A Letter to New English Teaching Assistants in Spain
Dear Class of NALCAP 2025,
So you’re graduating with a degree in international relations/studies/affairs/business and don’t actually know what to do with it? Or you’re concerned by what’s happening in the U.S. and want a little distance? Welcome to the club! You’re in good company with thousands of Americans who have gone through the program and either did in fact go home afterwards or used it to launch a new life abroad.
I’m a two-time aux turned master’s student, someone who unintentionally lied to both their mom and themselves that they’d be coming home in eight months; and now two and a half years later I have no plans to come home anytime soon. That being said, I’d like to give y’all some advice, things I wished I knew when I booked a one-way ticket to Mallorca back in 2022.
First and foremost, your experience is what you make it. If you’ve been confused and conflicted about the wide variety of experiences people talk about on Reddit, it all comes down to the set of cards an aux is dealt and what they do with them. I was fortunate to be dealt a great set of cards. I was placed in my top choice region, in the city I wanted, I found a lovely little well-located apartment with another aux who became one of my best friends, there was a thriving international community for me to plug into, and the teacher I worked with was great and expected very little from me besides showing up with a good attitude. I was just another tool in her toolbox, not someone she expected to plan lessons in her free time. I had all the good cards. Yet, I know others who were placed in difficult to reach places and felt isolated, or whose schools put them in charge of lesson planning and whole classrooms. Everyone is dealt a different set of cards and a lot of that comes down to luck.
While everyone’s cards are different, it is up to you what you do with them. Get placed in a small town? Well, that can be a great opportunity to work your way up to advanced Spanish or even learn a new language. It’s also worth looking into whether you can live in a city and have a long commute during your workdays in order to have more convenience and opportunities for a social life during your long weekend, as well as be better connected for traveling. Does your school expect a lot from you? Know your responsibilities and do your best to manage expectations. Even if it doesn’t go well, you’re only working four days a week.
Resilience and adaptability are the name of the game. If you’re not resilient and don’t learn to adapt and go with the flow, you will have a difficult time. After all, no matter your circumstances, you will be dealing with finding housing in a foreign country (unless you really trust the situation, please don’t sign anything until you see it), Spanish bureaucracy and the challenge of finding citas previas, adapting to a new job, adapting to a new culture, and living outside of your comfort zone. Those who adapt and buckle up for the ride have a better time.
I like to say our job is being the token American in our schools. At the end of the day, few of us have training in teaching English or in general. What we have is the privilege of being native speakers of the language that happens to be the lingua franca of travel and business. You will realize that it is a privilege as you make friends all over the globe who speak English fluently and with a few other languages thrown in there. Our job is to be cultural ambassadors and give the kids a reason to speak English in a real and fun way. After all—regardless of what our Spanish level actually is—none of us speak Spanish. At least as far as the kids are concerned. But hey, gaslighting the kids is part of the job.
This year will change your life if you let it. It’s up to you whether it is the year you partied and traveled in Spain or whether you participated in cultural exchange in a real and substantial way (while still having a great time, it’s all about mindset). Open your mind to new experiences, new foods, new festivals. Say yes to everything you can. Soak in the culture. Cultivate friendships with people from all over the world. Talk to people, even if it’s in broken Spanish. Leave your prejudices behind in the U.S. And for the love of God, drill your geography for when the inevitable annoying person wants to quiz the “dumb American.” Represent your people well that Americans are and can be warm, open-minded, friendly people.
And prepare for the itch to stay to hit around Christmas time. After all, there’s no shame in being a second-year aux. As one of my professors told me when I was on the fence my first year, two years is nothing in the span of your career and your life. This can be the year that changes everything—if you let it.
Good luck!
Calley
bless their hearts for actually spelling my name right
