The photo is taken by Tanja.

Navigating the Educational Landscape in Madrid: My adventurous Language Assistance stay abroad.

For the last eight months, I have been living in Spain. Why? Because – up until yesterday – I was working as a language assistant at two different schools in Madrid. After finishing my Bachelor’s degree in teaching, I wanted to go abroad to gain more experience in teaching and to experience a different culture. I chose to apply to the language assistant program offered by ‘weltweit unterrichten,’ and luckily, they offered me a place in two secondary schools in Madrid. I had one main school (IES Elisa Soriano Fischer) and a secondary school (IES Ignacio Aldecoa). During my time in Madrid, my educational journey was rich and varied. I had the opportunity to immerse myself in two distinct teaching environments. At my main school, I noticed a subtle decline in student interest in German, which posed a unique challenge. It taught me firsthand the significance of crafting engaging lessons to keep students motivated. On the flip side, my experience at the second school was a breath of fresh air. There, I encountered an educator with loads of teaching experience and knowledge and a group of students who were not only highly motivated but also took the initiative to explore German language learning on their own. This positive dynamic showed me how effective inspiring teaching can be and how important it is to cater to the needs and interests of the students to motivate them to learn.

The photo is taken by Tanja.

The photo is taken by Tanja.

The photos are taken by Tanja.

Teaching Experience

Overall, I genuinely enjoyed my time at both schools, but I must provide an honest evaluation, particularly regarding my experience at the first school. There were notable communication and organizational hiccups. For instance, confusion arose regarding the start of the Christmas holidays. My teacher informed me that I could travel to Austria on Thursday since Friday was supposed to be free. However, this turned out to be inaccurate, leading to regular teaching on Friday. Although the source of this confusion remained unclear, I’m grateful that it was eventually resolved. These communication and organizational challenges were not unique to language assistants but seemed to be commonplace in this school. Surprisingly, navigating these hurdles has contributed to my growth as a teacher and educator. I’ve learned to adapt to unforeseen circumstances, refrain from taking issues personally, and respond professionally to instances of unprofessional behaviour. One example of such behaviour was the communication breakdowns at my main school. In the event of my teacher’s absence, I often received WhatsApp messages either late at night (particularly at the start of the school year), mere minutes before our lessons (as the year progressed), or sometimes not at all, including on my last day at the school. This inconsistency made lesson preparation difficult. I managed fairly well to teach the students without preparation time because I was team teaching in my second school and, therefore, I usually had something prepared anyway. But I have to say I felt quite frustrated in the beginning. In hindsight, I can honestly say that those frustrations have turned out to be a great learning opportunity for me because I had to learned how to navigate those feelings and how to express them in a constructive and clear way.

            All in all, being able to work in two different schools with their varied approaches to teaching has been an invaluable experience for me. I am especially grateful for the help of my German teacher in my second school who helped me with the language barrier, scheduling an appointment for the NIE number, and getting back my deposit. Moreover, he is a fantastic educator. His way of teaching and his guidance have really helped me settle in quickly and work effectively.

The photo is taken by Tanja.

Accommodation Challenges, Leisure Activities and Social Life

For the next part, I would like to write about the following topics: accommodation, free time, and social life. Finding accommodation in Madrid was not only adventurous but also nerve-wracking. At one point, I had to resort to an Airbnb because I had moved out of my old apartment, believing I had found a new one. This turned out to be a semi-scam; among other things, there was a mouldy fridge in the room in which I was supposed to store my food. Obviously, I had to move out immediately. Not only to get the first month’s rent and the service fee from Uniplaces (the online booking service platform) back but also to leave a flat that was substandard even for Madrid. This turned into a moving-around and flat-hunting frenzy. These experiences occasionally frustrated me, but once again, I was very glad for the German teacher in my second school who, for example, helped me getting my deposit back from the mouldy-fridge-apartment-landlady. All in all, apartments in Madrid are definitely overpriced for what they offer, and it’s not easy to afford with the salary of a language assistant. Lastly, I found a room for 480 euros a month, which is considered cheap for Madrid.

            Renting aside, when talking about leisure activities, Madrid offers everything one could desire. Whether you are a theatre or cinema lover, enjoy walking in parks, or exploring the mountains, Madrid has something for everyone. There are countless museums, cultural events, galleries, restaurants, and tapas bars waiting to be discovered. A special experience was, for example, WineGogh, where you drink wine and simultaneously paint a picture by Van Gogh with neon colours. It’s always possible to take a train and leave the city for a few days to explore the surroundings. Madrid really offers an endless selection of leisure activities, and there is always something going on. Also, one of the best things about Madrid is that you can travel nearly everywhere from there. I got to see thirty different places in Spain during my eight-month stay, and now I am looking forward to a Flixbus trip to Portugal before I return to Austria. To sum up, if you enjoy big cities and the flexibility, anonymity, and bravado that comes with living in one, Madrid can be a perfect place to live. You can book a train to Valencia and be on the beach in two or three hours, or you can take a bus up into the mountains near Madrid. I love how easy traveling in Spain is, how fast the trains are, and I will miss that part of my stay abroad a lot.

            Finding friends in Madrid was just as easy as travelling. One reason for this is that there were 10 other Austrian language assistants in the city. We often met up and did things together, making our time in Madrid a lot of fun. I will always remember the trips we took together, and the great memories made while traveling. Taking advantage of the many school events and opportunities available was also beneficial. I participated in school hiking days, trips, scavenger hunts, debate competitions, and student exchanges, and we organized a project to promote the German language in primary education. Through these activities, I met teachers from Germany, English language assistants, and other local educators, significantly expanding my social circle. Another very handy resource was having a WhatsApp group for the Austrian language assistants in Spain. It was incredibly helpful because if I travelled to another city, I could reach out to other language assistants for tips or even meet up if there was time. To conclude, Madrid is full of events like language exchange nights and bar hopping, so you’d have to try hard not to meet new people. The city’s vibrant social scene offers endless opportunities to connect and make new friends.

The photo is taken by Tanja.

Looking Back on Eight Adventurous Months in Spain

My personal conclusion is mixed but overall positive. During my stay in Madrid, most of my expectations were met, but I also encountered some negative aspects. For instance, my bicycle was stolen, and I experienced people trying to pull me over the barrel, especially when they noticed I was nowhere near to being fluent in the language yet. Nevertheless, I think such problems are more typical of living in a big city like Madrid and not necessarily representative of all of Spain. Despite these challenges, I enjoyed Madrid and its culture very much and look forward to returning. I especially enjoyed my travels within Spain and was glad to see as much as possible. In conclusion, I would recommend the experience of being a language assistant to anyone who is adventurous and enjoys teaching. It was an incredibly enriching time full of new experiences and insights. Despite the challenges, I learned a lot and collected many valuable memories. The opportunity to live and work in a different culture broadened my horizons and enhanced both my personal and educational development. This experience reminded me that I can adapt to new situations and that I am well equipped to deal with all kinds of people. It’s certainly a time I wouldn’t want to miss.

The photo is taken by Tanja.

The photo is taken by Tanja.

The photo is taken by Tanja.