Teaching in Spain is great, but CIEE is expensive and unnecessary

I've had an amazing experience teaching in Madrid. But I wish I'd applied directly through the Ministry instead of through CIEE. CIEE is really expensive and didn't offer me the help I needed. If you already speak some Spanish (I could get what I needed but was an intermediate speaker when I arrived) and if you have experience and are comfortable traveling, then it's so worth it to apply directly through the Ministry. You get much better healthcare (if you go through CIEE, you must pay up front and out of pocket, only to be reimbursed several weeks later-- which many people can't afford and functionally means you have no insurance). For me, CIEE was a waste of money, but if you don't speak Spanish and/or need lots of hand-holding because you don't have much experience abroad, then I suppose it's worth the money! Here's a searchable facebook group with all the info you could need: https://www.facebook.com/groups/madridauxiliares/