If you are wondering how to travel after graduating while getting paid a reliable wage you can actually live off of, then becoming a language assistant is your answer. Most language assistants or auxiliares de conversación as they’re called in Spanish, only work three and a half days a week and can count on a three day weekend every weekend to spend traveling Europe. You can be placed all over Spain depending on your interests. Would you rather live in the heart of a metropolitan city like Madrid or Barcelona, near peaceful mountains in the north such as in Bilbao or even living beachside in the south of Spain like in Malaga, Granada or Murcia. OR better yet- on one of the many Spanish islands such as the Canaries or on the island Palma. You also have another choice; would you rather work with preschool and primary aged children, middle school, high school or adult students? Where you choose to live and the age group you teach will become the foundation of your experience in Spain.
Language assistants in Madrid are paid an untaxed 1000EUR stipend meaning you will see exactly 1000EUR in your bank account each month. Auxiliars outside of Madrid are paid less yet often make more when you compare the cost of living. Renting a private room in Madrid with bills included can range from 400-800EUR while many auxiliars I have met from outside the city only pay 130-300EUR. Insurance is covered, groceries are pretty cheap and you only pay 20EUR a month for unlimited transportation if you are under 26 like me. The rest of that money is yours to spend how you want! For me it’s catching every cheap RyanAir flight I can to the next destination. Because you enjoy long breaks away from school just like the students, it’s easy to plan trip after trip. For the Winter Break I traveled seventeen of the nineteen days and was still paid my full paycheck. If you are planning a longer trip outside of the allotted breaks or extended weekends, you can simply make up the school days in advance if it is okay with the school director and the teachers you assist.
My alarm goes off at 7:45 each morning and I’m out the door by 8:20. From there I make the less than five minute walk to the nearest metro station and take the crowded metro one stop to the train station during the peak of morning rush hour. From there I hop on a train and watch the city fade to mountains and countryside with a few friends before parting ways to our separate schools. I grab my one euro coffee from the jolly man at the Alcobendas train station corner shop, walk five minutes to my school and begin greeting parents, coworkers and students just before the bell rings at 9:30.
From there I take over the morning English routine, trying to add my own pizazz and interesting new vocabulary or fun facts. An hour and a half after the first bell, we have a half hour break in the teachers lounge complete with yogurt, juice, fruit and sweets and sometimes traditional paella, jamón or little sandwiches. I’m in the classrooms again reading stories or working with small groups until the two hour break begins an hour and a half later. On Wednesdays my day is over at this point, but on other days I use this two hour break to plan the private lessons that I teach outside of school hours for extra cash; 15-20EUR an hour. I either eat lunch with my coworkers, which I always enjoy, or pack my own lunch and classes resume at three. I help teach Natural or Social Science and in another hour and a half more, it is time to head home.
The days go by fast, and I really enjoy working with my students and having language exchange conversations with my coworkers. Most of the time, there are two or more language assistants placed in a school, but I’m the only auxiliar at mine. I get on the train home and listen to a podcast in Spanish or read a book, and am home around 5:15. I teach four hours of private lessons a week after school so after the school day I will meet up with those students.
When I’m not meeting up with students, I am working out at a nearby gym, solidifying travel plans for the weekend or drinking wine and watching a movie before the next day begins. There are also several international groups I’ve found on Facebook that I regularly meet up with. From volunteering to free Spanish lessons to working out together, there’s a group for it all and endless amounts of like-minded people looking to make new friends in Madrid!
The aux life is the best life. If you are interested in applying, feel free to reach out to me ☺
BroadsAbroad 
Wow, this has made me excited to apply for my gap year!!
LikeLike