How to Apply for the Language & Cultural Assistants in Spain program
My junior year of college I saw a flyer advertising this program. After talking to more and more people about it and hearing good things I decided to take it seriously. A year later and currently living in Spain, I can tell you that YES there is a lot of work to do to prepare BUT it is very possible if you take care of all of the things you need to in a timely fashion. I will go through my own personal recommendations and if you need any other advice don't hesitate to ask me!
According to the manuel....
"The program is an academic “continuing education” grant provided by the
Ministry of Education of Spain. The program sends over 2000 (this year they cut the # closer to 1,000 due to the financial crisis) American and Canadian participants to Spain each year to serve as teaching assistants, sharing their native knowledge of the English or French language and North American culture in Spanish public K-12 schools. Occasionally public language schools also request an assistant for their classrooms. The program, though fairly young, has been gaining popularity quickly with more and more demand each year for such a unique experience!"
Is this program right for you? Are you ....
1. A native or bilingual French or English speaker?
2. A college graduate or an upcoming Junior or Senior at your University?
3. In good mental & physical health? They check this :)
4. Clear of criminal charges? - They check this too :)
5. Able to speak an intermediate level of Spanish?....well, they never checked us on this so I suppose you could pass without proving it!
The average person is 21-35 with a open-minded and flexible attitude. Oh..and pretty awesome just for the fact they are able to leave the comfort of their own country and work in another..just sayin'
Schedule/working hours: 12-16 hour weekly. Most assistants also do private English lessons for more spending money
Salary: A minimum monthly allowance of EUR €700 (USD$ 858) In hopes that the economy doesn't drop any further! **Cross your fingers**
Other benefits:
- Orientation course at the beginning of the school year and ongoing development.
- Full medical insurance.
- Official certificate, issued by the regional education authorities.
- Grants will be given on a first-come, first-served basis.
- No application fees.
- Free time to TRAVEL
If you are sold ..next you should...
Find the Facebook group of "Language Assistants". They have Facebook groups per region and they are very helpful. Many times there are others who have your same question and almost always someone is able to answer it for you. Take it from me, the more people you meet and talk to about this program..the better!!
Also; google is your friend. I have always gone to google and never came out shorthanded. There is always an answer out there!
1. Start reading into the program around August and September
2. If you decide to go forward; have your papers ready to submit BY NOV 1!!! It is crucial to be quick with applying because it is first come first serve. For example; within 5 days of the application period, I was applicant #648.
3. Know what regions you'd like to live, however they are not guaranteed.
4. Go over the Manual and the How to Apply on Profex section. (you apply online and submitt documents)
5. As soon as possible: Get a medical clearance from your doctor. Have him/her print the clearance stating you are in good health with no serious conditions on their letterhead and have them sign one copy in English and one in Spanish. I got both translations notarized and apostilled.
6. Apply for a FBI Background Check or a local background check from your state. I chose to do the FBI Check so I can only speak on that. I had to get fingerprints from the police station, mail them and the forms to the FBI for them to send me the papers back.
**Important** With the cover letter, mention to them that you will be needing their "seal" on the FBI check because you have to get it apostilled
Here is a good blog that goes into further detail http://www.pueblotheseries.com/2011/01/how-to-get-the-fbi-background-check-and-apostille-for-auxiliares-program/
----An APOSTILLE is legalization of a document. Which means that Spain will accept the document as legit because it has a U.S. Apostille on it.
7. Once you get the FBI check back, you have to mail it to D.C. to get apostilled.
8. Once you get it back keep it in a safe place. I recommend starting your own binder to have all of your papers organized.
9. Applying on profex requires; a letter of intent, your college transcript, pictures of your passport, ID, your medical clearance and FBI check.
10. The Waiting Game: It takes a while to process all of the applicants so be patient. It takes months. I didn't find out where I was going to live until late May. If you did everything correctly and as soon as possible you will be accepted.
11. Its not over yet! Start looking over the VISA applications and what you will need for them. I didn't apply for my Visa until late June but you need to be ready well before that.
Disclaimers; This program has its faults!! For example, my fellow teachers in Extremadura didn't get paid until January 2013. Please prepare yourself for the worst when it comes to your money. SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!!
Please read this blog to hear about my friend's experience in Extremadura.
Read THIS blog to have a fair warning of what you can and can't expect from this program.
1. The second you decide to move to Spain, save every penny you can
2. Look into getting debit or credit cards that have no international fees
3. Underestimate your budget (trust me)
4. Pack things that tend to be more expensive outside of the USA (feminine products, make up, deodorant, razors, medications, brand-specific things)
5. Don't go shopping right away, unless you absolutely neeeeed those boots or coats (don't let your emotions get the best of you!)
6. Prepare for 3 months with no paycheck
7. Expect the unexpected. My roommates and I rushed into finding an apartment when we first arrived. After two months we decided to pack up and switch apartments, meaning that we lost our finance on the old one and had to pay a whole new finance for the new one. We had to pay for all this with our OWN money because we hadn’t been paid. I ended up making two wire transfers which costs me money. My advice is to be ready for the things that you can’t predict.
8. Do private English lessons on the side. I earn an extra 80euros a week giving 8 hours of private lessons Monday-Thursday. It is nice to have this extra cash for food or travel.
In my region (Extremadura) my expenses are something like this;
Rent = 230 euros + gas tanks (17 euros every other month or so) + light bill (20euros/month)
Wifi = 13 euros/month
Food = 30euros/week or less
Going out to eat is cheap too...
1 coffee = 1.10 euros
1 beer = 1.50 euros
1 tapa = 3 euros
Carpooling to school = FREE ;)
1 bus ticket (local bus) 1.30 euros
1 bus ticket to Seville or Lisbon ~30 euros one way
Average flight tickets have been ~150-200 euros but you can find cheaper ones using RyanAir
You also have to factor in your apartment needs; paper towels, toliet paper, shampoo, soap, cleaning products, etc. I can't possibly budget for all of this because I never know what I will need.
Please read this blog to hear about my friend's experience in Extremadura.
Read THIS blog to have a fair warning of what you can and can't expect from this program.
My advice on financing your move to Spain
1. The second you decide to move to Spain, save every penny you can
2. Look into getting debit or credit cards that have no international fees
3. Underestimate your budget (trust me)
4. Pack things that tend to be more expensive outside of the USA (feminine products, make up, deodorant, razors, medications, brand-specific things)
5. Don't go shopping right away, unless you absolutely neeeeed those boots or coats (don't let your emotions get the best of you!)
6. Prepare for 3 months with no paycheck
7. Expect the unexpected. My roommates and I rushed into finding an apartment when we first arrived. After two months we decided to pack up and switch apartments, meaning that we lost our finance on the old one and had to pay a whole new finance for the new one. We had to pay for all this with our OWN money because we hadn’t been paid. I ended up making two wire transfers which costs me money. My advice is to be ready for the things that you can’t predict.
8. Do private English lessons on the side. I earn an extra 80euros a week giving 8 hours of private lessons Monday-Thursday. It is nice to have this extra cash for food or travel.
In my region (Extremadura) my expenses are something like this;
Rent = 230 euros + gas tanks (17 euros every other month or so) + light bill (20euros/month)
Wifi = 13 euros/month
Food = 30euros/week or less
Going out to eat is cheap too...
1 coffee = 1.10 euros
1 beer = 1.50 euros
1 tapa = 3 euros
Carpooling to school = FREE ;)
1 bus ticket (local bus) 1.30 euros
1 bus ticket to Seville or Lisbon ~30 euros one way
Average flight tickets have been ~150-200 euros but you can find cheaper ones using RyanAir
You also have to factor in your apartment needs; paper towels, toliet paper, shampoo, soap, cleaning products, etc. I can't possibly budget for all of this because I never know what I will need.
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