Frequently asked
questions
I've compiled a list of questions I was curious to ask before joining the programme. If you have any more feel free to contact me on my Instagram page.
The programme
What does a typical week of teaching look like?
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I'm glad you asked. I was really interested in this question before arriving so I could figure out how to plan my time. An example timetable of mine is below. My weeks alternate so it feels like a surprise each week as I've still not managed to memorise my timetable. Yours could be different! It depends on your school. If you really have problems with your timetables then speak to your co-ordinator about any concerns to see if anything can be changed.
Why did you choose Andalucia as your location preference?
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Andalucía is one of the largest regions on offer so there are more placements available. But the main reason was that I hoped I’d be near the sea. I had Cádiz as my dream place in the back of my mind after it featured in Pitch Perfect 2 (lame, right?). Prado del Rey is within Cádiz region but quite far from the city itself. But I still frequent seaside towns, although perhaps not as regularly as I wished i would.
Where do you get your teaching materials?
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I use lots of videos in my classes. My go-to is ISL Collective. You can look at other people’s videos which have questions for the students on, and you can also create your own questions about ANY video available on YouTube. EdPuzzle is does the same function, and is a little more user-friendly. Teaching is essentially recycling materials, so there really is an endless supply. Facebook groups can be a good resource too.
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Tip: For games, the website Baamboozle has saved me on a few occasions
What was the hardest thing about the programme?
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It almost feels like I’ve been leading two different lives since I began my placement. Getting out of ‘UK brain’ and back into ‘Prado brain’ after brief visits to England have been challenging. I do find it a little difficult to settle in to Spain again after being away for a few days or weeks, but now I give myself a day or two to regulate back into the Spanish way of life. Which normally involved strolls around Prado or relaxing with a book in a cafe.
What’s something that you didn’t expect on the programme?
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I absolutely did not expect to enjoy working with children. Admittedly I did see the placement as an ‘easy’ way of being abroad while earning a little too, so I didn’t give much thought to how it would be working with children. Despite the language barrier, I still have fun with the kids and they’ve been very kind during my time here. I’ll definitely be sad to leave them!
British Council applicants only - Once I’ve been shortlisted how likely is it that I will be placed?
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I was a little nervous that I’d be at the back of the queue as when I applied I was already a graduate. Normally undergraduates are favoured as the placement is sometimes a mandatory requirement for language students. I did do Spanish on the side at University in the UK but I majored in Anthropology, so I also wasn't really a language student. But here I am! I heard about where I was placed in July and emailed my new co-ordinator once I did.
personal admin
How do you budget for living in Spain?
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An auxiliar de conversación is awarded 700€/month (dependant on region). If I didn’t have a car or travel around, I’d be able to live on 700€/month. However, before I came to Spain I worked an office job and saved around £8,000. This was much more than I needed, living in a town as small as Prado del Rey, but I tend to err on the side of caution in case there was ever an emergency (I also bought a car, so). I’ll detail my rough current budget below
Rent: 150€/m (shared apartment with one other person, 300€ in total)
Bills (wifi, electricity, water, gas): 72.50€/month each
Groceries: 100€/month
Petrol: 30€/week
Leisure
Weekends away: 80€/100€ per long weekend. Check out hostels on Booking.com
Drinks out: spirit+mixer 4.50€
Eating out in Prado: 10€/15€
Aforementioned emergencies:
Car wing-mirror repairs: 40€ (okay so maybe some of the kids don’t like me as much as I thought, see here)
Tyre replacements (x2): 100€
Will I get paid on time?
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In short, no. However 'on time' seems to mean two different things in Spain and the UK. I was aware of this being a possibility after hearing about delayed payments in auxiliar de conversación Facebook groups, so I made sure to budget well in case this happened to me. I can count the number of times I've been paid on the 1st of the month (once). This is why you'll need additional funds to cover rent or other bills until you are paid.
How did you open a Spanish bank account?
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I wanted to open an account before I arrived in Spain. You can only be paid into a Spanish bank account, your IBAN will need to begin with ES. Therefore I opened an online account with N26 which made my life a whole lot easier as everything is done online.
Do you have any advice about the visa process? (UK)
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I’m definitely not qualified for this question, but it comes up a lot. I’ll redirect you to a great support group here.
Would you recommend getting a car while in Spain?
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Yes! If you can. I loved my independence in the UK so really wanted to still have it in Spain. The current legislation on driving with a British licence is wobbly and unreliable so do some digging on Spain ex-pat groups to see up to date information on driving in Spain. Currently I can drive up to 6 months after the issue of my TIE on my British licence. And that’s coming up fast (end of April). I am hoping the Spanish government will extend this timeframe, however if they don’t then I’ll be saying goodbye to Mabel (my Nissan Micra) a little earlier than planned. If you want to continue to drive after 6 months, you’ll need to take a full Spanish driving and theory test (not ideal, right?)
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If it’s really important to you then go through the process! But a placement abroad is definitely doable without driving, even little towns have bus services. And I only use my car on weekends when I want to go somewhere
Did you use your medical insurance while in Spain?
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Fortunately not for anything too serious! I just called a local clinic and advised them I had an insurance card, just make sure that clinic accepts your insurance company. Your school should be sent your medical insurance card and you’ll be given it when you arrive. Once again for more info on this I’d advise checking out some forums in one of the aforementioned links
leisure and fun things
What do you do in your free time?
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Travel, sleep, read and walk, and that’s in order of preference. There’s not a whole lot to do in my town, especially when it’s raining. So I prefer to visit nearby towns or cities instead. Check out my travel page for the places I go to. We do have nights out in Prado, but those are few and far between, mainly because everyone knows everyone. If you make a fool of yourself, the town remembers. This fear has thankfully kept us in check while we’ve been here! This page will tell you about things in Prado that I get up to.
Have the locals been friendly? How did you meet people?
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Whew this is a complicated one. Overall, YES. They have been fantastic. People in my town are 10x friendlier than they are in my home-town of Basingstoke, Hampshire. However, they can be too friendly. And by they, I mean some males of the town. I did a blog post on this which is sort of depressing but a little example of how the cultural differences became apparent here.
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Interestingly, the bars where I’ve had the most uncomfortable experiences with people are the same bars where we’ve met some truly fabulous people. 11pm onwards is normally the better time to head out in the evenings, especially if you want to meet more people in their 20s/30s etc. We’ve also met people through other online auxiliar groups as well as from our yoga classes.