Well, just like that my first year as an Auxiliar de Conversación is over. Summer’s here and I’m back in the States enjoying time with family and friends before coming back for another year in September! Lots of people have asked what I’m doing in Spain and several have asked how it’s going and whether I’d recommend this experience. I know several people reading this are probably already planning on coming to Spain to be an Auxiliar de Conversación, so hopefully you find this helpful!

What is an Auxiliar de Conversación?

Let’s start from the beginning. The Auxiliares de Conversación program is a program run by the Spanish government that brings native English speakers to Spanish public schools. Essentially, people from English-speaking countries come to work as ‘language assistants.’ When you turn in your application, you select the top three regions you’d like to move to within Spain. From there, the program assigns you a region and the region’s local government assigns you a city and school. I was assigned the Community of Madrid, where they placed me in the city of Madrid. (Bet you didn’t know that Madrid was both a city and a region, huh?) Then Madrid assigned me to a fully bilingual high school.

While there is a guide to the job itself, it varies depending on the region and school. For Madrid, the auxiliar (aux) is a part time job working 16 hours a week for 1,000€ per month. In other regions, aux’s work 12 hours for 700€ per month. Obviously, those are the regions where cost of living is cheaper. Madrid is many things, cheap is not one of them. The actual role will also depend on what kind of school you’re in; you could be placed in a traditional school where you only assist in English classes or in a bilingual school (like mine) where multiple different subjects are taught in English. And then of course it varies whether you’re in primary, middle or high school. Mine is a bilingual high school that also hosts Formación Profesiónal, which is like community college. So my students go from 12 to 22 years old. In short, we are teaching assistants.

The program is one of the easier ways to get a visa for Spain, which is a big reason many people – including myself – apply. It works like a grant, so the job allows you a student visa for the duration of your contract, generally October 1 – June 30th. Because it’s a student visa, it can only be a part time job, so aux’s work four days per week. Many people come because it gives them the opportunity to travel, experience life abroad or because it’s great teaching experience for people who want to teach professionally.

What I Actually Do

The school I’m assigned to is a bilingual secondary school, which teaches what would be considered middle and high school in the US. Here, after primary school students go to ESO, which is secondary school, equivalent to 7, 8, 9 and 10th grade in the States. They can then go to Bachillerato, which is two years, like 11th and 12th grade. From there they can apply immediately to Formación Profesiónal (FP), which is like getting an Associates or Technical degree. My school hosts all of that and I happen to be assigned to classes in almost all the groups.

I am one of four aux’s assigned to my school, so we’re spread across different age groups and subjects. This year I’ve worked Monday through Thursday with varying daily schedules. I start every day at first period but some days I only have class first, third and fourth period. Others I have class starting first through fourth, and others I have class first, third, fifth and sixth. I’m also in several different subjects: English, history, physical education, art, music, marketing and ethical values. So what I do depends on the subject, class and teacher.

There are English classes where I lead the entire class in a lesson, others where I work with small groups on conversation or test prep. In non-English classes, I generally make presentations or do things to supplement the lesson. I’m not a historian or musician, so I’m not going to lead either of those classes, but I will make presentations about topics to add to what the kids are learning. One of my favorite things is playing games with my students, so I’ll make games up to review a chapter before a test or to help learn something new. Fortunately my teachers are quite flexible.

I even got to co-chaperone a school trip with 30+ students this year, which was really fun! We went to Cantabria, in the north of Spain, for a week. It was an English immersion camp, so it was cool for the kids to see me speak with tons of other native speakers. I think them seeing us communicate and get along simply because we spoke the same language and understood each others’ senses of humor really opened up their eyes to how important this is. So yeah, that week was awesome. Others are a bit boring. It’s a coin toss!

Let’s Talk About the Money

Obviously this is an extremely important topic. “What?! You get paid 1,000€ for 16 hours per week? That’s crazy!” That’s the typical response I get from people in Spain. If you calculate it to an hourly rate it isn’t bad, I’ll give you that. Here’s the thing. We don’t clock in for four hours per day and call it quits at the end. Even assuming you work four classes in a row, you’d still have to add in the 30 minute recess. And realistically, that’s not what normally happens. On Tuesdays, for example, I had class first, third, fourth and sixth hours. During second and fifth hours I would prep for another class, so while I’m not getting paid for it, I am still working those hours. Even if I didn’t, those gaps weren’t really enough to go out and do much. So I might bring a book or do some blog work from my phone, but that time in between is unpaid, dead time. Being realistic, I’d say I put in about 3-4 hours of prep work in per week that goes unpaid. But that’s just me.

Another huge factor is the cost of living in Madrid. It’s obscene. I know people who pay 600€ per month to live in a shared apartment with 3 other people and no oven! That’s before utilities. Add utilities, your phone bill and 55€ metro pass and you’re looking at 700€ just to live on a 1000€ salary. Not much breathing room.

Yes, there are other ways to make money. Lots of people, myself included, teach private English classes for cash on the side. Depending on where you are, you can make up to 25€ per hour. If you organize yourself well this could be extremely lucrative, but it depends on your priorities, school schedule and how far you’re willing to commute to those private classes. There are people who work at summer camps, teach fitness classes or do other freelance work online to help out. Again, all of this depends on your priorities!

*I also realize if you look at this compared to an American salary, we’re being paid peanuts, but the cost of living compared to the States is also peanuts, so it makes sense. I pay less percentage-wise for my living here than I did in the States, and I made way more money in my HR job there. That said, this is not a permanent job or career.*

My Thoughts on Being an Auxiliar de Conversacion

I could probably do an entire post on my thoughts, but for now we’ll leave it here within this one. Overall, I think the program was a really good idea. I didn’t realize before coming to Spain, but the general level of English is very low, so it’s clear the government needed to step in. After all, English is the main language of the EU! There are lots of things within the program that are unclear and communication isn’t great. We, as auxiliares, are given instruction on most everything, and are told that our bosses and the school principals are responsible for things as well. In my experience, it doesn’t seem like the program communicates consistently with the school administrators, especially when it comes to paperwork and forms.

One of the nice things is how flexible the program is, leaving our specific responsibilities up to the school. At my school, it’s up to us to work with and plan with the teachers, which has been helpful. It gives me freedom to make suggestions and come up with ideas rather than have to follow a strict curriculum. I see that as a good thing, but I know some people who have done the program would rather there be more structure.

One of the more frustrating aspects of being an auxiliar is the visa paperwork. In theory it’s laid out for us, but many factors depend on where you’re from, where you live in Spain and what government worker you got that day. When applying for your TIE (basically your student visa/resident card) there are items listed as required that some officers don’t care about and others do. Again, depends on the person. At the end of the day it’s not the craziest amount of paperwork but it’s a tedious, slow process and there isn’t one place to find answers the way we can in the States.

Would I Recommend the Program?

From stories I’ve heard and things I’ve read, I seem to have been really lucky when it comes to school placement. I teach in an area of immigrants and gypsies, so there are lots of cultural differences at play, but the kids are nice and the teachers are easy to work with. I also have a relatively short commute and am able to live in the city center, which makes things great. Working in this program with my current schedule has allowed me to travel, continue working and freelancing and make new friends while living in an amazing capital city. Part of that is the luck of being placed here, part is my boss being great with scheduling and part is my short commute.

Would I recommend the program? Yes, but it depends. Are you coming to get some teaching experience in a new country? Then definitely, do it. But be aware that you are a teaching assistant, not full on teacher. (I’ve seen some assistants struggle with that.) Are you coming to party and live it up because you want to live in a foreign country? Ehhh, I wouldn’t recommend it. Sure, you could come and have a great time and wing it or phone it in at school, but that’s not helpful to the students and it’s damaging to those of us who actually care. Overall I would recommend the program but would definitely want people to be aware that being an auxiliar is actual work, we end up putting in more than 16 hours a week and while 1,000€ feels like a ton to most Spaniards, it’s not going to bankroll every weekend trip around Europe. So be smart about it.

Honestly, there were several days when I wanted to just throw in the towel and head back to the States. Moving to Spain was a big adjustment and sometimes I really missed the creature comforts of home. On the whole though, I’m glad I stayed. Being part of the Auxiliares de Conversación program has given me the opportunity to travel, really get to know Spanish culture and also learn random things about myself I simply wasn’t aware of. Oh, I also love my students. I mean, sure they’re 12-22 so that comes with it’s challenges, but they’re great kids. I can’t wait to see them in the fall!

*Disclaimer: this is all based on my personal experience and that of others I’ve spoken to. I do not speak for the program, my school, or anyone other than myself.

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