Teach English in Spain: Public Schools in Madrid and Murcia

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!

This year has been great. The programme is really enjoyable and has been a good experience sharing my language and culture with the students. Working with ConversaSpain has been good as they are supportive which has made me feel more comfortable and confident during my stay here. I have been staying in the region of Murcia which has been great. The city has many students my age, it has a low cost of living, and is very beautiful. The region in general has good beaches and plenty of places to go on hikes or places to visit if you like history or architecture. The programme gives you enough time to visit other cities on the weekend which I have really enjoyed. Last but not least, although the accent can seem quite strong in this region, the programme has given me a great chance to practice the language.

I'm from South Africa, and coming to Spain was an amazing experience. My favourite aspect of Spain is the food here! In my opinion, it is the best! The Spanish people are actually very warm and welcoming. Quite a good number of them understand a bit of English. I have really enjoyed teaching English to the children at my school in Molina de Segura. I studied electrical engineering at university, but I feel like I also have a passion for teaching - something I discovered in my journey as a language assistant. I think I will do this program for two more times!! I have a good relationship with my fellow teachers of my school. It is also important to know that not everyone will "like" you and it's OK! You just have to be nice and warm to everyone. I feel very safe walking here in Murcia at any time of the day. The transport system is good. Buses are the most popular means of public transport and they are usually on time.

I came to Madrid in January 2018 to work in a public school as an auxiliar. My experience has been wonderful so far.

The work is very interesting and not difficult, if you like working with kids you will definitely enjoy this program. I was able to learn a lot and more importantly to teach a lot to the kids. The other teachers and staff at my school are very friendly and welcoming.

Living in Madrid is an absolute pleasure. The city has a lot of things to see, do and experience. The travel opportunities from Madrid are abundant and it was an amazing experience to travel around the Iberian peninsula.

I explored the North of Spain last summer when I did the Camino de Santiago and this was definitely a life changing experience.

This program has made it possible to me to come live in Spain knowing that I have a source of income and a support system.

I came to Madrid in January 2018 to work in a public school as an auxiliar. My experience has been wonderful so far.

The work is very interesting and not difficult, if you like working with kids you will definitely enjoy this program. I was able to learn a lot and more importantly to teach a lot to the kids. The other teachers and staff at my school are very friendly and welcoming.

Living in Madrid is an absolute pleasure. The city has a lot of things to see, do and experience. The travel opportunities from Madrid are abundant and it was an amazing experience to travel around the Iberian peninsula.

I explored the North of Spain last summer when I did the Camino de Santiago and this was definitely a life changing experience.

This program has made it possible to me to come live in Spain knowing that I have a source of income and a support system.

Teaching in public schools with ConversaSpain was more valuable than I could ever imagine. Having a teacher with you in the classroom at all times gives you the extra confidence to connect with the kids because you don't have to worry about the whole entire curriculum.
I taught English & Social Sciences to primary students and I was learning new things every day. Whether it was about the English language, basic rules that a lot of native speakers don't have to think twice about, or relearning very basic science units that are still really interesting but I had forgotten about over the years.
I developed my own teaching style thanks to many great examples of the teachers at the school.
I couldn't recommend this program more for anyone interested in teaching abroad, children, or getting out of their comfort zone.

I am grateful for my experience through ConversaSpain. I am very happy with my placement and want to continue work as an Auxiliare! Organizing paperwork can be a bit overwhelming so having the assistance through the program was ideal for me. After being accepted it was quite alarming to find I had to pay a fee within a short time to acknowledge I accepted my placement. I was a bit worried if this meant the program was legitimate. If anyone else finds themselves in this same state of mind, do not worry, ConversaSpain is true program. Once I made the decision to give the program a try, I had support through the program to answer additional questions about the visa process. There is also an orientation that I found resourceful for my preparation to start teaching and addressed what needed to be completed after my arrival in Spain. After everything gets completed it was fairly easy to make the transition. I'd recommend to others.