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4 Reviews
80%Overall
Rating
Program Description
Teach Abroad in Spain with CIEE
Description
As part of a nationwide multilingual initiative, CIEE has partnered with the Junta de Andalucia, to place individuals just like you in paid yearlong Language and Culture Assistant positions teaching English in schools in urban or pueblo locations throughout Andalusia. Anywhere you teach in Andalusia, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the local culture, share your own way of life, perfect your Spanish, and gain valuable international work experience.
Highlights
* Pre-departure school placement at a public school in a pueblo, town or city in Andalusia
* A monthly stipend of 700 Euro to cover living expenses and new adventures, paid holidays too!
* Support of CIEE professional staff before you depart for Spain
* Teaching and program guides to help you plan and prepare
* A Lonely Planet guidebook to plan your travels
* Pre-departure online orientation training
* Airport transfer on designated arrival date
* Orientation in Seville
- Focused on teaching methodologies, cross-cultural training, securing housing,
health and safety, visa registration, and more.
- Cultural and socializing opportunities
- Four nights of accommodations and all meals
* Five nights of accommodation in your school location
* International medical insurance and 24-hour worldwide assistance provided through the CIEE iNext travel card
* 24-hour in-country emergency support services via the CIEE office in Sevilla
* Visa application advice (apply in person at the Spanish Embassy or Consulate)
* Scholarships available, note February 1 application deadline
Ad Options in Spain
* Optional - Pre-departure TEFL certification
* Optional - Early arrival for Spanish immersion course in Seville
* Optional - The Basics Option for those who have already lived in Spain and do not require an extensive orientation
Program Specifics
* School levels: primary, secondary, adult language schools
* School locations: Urban, town, and rural throughout Andalusia
* Typical teaching load: 12 classroom hours weekly (plus additional planning, faculty meeting, and extra-curricular activity time)
* Contracts: Spanish academic year: late September - May 31
Orientation
All Teach in Spain participants receive an in-country orientation in Seville conducted by CIEE staff and local experts. The focus is on cross-cultural understanding and practical information to help with the adaptation process. The training course provides resources needed to be an effective Language and Culture Assistant and helps develop essential skills for teaching, including the practical applications of teaching English as a Foreign Language in Spain. Housing and most meals are provided.
Location
Andalusia is a vibrant Autonomous Region in southern Spain flanked by the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal, and the rest of Spain to the north. It is bursting with quaint pueblo blanco villages, traditional cities, and an unbeatable vibrant culture! Whether you prefer a merienda or late night tapas, the culinary options in Andalusia are boundless. From olives of the heartland to the fresh catch in the Mediterranean, taste buds are never ignored. The birthplace of flamenco, Picasso, and Antonio Banderas is also home to the national sport corrida de toros, a tradition enjoyed or loathed by locals and visitors alike. The countless fiestas and long siestas all contribute to the unique customs of perennially sunny Andalusia.
The romantic city of Seville, capital of Andalusia, was one of the last footholds of the great Moorish empire that ruled the Iberian Peninsula. It is home to the dashing Don Juan, the ingenious barber of Seville, and the tempestuous Carmen. The great Renaissance painters Velazquez and Murillo were born here, and Ferdinand and Isabel ruled Spain from the royal apartments in the Alcazar Palace. Though the city preserves its past, modern Seville is the commercial hub of Andalusia. For a city of fewer than 800,000 people, Seville offers an amazing choice of cultural activities, from flamenco theaters to classical, pop, and jazz concerts.
Program Fee
Depending on the program and optional add-ons you choose, CIEE Teach in Spain programs range from USD 950 to USD 4,900.
Qualifications
Put your skills - and your heart - into teaching in Andalusia, Spain. You can request placement at a particular level and preferred location, though placements are driven by the demand for English-speaking teachers and the requirements of each host institution, so CIEE cannot guarantee that all requests will be honored.
The eligibility requirements for the Teach in Spain program include:
- Bachelors degree in any major
- Native English language fluency
- Upper intermediate to advanced level of Spanish skills
- A high level of commitment, responsibility and flexibility
- A genuine interest in both Spanish culture and teaching
Ratings and Reviews
6 of 14 people found this review helpful
Priego de Cordob
90%Overall
Rating
22 of 71 people found this review helpful
Best year of my life!
90%Overall
Rating
I went through the 2-week immersion program, so my first few weeks in Spain were filled with orientation schedules, host family obligations and a general frenzy. Once finished with orientation, I had to sort out my rusty Spanish, my apartment, my roommates, my school, my transportation, and my routine – amidst on onslaught of cultural shocks and new sights. But with the foundation and the tools that CIEE provided me, I felt more prepared to face those challenges and knew that I had a support system to combat any issues I couldn't handle on my own. Over the course of the year, CIEE offered us private lesson opportunities, monthly newsletters, a frequently updated forum, and contests to keep us involved. Not only that, but my fellow CIEE participants were the people who became my closest friends in Spain. CIEE grouped us by region during orientation, so the friends that I made in the first couple of weeks were close by enough to visit and travel with.
On a day to day basis, I struggled with your typical abroad challenges, one of them being the language. The accent and colloquialisms in southern Spain are different than anywhere in the world, thus posing a major challenge to my application of the bit of Spanish that I came in with. I did learn Spanish (poco a poco) in the classroom, but I was supposed to speak only English to the kids, which definitely limited my speaking. I tended to stick to the same verbs and vocab when conversing, which meant that I didn't improve my skills as much as I hoped. If I had put more time and money into Spanish lessons, I might have seen more of a difference, but perhaps CIEE could have facilitated online Spanish classes or weekly lessons or webinar discussions about our setbacks with Spanish. They did a great job at the start of the year setting us up with Clic, host families, and Spanish-basics, but if they carried that throughout the year, my Spanish would have been better off.
I also could have benefited from a more organized CouchSurfer-like CIEE community. The Facebook forums were a good place to start, and often helpful with questions, but it would have been nice to have a more developed travel network of peers that were trustworthy and in the same boat. After all, we only worked 12 hours a week, so we had plenty of free time to travel. Each city/town could have a very specific CIEE travel guide (like the TripAdvisor .pdfs, but aimed at 20-something-year-olds) that highlighted the actual MUST-sees of places, 3-day itineraries, CIEE-beloved restaurants, favorite nightspots, best neighborhoods to visit, best tapas to try, what hostels to go to (if there are no CIEE hosts available), where to fly in/what transport to take, and budget finds. I would have loved that and definitely offered my own couch and tips for travelers visiting Cadiz!
All in all, by the end of the year, I was thriving. I had mastered enough Spanish to live and work in Spain. I appreciated and enjoyed every minute with my students, roommates, and any Spaniards I could befriend. I know the CIEE was a good choice for me, because I didn't have confidence going into the year, but with their help, I was able to make the most of my experience (so much so that I applied and was accepted for a second year of teaching in Spain!). I hope that anyone considering CIEE decides to go through them -- I wholeheartedly recommend them.
38 of 67 people found this review helpful
CIEE - Save Your Money
60%Overall
Rating
The only reason you should sign up with CIEE to teach in Spain is if you want to be absolutely guaranteed to be assigned a school in Andalucia. Otherwise, you should save your money and apply directly through the government.
CIEE offers an orientation program that occurs two weeks before the school year starts. This orientation program is a waste of time if you have ever lived abroad before. Really, I learned basically nothing, and some of the information was completely inaccurate. In the end, the only thing I really gained from orientation was the friends that I made who were in my program.
After orientation, I barely ever heard from CIEE. They sent out one email each month, which contained some information, but most of it was useless. The only real times they sent out useful information was when they were addressing a concern that had been raised by several participants and had already been answered on a group Facebook page.
All in all, if you have never lived abroad before and are absolutely set on living in Andalucia, I guess that CIEE fits the bill. Otherwise, it is option that is not at all worth the expense.
75 of 134 people found this review helpful
CIEE in Andalucia
80%Overall
Rating
CIEE is a great idea for the person who is looking for an abroad setting but needs a little bit of support if things get chaotic. CIEE works with the Junta de Educacion in Spain and reserves spots for "auxiliares de conversacion" to be hired in schools through CIEE, specifically in ANDALUCIA. When you pay CIEE's fee, you are paying for the staff that lives in Spain and runs the program and an orientation that introduces you to topics such as apartment hunting in Spain to different accents within the Andalucian area. One positive (or negative) thing about the orientation is you immediately are meeting fellow English speakers starting their year in Spain at the same time. You have a community, should you choose to be a part of it. Although you are able to contact CIEE at any point, there is NO DIFFERENCE in your job if you went through CIEE or bypassed it and went straight through the Junta (you would be saving a few grand but have a much more complicated and confusing application process). Since this was not my first time abroad, I really didn't need the ready support I essentially paid for, but for the first timers, it may prove to be worthwhile.
I have had an awesome time living in Priego de Cordoba. The people at my school are so nice and willing to help me in any way possible. I only work 12 hours a week so I have a lot of time to travel and enjoy the local culture here in Spain. The biggest negative of my placement is that it is very hard to get anywhere since the bus routes are very long from my town.