order to conduct the check unless there's someone with similar information. Considering I'm probably the only person in the US with my particular name, I'm going to guess I don't need it. I could use those $5 for the Apostille anyway. I'll keep y'all updated on how long it takes me to get it back!

4. As I mentioned a bit earlier, I actually applied to two different Language and Culture Assistant programs: one that's through the Spanish Ministry of Education and the one offered by CIEE. I received word from CIEE's acceptance in March and got my placement about two weeks ago. I was accepted to the Ministry one as well, but placement for that one was a long while away because it's first come, first served, and I had a high application number. Some people who did the program last year even told me not to expect a placement before July or August at the earliest (!). Well, looks like the Ministry is on a roll because I received my placement today...and I also was placed in Madrid. Except I've already accepted with CIEE so oops. Perhaps I'll dedicate a future post as to why I chose CIEE over the Ministry program.

5. Even though I've spent 4 years off in college in another state, I'm still not 100% able to care for myself. Specifically, while I can bake, I'm rather lacking in the cooking department. Luckily, there's Pinterest. When I move to Madrid I intend on finding a flat near my school (which luckily for me is also near the city center), but I'm not sure I'll have a roommate or not. Don't get me wrong, I had a roommate all four years in college, but I kind of like the idea of living on my own. I've yet to do it and I'm going to have to do it eventually most likely. Since I can't rely on a roommate anyway, I've been going crazy on Pinterest with recipes and craft ideas to decorate my "new" flat. These recipes in particular look delicious. Now I'm just hoping I find all the ingredients in Spain...

*Note: these posts will not always include pictures, but I'll try to. It definitely makes it look more entertaining and eye-catching. Plus, I know I'm definitely drooling over those quesadillas.

Happy Friday everyone!

The Spanish Sorting Hat

Why hello there readers!

So after four of the most brain-draining years of my life, I've finally done it. I am now a college graduate. Hard to believe, I know, considering I look about 14 to some people, but let's just roll with it, shall we?

Like any graduate, I constantly get the question of what I'm doing next in life. To be honest, it gets annoying after the first 748 times. And so, I started this blog to document what I'll be doing, and this first post has the answer.

For my first year in the post-college world, I'm hopping across the pond. Quite literally.

You see, back in February, I applied to be an English Conversation Assistant Language and Culture Assistant (fancy title, sheesh) in Spain. It's a bit of a risky move: the pay is rather low, you move to a foreign country all on your own, and there's no guarantee of getting your top choice region or age group.

SOUNDS LIKE FUN ALL AROUND. Everyone loves living by themselves and being completely les mis.

But in all honesty, I knew what I was signing up for. While I was abroad in Spain, I got a taste of living in Sevilla, and I also got the chance to work as a volunteer at a secondary school teaching English.The only difference now was that I was not picking Sevilla as my top city and I was not choosing secondary school as my top age group. The pay...eh, coming off of a college budget, everything else seems like living the high life.

In March, I received my acceptance letter into the program, but no word on location. Once I confirmed that I would indeed take a place in Spain, only then could they work on assigning me a school. Sneaky sneaks try to trap you into potentially accepting a crappy location.

And so I waited for the Spanish Sorting Hat CIEE to place me somewhere, and last week, I received an offer at a primary school in central Madrid, my top choice city and age group. I debated it, to be honest, because it's still a huge decision to make. But in the end, I decided to go for it and see where life abroad takes me.

Long story short: I am moving to Madrid, Spain, this fall. 

So where, pray tell, does this blog come in?

Well, dear reader, let me tell you.

I'm not much of a blogger, and I certainly am no Shakespeare, but:
1. There are plenty of auxiliares or future auxiliares who might want an honest perspective on the journey. Think of it as Quidditch Through the Ages, Spain Style (Auxiliares Through the Ages?).
2. No matter how much I try to keep in touch with everyone from home, I know I'll definitely miss some details, so I'll try to make up for it here.
3. I have been told many a times that maybe writing in a journal would help make me less stressed. This isn't really a real journal, and I doubt that advice is true in my case, but hey why not.

So where do we stand now? Now that I accepted my placement, it's a waiting game to get my forms from Spain in order to get a visa. I will outline that process in another post, because frankly it's a nightmare. I'm still on the fence about taking the GRE, so that might also come up again. Regardless of that though, I need to mentally (and I suppose physically too) start preparing myself for grad school application extravaganza in the fall. Cue happy dance (loljk).

And that will be all for now, I believe.

Bring in the dancing lobsters. xx, Nic