ConversaSpain

From the very beginning this experience was a challenge that never proved to be worth it for me. I'm not really sure what the benefit of going through ConversaSpain is either.

I tried to be very patient with everybody due to the COVID situation changing conditions and making everything difficult but I truly don't believe much would have changed about my experience were there no pandemic.

There is SO MUCH paperwork and bureaucracy to get through when you move to Spain. The most frustrating of which was that the visa that you get doesn't actually cover the amount of time you need to stay so there are 2 more steps to the process to allow you to stay to the end of your contract. On top of that, nothing ever gets done and it's nearly impossible to get an appointment.

As for the job itself, you will end up putting in a lot more effort than is advertised. You will do a lot of lesson planning and many of my friends had to actually teach classes despite us being told that was not our job. One of my friends was even tasked with writing the exams for her classes.

If you don't speak any Spanish it will be extra challenging, especially when trying to organize your bank account.

The most frustrating thing about all of this was having to complete a course and a final project under the guise of sharing information with all the other Language Assistants. That's a load of garbage. No one will ever see those lesson plans again, it isn't even clear how to search for them. We all just shared all that sort of information with each other through Whatsapp groups. However, they force everyone to complete the course from which you learn nothing and waste a lot of time.

Literally the only positive experiences I had during my time were the few good friends I made, and the fact that the sun shines almost everyday, even though it's still very cold.

I don't recommend living in Spain!

Working with conversa has given me the opportunity to be independent abroad, working in a country that speaks a foreign language. The weather, the food and the teaching have given me so many experiences and a new way to move forward in life expanding my possibilities and opportunities as I have especially, always wanted to live far away in a different culture. Spain is my favourite country as I love the same sports and festivities as locals and teaching, living in the center of a southern Spanish city with the guidance of conversa has been a great platform for me in my life.

I am loving my experience teaching English in Spain. The schools are amazing, I teach primary at three local schools. I feel safe all the time, and the people are very kind and helpful.
However, I do have concerns about conversaspain’s role in organizing my teaching experience. I paid 1000Eu for their help and was told that I would receive assistance in my visa application and that conversaspain would provide my Spanish health insurance and a bank account. My experience so far has been that I had to apply for the visa entirely on my own. I am from Canada so whenever I asked questions about the process they would tell me to ask the Canadian consulate. It ended up taking months to get the visa and was very difficult to achieve with no aid.

When it came to the bank account I had to set it up entirely alone when I arrived in Spain even though they said it would be set up for me if I used their bank of choice- Sabadell.

As for the medical insurance- that is managed by the spanish education authorities. They not only give us our insurance but they also provide our monthly stipend and help to place us in our local schools.

So in the end I paid a lot of money to a company that did not help in the ways they promised and I could have saved a lot by just applying straight to the regional education authorities. This is something I wish I knew before I paid!!

It was relatively easy to do this program!
You pay the fee and Conversaspain does the rest (setting up the job).
They are always there to help and support any problems you have. I recommend this program for the stability and help!

You will need to get your visa, flights, housing, and health insurance. They will help you every step of the way.
You can decide between Madrid and Murcia. I recommend Murcia if you want a more chill place near beaches with good food. If you want the busy city life with other great experiences choose Madrid.

Don't expect your school location to be in the city center of either city. Madrid and Murcia refer to regions so they make up various zones within the region. You might get lucky though although it isn't much of a bother if you don't because public transportation is very convenient.

ConversaSpain made moving to Spain so easy. It can seem daunting to move to a foreign country when you don't know how anything works, but ConversaSpain was a huge help. They walk you through everything you need in order to start your job as a language assistant, and they were always there to help me with any questions I had. After you're accepted into the program, you are required to send in/complete certain documents before you arrive in Spain. Once you arrive, ConversaSpain holds an induction meeting with the other assistants as well. This meeting was super helpful because it cleared up any additional questions you have and gave you a better idea of what the job would entail. It was great to meet other people, too! It was a smart and comforting choice to work with them!