Program Reviews

I was placed in La Devesa school in Carlet, and it was an absolute NIGHTMARE. Do NOT accept your position if you get placed here.

Despite being promised to be an assistant with the support of a lead teacher, and never alone with more than 15 children, I was left completely alone all day everyday with 19 three year olds with no support. I could spend hours listing all the ways that both the staff and program disrespected me and my role over my time working at the school, but some highlights include: working extra patio and lunch duties I was not being paid for for several months, being expected to change diapers and wipe butts, supervising over 100 children alone during recess each week that I did not teach or even know by name, being left alone with 40 three year olds during an open house while prospective parents observed me, being placed in random classes as a substitute with no notice, and being left with just myself and the other assistants with the entire preschool (85 children) on a field trip while the main teachers went to get coffee and didn't tell us. My free time was repeatedly taken away without notice or pay due to field trip schedules, and I was forced to stay until 7:00 PM for a holiday concert on a school night and directly supervise the children for nearly 8 full hours without food. My fellow auxiliares were burdened with similar tasks like hundreds of student assessments and report card comments, which are meant to be a responsibility of the main teachers. After the flooding in October, we endured a daily commute of 5 hours (2.5 each way) without alternatives from the school or compensation. These are just a few examples of countless instances of exploitation and disregard for the contract.

This lack of support was compounded by instances of disrespect, such as "this is Spain, and you need to learn to work above and beyond your contract here," and "we know that 19 is above your contract, but this is what the school needs." After being left alone with 38 children during an open day, I was criticized for " not improvising better." The school routinely staged photos of activities to deceive parents and instructed us to lie about classroom arrangements. When I questioned why we were lying to parents, I was told, "No other Meddeas person has ever complained about being placed alone in a class of that many children," and the fact that I will only agree to be with 15 is "why we need to lie to the parents." The staff often switches to Valenciano when I was in the room, knowing I understand Spanish. Although I went and beyond my responsibilities on a daily basis, I was rarely ever received a thank you or word of encouragement.

Despite raising these concerns with Meddeas and the school, only minimal changes were implemented, they were not consistently followed, and they came after prolonged efforts. I was eager to learn from lead teachers, but instead, I was thrust into a lead teaching role from my first day without adequate support, language skills, or familiarity with the school's resources. It became clear that the school was exploiting us for labor rather than fostering cultural exchange and mentorship as the program intends. After enduring 4 months at the awful school, I decided to put my mental health first and quit. The administration responded by physically locking me in a room, screaming at me as I was hysterically crying, insisting I was abandoning the children and should feel horrible about myself, and forcing me to speak in Spanish. After sending my resignation letter, I was not met with a single apology or acknowledgment from a single member of the school.

I cannot stress enough that this school is a daily version of hell, and despite having complaints from language assistants year after year, Meddeas continues to permit them in the program and ignore all assistants' valid complaints. If you are placed here, I truly can't stress enough that you will be better off doing ANYTHING else with your time.

I had the best experience with meddeas! Going into my year abroad, there were so many unknowns. The team at meddeas were very quick to answer my questions and help me feel at ease! Once in Spain, they continued to reach out and help me adjust to living there. They placed me in an amazing school with another language assistant, and together we had an awesome experience. I improved my Spanish so much, got immersed in local culture, and built amazing relationships. I’m excited to renew with meddeas next year!

This is my second year as a Language Assistant, and at first none of my placements were what I expected. However, if I could change them now, I definitely won’t do it. I have made friends for life both through the program and teachers at my school, and also broadened my horizons so much which comes naturally with living in a foreign country. I would also say teaching is incredibly rewarding and I have found that it is something I would potentially want to continue in the future. Overall, I have had a really positive experience and I would strongly recommend it to anyone considering doing it.

Being a language assistant has been invaluable to my professional and personal growth over the last year. Like many of us, I was a bit lost leaving my university, unsure of what I wanted to do next but certain I wanted an experience that would help me gain self-understanding, professional development, and a greater sense of clarity about my future. I have experienced cultures and people that I never thought I would imagine while simultaneously furthering my education, teaching skills, and professional skills. It has truly changed my life for the better.

The programme has given me so many opportunities and introduced me to a way of life I never knew before. Everyday is filled with happiness, being able to develop my teaching skills thanks to the hands-on experience with the kids and the application of what I have learnt from the TEFL-related course. Additionally, living with a host family has allowed me to become integrated into my community, and to feel almost like a local. Not only has my Spanish improved to a much more comfortable level, but experiencing the richness of Spanish culture and getting to see what this country has to offer has really changed my outlook on my life.

You can have a great experience with this program if you are placed in a good school; however Meddeas does nothing to ensure that your experience is positive and if any conflicts come up they will always take the side of the school. There is also no guarantee that you'll make a living wage as they pay per contract hour, not per hour spent at school. Your contract might be for 20 hours but with breaks and lunch you spend 35 real hours a week at school. With the teaching program through the Spanish government, you work fewer hours and are paid more overall. Avoid this program if you're still able to apply for other teaching programs in Spain.

I am currently in my second year with Meddeas. From the beginning of the application period, to moving to Spain, to questions throughout the two academic courses, the Meddeas team has been more than helpful. They assisted with any need or doubt that I had while aiding me through the paperwork. Meddeas has been a great opportunity for me to put my love of teaching to use in a culturally different environment. I have loved my time with Meddeas while teaching and learning from my Spanish students. The Spanish culture has also brought me great joy. I have loved learning from my UIC course, my tutor, and other Meddeas assistants the benefits and joys that they have experienced in their city. The Meddeas Experience allows you the opportunity to learn and grow in an unknown environment while gaining the knowledge to continue to self-develop and grow into a different version of you. Meddeas gave me a great opportunity to teach and I am thankful for it.

Meddeas helps to place you in schools throughout Spain, working with mostly private and concertado (semi-private/charter) schools. They help you with the visa process, documentation you need while in Spain, and are a resource for help during your time in Spain. I have found that they are very responsive and if they don't have an answer for my question they take their time to assist me or reference me to who I should speak with.

One thing to keep in mind is that every experience greatly varies. Meddeas works to place you in the school, but each school has a different idea for how they want to use their language assistants, so you need to be flexible and understanding that Meddeas although they provide guidelines of what to expect, isn't in charge of your actual teaching experience so be sure to have a conversation with your school about expectations and if this changes or they expect more than what Meddeas states you can then talk with Meddeas for support in this process.

Meddeas also requires you to take an online TEFL course (or Early Education course or Advanced TEFL course depending on your prior experience) while in the program. This course depending on your professor can be helpful, but in my opinion, it isn't the most useful course I have taken. Although I do well on the assignments and have learned somethings, I have had to rely on my prior education classes I took at university, and I know that friends who have no experience have had to put a lot more work into the class to understand concepts that are shared or understand how to lesson plan since their professors didn't give them enough guidance. For being a program that accepts people with no experience I think this is an area that can be improved, to provide more help for teachers who are experiencing the classroom for the first time.

Meddeas offers two options for living: with a host family or independently. If you live with a host family you receive less of a stipend since your room and board is provided by your host family. I chose the host family option because I had studied abroad before and loved being with a host family, but I have found this experience to be a different one. When studying abroad you don't have as many responsibilities and there are no expectations except for sharing your culture and learning about your family's culture. Whereas with the Meddeas option you are expected to have English days two times a week (depending on your schedule) and 2 Saturdays in a month. So there is a responsibility for teaching and interacting in English. I at first didn't think I would mind this and since I loved my host family experience I decided to sign up for it, but after being in the program for six months and now on my second host family (since my school splits the time among two families) I realize that it wasn't the experience that I thought it would be. I love my families and I'm really appreciative to have lived with them, but I think that having to speak in English and help give lessons to the children or the adults in the family is a tiring expectation. If it naturally happened I think I wouldn't mind it as much, but to go from teaching English all day to coming home and two days of the week continuing to teach in English or play games with the children is more tiring than I had expected. I miss my host family days where when I came home from a school day I could choose to speak whichever language I wanted and was able to do the activities I want while having a family to come home to. If you have never lived with a host family and have a lot of energy and want to experience an authentic living situation I think the host family route is great. But if you are wanting more independence or know you need time away from constantly being an English teacher, then maybe consider independent living.

Overall Meddeas has allowed me to travel and teach which is what I wanted from this job. I really enjoy my students who range from an age of 8-18. They keep me laughing and I feel as though I have learned a lot about myself from teaching them this year! To be a teacher in Spain you need patience, flexibility, and creativity! Students enjoy your lessons when they are entertaining and engaging. Often times classes are changed around or a teacher may ask you to talk about something you were not prepared for, so that is where the flexibility comes in. And lastly, you need patience to accept Spanish culture and to be able to control the energetic/talkative students.

With all this in mind, I would recommend Meddeas for people who want to teach in Spain. It's a well-supported program. There are no fees for the program, but there is a deposit that needs to placed and you have to pay for airfare to Spain, travel/accommodation to the induction meeting, and visa fees (so keep that in mind). No experience is needed to apply. There are different teaching options depending on your experience. You are able to give preferences during your application process. You will take an online course and receive TEFL certification. And most importantly, you will be able to teach English and share your culture with your students!

Meddeas: Meddeas has been extremely helpful through the whole process in terms of USA documentation, visas, Spain documentation, etc. Sometimes they don't have all the answers, but in all honesty, the laws and regulations are changing per city in the US pretty fluidly, so I can only imagine managing other countries, too. On top of this, I've heard that other programs don't help with this aspect, so it's definitely a huge benefit. Moreover, Meddeas has given us opportunities to connect with other language assistants through FB pages and our induction meeting. I think the greatest plus side of this program is that you don't have to pay any fee to commit to it, just a deposit that (if you meet necessary criteria) will be given back to you at the end of your term. Going off of that, you get paid monthly and receive a TEFL certificate - again, with no cost to you.
School: The school's truly are going to vary immensely by location, type, grade, etc. My experience has been good so far, but it does require patience. The US system and Spanish system work at different paces. In my personal experience working in secondary, the teachers don't prepare much more than a day ahead of time for a lesson, which was off-putting at times. However, it didn't interfere with my job much as I was mostly taking students out of class in groups to practice speaking for Cambridge Exams. The teachers were the sweetest and truly care about their students' development.
Host Family: My host family is the absolute greatest. I've been blessed with having a family that treats me like one of their own. Aside from teaching the family, I really have bonded with the kids and learned a bunch from them in Spanish, culture, traditions, etc. They'll for sure be invited to my wedding in the future :)

I've had a really great experience here in Spain. I was fortunate to be placed with two other language assistants at my school. Through this, we've been able to create a strong support system, something necessary when you're away from the comfort of your home, family, and friends. The two girls I work with have become my best friends throughout these past several months. I've met many people through this experience and have been able to create a more positive outlook on life. The school I work at has all the teaching materials I need to do my lessons. The classrooms are equipped with SMART boards, black boards, computers, speakers, etc. The English teachers I work with are supportive and want to help me grow as a teacher. They allow me the freedom to plan and teach my lessons independently but also step in when feedback is necessary. I love working with them and I love this job because there is so much trust and independence from the very beginning! This is the perfect learning experience for someone who wants the freedom to teach what they want immediately without having to go through a training or school program. I also really like how we are able to take a TEFL course on the side through the International University of Barcelona, Catalunya. While it will be helpful to have TEFL on my resume, I wouldn't say the course is that beneficial. The teachers aren't helpful and during our monthly online class portion, they read off scripts instead of having a conversation or seminar based class. The online class is a waste of time. Some of the assignments are helpful, however some are so pointless. Sometimes, it seems as if they only give assignments because they need to--not because it will actually help us become better teachers. I wish our course was more focused on class management skills and linguistics. The teachers don't give any sort of feedback on any assignments. My teacher even mixed up one of our assignments with another class she had! My classmates and I were all so confused until one of us brought it up and the teacher finally admitted she was wrong.

While I teach, I also live with a host family. When you apply with Meddeas, you have the option to live independently or live with a host family to immerse in the language and culture. When you live with a host family, room and board are provided in exchange for English lessons all day twice weekly and two Saturdays a month. I chose to live with a host family because I thought I would be able to save more money and learn more Spanish. While my host family here has been so kind and helpful in making me feel comfortable in this new country, there are also some things I wish could be improved. I begin school every day at 9am and usually end at either 1pm or 2pm. Right after school ends, I have to give English lessons all day until the children go to bed. This means playing with them and teaching them English for 8 hours a day on top of the work day 9-2pm. So on English days, you are working from 9am-11pm (a 14 hour work day!!) I understand I did sign up to live with a host family so this is my job, however it can be extremely exhausting. On English days when we have school holidays, you're expected to be with them all day from when they wake up to when they go to bed because there is no school--so your school holiday isn't really a holiday. Then on English Saturdays, you spend the whole entire day with them. I'm lucky that my family likes to sleep in on the weekends so our days normally don't start until 10 or 11am, but it's still a reallyyyy long day!! It's very typical for Spanish families to have au pairs and care takers so in the beginning, I found myself becoming an au pair as well as having my own job as a language assistant. I've had to clarify with my host family that my job wasn't to be an au pair or babysit the kids. Other than this, I've been able to create a strong relationship with my host mom and we'll definitely be keeping in touch and visit each other in our home countries come the future. We go on hiking trips a lot and have visited the beach house a few times. We also went to see Cirque de Soleil which was such a cool show and experience! I'm lucky I live with this host family as I've been able to build really great relationships with the adults, however the English days with the kids can be exhausting.