Language Assistants, also known as Auxiliares de Conversación, are hired directly by the Spanish government to live in Spain for 9 months and assist in teaching English in multiple subjects in bilingual schools.
Currently, I am living in Olvera, Spain (in Andalucía) working as a language assistant at the local bilingual high school, IES Zaframagón. I assist in music, P.E., natural sciences, and English classes. The program is a really wonderful experience for me, and I am so happy to see what an impact I have on these students and how excited they are to speak English to me (and to try to teach me Spanish).
My boyfriend James is working at a primary school in Setenil de las Bodegas, about 20 minutes from Olvera. We both live in Olvera and he commutes to his school Monday through Thursday. His students are between 6 years old and 11 years old, and he assists in natural sciences and P.E. His students are curious about this big American boy who doesn’t speak Spanish and is too muscular to fit into European clothes, but they are very accepting of him and truly enjoy seeing him in their classes.
The program in Andalucía runs from October 1 – May 31, and we work 12 hours per week (4 days per week). We get paid €700 per month each, which is plenty for one person to live on let alone two. It’s a truly wonderful program that I hope continues for years! Check out some of my other posts to see why.
Have you ever been a part of the Language and Culture Assistant program in Spain? Have you ever taught English abroad in any country? What was your experience like? Tell me everything in the comments below!
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P.S. You might also enjoy 6 Unexpected and Surprising Things I Learned While Living in Spain or All Saints Day in Spain