Teach English in Spain

During the 2011-12 school year I worked as an auxiliar de conversación in Madrid. The auxiliares program in Madrid (North American Language and Culture Assistants) runs from October 1 to June 30, and is managed by the Spanish Ministry of  Education, Culture, and Sport. Auxiliares in Madrid work 16 hours a week and receive a 1,000 euro monthly stipend.

Normal Program Dates: Oct - May 31
Castilla y León: September 15 - June 15
Madrid: October 1 - June 30

In locations elsewhere in Spain the stipend is 700 euros a month, working 12-16 hours a week as a North American Language and Culture Assistant.

Applications are usually accepted beginning in January each year, to March or April.  The first to apply are the first to get in, so it's recommended to apply early.

The 2019-20 school year application period is open from January 10 - April 10, 2019.

Q&A: Teaching English in Spain as a North American Language and Culture Assistant

2019-20 Auxiliar FAQs

Auxiliaresdeconversacion.org

This website, auxiliaresdeconversacion.org, is an awesome new resource which didn't exist back when I was an auxiliar.

It has 600+ classroom activities (with handy filters for easy searching), a free "Teaching 101" crash course, and a 1-1 mentor program which matches up new auxiliares to past auxiliares.

It's made by auxiliares for auxiliares, so it's completely geared towards what you actually need to know.

How to's

If you will be moving to Madrid to work as an English Language and Culture Assistant, the following posts may be helpful:

How to practice Spanish before moving to Spain

How to get a cell phone/plan in Spain

How to find an apartment in Madrid

How to budget 1,000/month

How to get an abono (bus/metro pass) in Madrid

How to find private English classes in Madrid

----FAQ teaching private English classes

How to get a library card in Madrid

How to grocery shop in Madrid

10 differences between British and American English


A week in the life of an auxiliar

I blogged for a week about my days working as an auxiliar de conversación, while answering daily questions about teaching English in Madrid.  If you'd like to find out what an average day is like teaching English in Madrid, check these out.









Patience, patience, patience

You will need to have patience living and working in Spain.  The following posts are some examples of the less-fun side of the program, though don't let this stop you from participating.  I'm simply sharing so that you are aware it's not all sunshine and smiles (though there is much of that!).


Inefficiency in Spain's governmental offices


Have some laughs

What should we call Auxiliares (Tumblr of gifs)

Other English jobs in Spain

Working as a North American Language and Culture Assistant is not the only way to teach English in Spain.  There are a few other year-long programs, plus plenty of private academies/businesses that hire native English teachers.  And don't forget about private English lessons too!



Teach English in Spain through CIEE

Teach Abroad through Reach to Teach - "Reach To Teach helps you find an ESL teaching job with a reputable school that meets our standards for high quality English teacher positions in destinations all over the world."

Returning home after living in Spain

You might experience some reverse culture shock when you move back to your home country, or you may not. Either way, let your time in Spain remain a part of you - even when you're no longer in the country.


Advice on returning home after living/working in Spain


Were these posts helpful?

Definitely feel free to email me if you have any other questions about teaching English in Spain! (rebeccarosethering [at] gmail [dot] com)

I share all of my Spain how-to posts on the blog and knowledge via emails for free! If you'd like to return the favor, consider tossing a little love into my tip jar:

Gracias!