You're a what? An Auxiliar?

colegioinmaculada.org

 Auxiliares de conversación ; who we are and what we do

 

"Oh you're moving to SPAIN? To teach 12 hours a week!?" What! ...sounds pretty nice, it IS pretty nice..but there is much more to it.  Much, much..mucho mas, more.  So if you are interested in being an Auxiliar for next year (you should've already started planning, if not then please start A.S.A.P) I started thinking about applying for this program in August of 2011, I applied for it in November 2011 and have been preparing for it ever since.  If anyone has heard me talk about everything this program puts you through then you have an idea of how much work is involved. The following is a timeline of how this works;

 

August: Start thinking and researching

November: Apply! As soon as possible because it is first come first serve

August- April/May: Wait until you receive your acceptance

Late May: You get your placement, accept or decline

June- September: Save money, plan, buy plane tickets, pack! Say goodbye to loved ones and start meeting new auxiliares on Facebook
September-October: Find an apartment, become a legal resident, open bank account, start school

 

I left the USA on September 24, 2012 and arrived the following day in Madrid.  Luckily, I had 4 other Auxiliares on the plane with me.  There were a lot of us en route to Spain.  I believe a little over 1,000 of us were accepted into the program this year.  I'm going to break down the application process later on a separate page on my blog entitled; Auxiliares.  If you are interested in listening to me go in depth about this topic then by all means check it out.  For the rest of you, I'll give you the overall idea. 

 

An auxiliar is a "helper" in Spanish.  We are "Helpers in the class room to facilitate conversation in English".  We are also given the title of Language Assistants, Cultural Ambassadors, etc.  They all sound pretty cool. In fact, we are employed by the Spanish Government.  I don't see why this wouldn't be an impressive entry on my resume considering I work for a foreign ministry, I got a FBI background check and everything. 

 

Now, we come from all over.  There are lots of Americans, but also French, English, Irish, Canadian, Italians, etc.  I have met so many other people from all around the world which is pretty neat.  We are provided with free health insurance, a salary of 700 euros/month (we'll chat later about this) and can work in one or more schools.  For example, I work in two schools.  I have Mondays off.  I am physically at the school from 9am until 2pm but I only am to work 12 hours.  My second school (which is in a tiny village) has me working 3 hours more than they are suppose to be working me so turns out I get to have several Fridays off to balance this out. 

 

What I mean by "I work 12 hours".  By work, I mean I am physically in a Spanish classroom.  My work varies from school to school and teacher to teacher.  Each teacher uses my native English speaking skills in a different way.  Some teachers have me actually plan lessons and make powerpoints (food, holidays, etc).  Others just have me show up and read the lesson they have already planned for the day.  Some teachers hardly use me at all.  Sometimes, I literally just sit in the classroom and the kids stare at my like I'm an alien.  A very tall, blue eyed alien. 

 

My classes range from; English, Art and Science.  For example, this week I explained Halloween and we did arts and crafts. The kids don't really understand everything we do in the United States (some of us don't even really know why...it's just the norm) but I try my best to explain vocabulary and songs.

Trick or Treat!

It has only been a month so far but I can say that this experience has solidified the fact that I know now FOR SURE that I don't want to be a teacher :) If you think children misbehave in American schools, ooooooooh boy. I have heard of 2 teachers getting vocal cord surgery here because they scream so much.  Now, I can say that this is mainly true for my school located in the tiny village.  My other school is in the bigger city where I live and they behave better than the village children.  The hours of school are also more laid back, 9-2pm? Nice! They typically don't eat lunch at school though.  The kids pack a sandwich or fruit and eat it during recess then they go home to eat their big lunch with the family. 

 

On the Auxiliar page, you will soon find more information about...Living in Spain, working here, meeting people, becoming legal residents, acquiring a bank account, getting paid and many more topics, tips, warnings, etc! I hope it helps you understand a little better, if not..please don't hesitate to comment or email me.