4 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Moving To Spain as a Teaching Assistant

Now that my first academic year in Spain has come to a gentle end, I can boldly say that I absolutely made the right decision to throw myself into a new country—even before learning the language! It was worth it, and I recommend that anyone who has this amazing opportunity to travel, work, and explore what life can be like here should do so without hesitation!

With that being said, there are several questions you may want to ask yourself before choosing to make the big jump overseas:

1) What are your main reasons and goals for moving to Madrid?

As mentioned in my previous post, I moved to Madrid to experience an alternative culture and way of life. Integration and learning about Spanish culture, as well as the experience of teaching within a completely different education system, was my primary goal, which made leaving my home city an easy decision. What is your motivation for wanting to move to Madrid? Perhaps you’d like to practice your Spanish as much as possible in an authentic way, try your hand at teaching, or simply have easier access to explore the rest of Europe during your time in Spain. Either way, think carefully about your true goals to decide if this experience is the right one for you. Remember—this year is definitely not a holiday. You’ll be required to attend school, prepare educational activities, and will, in some way, be responsible for the learning and progress of your students!

2) Am I prepared to learn and communicate in Spanish often?

If you do not speak any Spanish and think you’ll be able to thrive in Spain with zero language barriers, linguistic mishaps, or miscommunication—think again, my friend. The reality is that there are many people here who do NOT speak English (nor should they be required to). This being the case, if you are thinking of moving to Spain, you would do well to learn the basics of Spanish—how to order food in a restaurant, how to ask for directions, etc. I moved to Spain before I could have these kinds of conversations and found it extremely difficult to even go about my daily life. I couldn’t ask for help in the supermarket, I didn’t know how to order food in a restaurant, and I certainly couldn’t strike up a basic conversation to try and make friends. However, I was determined to learn some basic phrases/terms during my first weeks here, which made moving around and daily life so much easier. You don’t need to do this alone; I found language exchanges and an affordable online tutor to help me with this, as I struggled to learn Spanish by myself!

3) Am I comfortable with the potential changes in culture and lifestyle?

Although Madrid is only across the road from London, sometimes I feel like I’m in a completely different world! The way people communicate here, the food, the slower pace of life even in a capital city, cultural differences as a society, ‘norms’—the list goes on! While there were some things I was prepared for, other things have come as a surprise, which has taken me quite some time to adjust to (maybe this will be for another post). However, I knew there was a strong possibility of experiencing this when I first submitted my application to live and work in Spain! So, essentially this question means: Are you comfortable with the idea of potentially being uncomfortable at times?

4) Can you see yourself working with children/young people daily?

With CIEE’s teach abroad programs (and other programs), a large portion of your time in Spain will be spent teaching and interacting with children daily. You may be required to prepare activities to teach groups of students, help them prepare for exams, and assist them with their speaking and listening skills, etc. For me, this has been a very rewarding experience—my students are very inquisitive, energetic, and there are certainly a multitude of unique personalities within my classes! However, teaching children certainly requires a lot of patience, flexibility, understanding, and self-control (especially when dealing with teenagers). Working with children is not for everyone, and there is no harm in being honest with yourself about whether you can see yourself doing so daily!

Ultimately, choosing to leave everything behind and move abroad is no easy feat. From an early age, I have always loved learning about different cultures, customs, and languages, and knew that immersing myself in a completely different environment was something I desired to do. At the same time, leaving friends, family, and everything familiar felt like insanity, and I questioned myself many times—even while I was on the plane to Madrid! Be sure to take some time to reflect on your goals and what you’d like to gain from this experience, while also being realistic about what may be required from you according to the program you may choose.

Buena suerte y hasta la próxima <3