Job Discussion Forums

[WindyCityWanderer]

Hi All!
I'm applying to the Language and Cultural Assistant program for the coming school year. I have a few questions for anyone who's participated in the program or just lived in Spain as an ESL teacher.
1) The stipend in 700 euro/month. How did you live off of that? Was there enough to travel on the weekends (I'm planning on spending most of my time in Spain, so I'm thinking in terms of bus/train trips)
2) If you were in a small(er) town, did you have enough to do? I know you only work part time, so were you able to meet people/make friends, even if you were not in Madrid/Barcelona or in a big university town? [This is mainly my parents concern - they think I'll be lonely or isolated if I'm outside of Madrid or Barcelona]
3) Were/are you able to give some private English lessons (under the table, I understand)? If so, how many students did you have and what is an approximate price range for tutoring, particularly for someone with minimal teaching experience?

Thanks in advance for you help!

[rafaella]

I'm not sure I'm the best person to answer your questions but as you haven't had any other replies, I'll have a go.

700 euros a month won't go a long way but whether it will be enough is going to turn on how much rent you have to pay. You'll almost certainly have to share to get by on 700 per month. I don't know anything about the program you mentioned. Do they arrange and/or help with the cost of accommodation?

Public transport, particularly by bus, is pretty good value. You could look at a few websites to get an ideas of prices. Try daibus.es which has a lot of routes to/from Madrid and renfe.com which has details of the rail services around Spain.

I can't really answer question 2 as so much depends on exactly where you go, what you enjoy doing, how well you speak Spanish, etc.

Re number 3, there are certainly teachers who give private classes but bear in mind that doing things under the table is not the best of ideas. In addition, it normally takes time to get established somewhere, make contacts and so get private students. How much you could charge would depend on your experience and location. I imagine 15 euros per hour in a small town would be reasonable but that is simply a guess.

[naturegirl321]

About the 700 euros a month, if you call the embassy they'll tell you that SOME assistants get free housing, which makes it much easier to live off of only 700

[Perilla]

In Spain there is an expanding group known as "mileuristas" - people who earn around 1,000 euros per month.

In this context, 700 euros a month for what is essentially a p/t job as a teachers assistant sounds pretty good to me. I'd say go for it and don't worry about the money. I doubt you'll regret it, and you may well have a great and memorable experience.

[rafaella]

700 Euros a month PLUS free housing?

Where do I sign up?

[wiganer]

[naturegirl321]

[rafaella]

Wiganer is right about the financial support the Spanish provide to members of their families. 1000 Euros per month goes a lot further in that case.

However, coming back to EFL teachers - given that it costs around 500 Euros to rent a flat here and an average salary for an entry-level EFL teacher is around 1,100 Euros, then 700 Euros plus free accommodation (assuming it is, of course) seems like a pretty good deal.

I think the OP would be able to live in Spain quite comfortably and see some of the country as well, if he/she doesn't have to worry about accommodation costs. I wonder if the OP has found out what the accommodation situation is yet.

[WindyCityWanderer]

Thanks. As far as I've been told accommodation is not included, but I know that I will not be in a major city, I'll be placed in a city in Castilla la Mancha. I've been looking at idealista.es/fotocasa.es etc and it seems like most apartments in that area (renting a furnished room from someone) run closer to 250euro, which I think would work well with 700 euro/month.
Also, I'll only be working 15ish hours a week so I don't think 700euro is a rip-off. (Although I am an American kinda desperate for a year in Europe, so I'm a little biased).
Anyway, thanks for the advice!

[rafaella]

Well you would be left with around 450 a month to work with which would be enough to live on. You'd achieve your objective to spend a year in Europe as well so it sounds like you should go for it!

[pr455]

In Madrid, for this program, you get 1000� a month, but it's not advertised that way because many people would be shooting for Madrid rather than other regions.