In Granada for the Auxiliares de Conversación Program

I'm back in Spain, settling down slowly in Granada. I just finished my first week of work and now that things are a little less hectic, I thought I'd take the time to write my first entry to restart this blog.

I'm here in Spain for 8 months under the Auxiliares de Conversación program. Back in March, I (and my other coursemates in U.P.) received an email from one of my professors inviting us to apply to the program. I took this description from the info sheet they gave us when we were applying.

The language and culture assistants programme is an initiative of the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, devoted to providing scholarships for university students (majoring in any subject, but preferably in Languages and Education) and graduates with proficiency in Spanish.

The Assistants will have the opportunity to teach English in Spain in primary and secondary education and in Official Schools of Languages for a full academic year, from October to May/June in Spain. Preferred placement in different Spanish regions can be requested. 

The language assistants receive a scholarship which should cover accommodation and catering expenses, (about 700 euros monthly), an orientation course and medical insurance. They will also be invited to take part in educational activities organised by the Department of Education of the Spanish Autonomous Region they will be placed in.

I have always wanted to teach, and I also wanted to go back and live in Spain at one point in my life, so I found the program to be a perfect fit. We initially had to submit a resume and a letter of intent to our department, then they did a pre-selection and sent their candidates to the Spanish Embassy. Once our applications were accepted by the Spanish Embassy, we had to go through the regular application process. It was then that I found out how big the program actually is. The program has been going on for a few years now, but it was open to native English speakers from the U.S.A., Canada, the U.K. and Australia. This is actually the first year that the Philippines is participating, and all the Philippine applicants were students from Philippine Universities that had signed an agreement with the Spanish Ministry (mainly U.P. and Ateneo).

Everything actually happened really quickly. I sent out my resume the day after receiving the email (which also happened to be the deadline for sending our resumes, though it was extended since most of us were busy with our final thesis requirements at that time). I had to go in for an interview at the Spanish embassy, then I also had to apply through the official website after my application was approved by the Spanish Ministry. At this time I was also planning for my post-graduation trip (105 Days of Adventure), so I wasn't thinking that much about it for a while, just waiting to hear from Spain. About a week after applications closed, I heard back that I was accepted to the program! I was ecstatic, and set about trying to get everything I needed done since I would be out of the country for 3 and a half months. I wasn't able to get much done since I had to wait for my official placement letter from Spain before I could apply for my visa, so I ended up getting all that done when I came home in September (stories for another post).

In the end, everything worked out, and I'm finally here in Spain! Last Wednesday I attended an orientation for all the auxiliares in Granada. The bilingual coordinator of Granada told us about the program in more detail, as well as about our roles and responsibilities. The day after, I went to the school I was assigned to and met Ana, the bilingual coordinator of my school. She gave me my schedule, got me acquainted with the school and the program, and I met a few of the teachers I would be working with.

Basically, as an auxiliar de conversación, you assist in the bilingual classes in a school. In the past few years, Spain has been trying to implement a bilingual program in the public schools. The students who are participating in the program receive their education in both Spanish and English. Meaning to say they're not just learning English (grammar) but also Science in English, Math in English, Philosophy in English, etc. As of now, only some students are part of the program, but if I'm not mistaken, it will soon be obligatory to all.

Spain's educational system is divided into three stages: primaria, secundaria, and bachillerato. There are six levels of primaria, four levels of secundaria, and two levels of bachillerato. The institute I was assigned to is a secundaria and bachillerato school. I assist in classes in all levels; the first years of secondaria are about 12-13 years old and the second level of bachillerato are about 17-18 years old. (I've learned a lot about the Spanish educational system and the bilingual program, and it's really interesting.) As for subjects, I'm helping out in Math, Social Sciences, Geography, History, Science, Technology, Philosophy, and even a Physical Education class! The auxiliares only work 12 hours a week, and we get either Mondays or Fridays off (I have Fridays off). I actually have two work schedules, week A and week B, and I alternate. Turns out a lot of the teachers wanted me to help out in their class, so I have to take turns with all of them.

As auxiliares, we don't have to teach the class; we're only there to assist. Thus we don't have to correct papers, plan lessons, discipline the students, etc. though in some classes we work with the teachers and help prepare a few activities. From what I hear, and from what I've experienced so far, the teachers like using auxiliares for their speaking skills so that their students can hear proper pronunciation, and for conversation practice.

My first week of work went by really well. In most of my classes this week I introduced myself since it was my first time to meet them. I told them a little bit about myself and the Philippines. With the younger levels, they would ask me a lot of random questions (how many siblings I had, what's my favorite color, what's my favorite food, etc.). In this one class I had there was this one kid who actually prepared a list of questions he wanted to ask me... very cute! Haha.

My work varies from class to class. In the Science classes I assisted in this week, the teacher asked me to read the text he prepared, then the student would read it again, and translate the text into Spanish (for comprehension). I was actually pretty impressed with some (key word some) of the students' English comprehension level and translation skills. (I've mostly heard horror stories at how bad the students are at English). And in this one Math class I worked with, the students worked individually on English word problems, and they would call me (or the teacher) if they needed help understanding some words of phrases. (I actually had a lot of fun in this class because Math is one of my favorite subjects.) In one Geography class, the teacher had prepared an exercise where the kids had to listen to a song about the earth, and they were given the lyrics with blanks which they had to fill. I helped them go through the song after they finished the activity (I didn't sing though, just read the lyrics out loud :P).

It's been fun meeting the students and the professors, and learning about how the school works. Especially coming from (and teaching at) a non-traditional school back home, the feel of things here is very different. I've also never taught this age group before, so it's going to be quite a challenge, but something I'm looking forward to. Though I've just been at it for a week, I'm really enjoying so far and can't wait for what's to come.