Hi I’m Lizzie, a 24-year-old from Washington state who decided to stop doing seasonal ski gigs after college and decided to teach English in Dénia, Spain with RVF International. It’s been a very cool experience. RVF handled the paperwork chaos and helped me organize what papers need to go where, which is so helpful for navigating. I’m at a school, working 16 hours a week with kids who are starting to nail their English—it’s pretty cool watching them improve already. The €1,000 monthly stipend covers my shared apartment and leaves enough for weekend trips to Valencia or chilling on Dénia’s beaches or maybe a trip somewhere else. The NIE card wait was a pain, and I get homesick sometimes, but everyone has been super supportive. If you’re down for this, brush up on basic Spanish, pack for random weather, and stay open to any placement!!! Dénia’s got relaxed vibes. It is a solid way to live abroad and sort out your life!

It was only a few years ago when I came across someone’s TikTok of a girl that posted her experience about teaching English abroad in Spain. Something about that video really stuck with me. She had mentioned RVF international in the video as well and I immediately saved it. I wondered, this could be me one day. And it was always in the back of my mind, that I could be living a whole different life if I just went through with it. And that’s when I reached out to RVF. They really helped me with any doubts or concerns I had. They always responded to my emails in the most timely manner and answered any questions I had. I don’t regret applying through them because they made my moving abroad experience less stressful. As for my time abroad, it was indeed the best time of my life. I got the chance to travel and explore the most beautiful and jaw dropping locations. I met other auxes in this journey and we made so many memories together. And of course, I documented every moment from my camera phone to my digital camera. If I had to do it all over again, I would.

I was initially hesitant to take the leap of moving to a new country. However, very quickly after arriving to Spain, I knew it was the right choice for me. The process itself can feel daunting; between the paperwork, appointments, moving logisitics, and learning a new language and culture. And, with the support of RVF, this process went rather smoothly given what was necessary to complete. RVF has provided me with consistent, timely, on-going support, even after my arrival in Spain. Between them and the language aux community here, I am feeling more and more settled each day. I would encourage anyone who is considering making the move to do so!

Making the move to a new country will be challenging no matter where you go. However, with RVF International, the move became almost seemless and the admin super easy to deal with. The team is always there to help and all my questions were answered, putting me at ease everytime. All of the paperwork was simple and handled by RVF, with me only needing to do minimal work. I am extremely glad that I had, and still have, the support of RVF for my move and time in Spain! I'd highly recommend the programme and having RVF as your support team!

I always wanted to live abroad and this program made that a possibility. They helped so much with the visa process and getting assigned to a school, and I met so many people in my area from the program as well so I wasn’t alone. The school I taught in was a bilingual school, so they taught subjects in English and Spanish and I helped to teach biology, music, and English as a foreign language. The teachers helped so much with providing or helping with assignments, and I was never alone in the classroom without them.

If you're interested in moving abroad but feel like you need the support and the proper guidance, RVF is definitely the program you should go with. They answer any questions you might have, send you detailed instructions on the steps you need to take, and even help with making some government appointments. They're an email or video chat call away and it's always so assuring to know you have them at any point throughout this stressful process. I'm grateful that they helped me get to Madrid! If you need peace of mind for your move, don't hesitate to go with RVF.

I joined RVF International in 2023, and was placed in Almeria. Unfortunately, due to a family emergency, I had to postpone my start date to the following year. RVF was very supportive during this time and placed me in Seville, where I have had the greatest experience, and signed on for a second year. Andalucia has a policy of only allowing language assistants to work in the province for one year, so RVF was kind enough to listen to my request and quickly place me as close to Seville as I can be, in Extremadura. I am looking forward to moving there and settling into my second year soon!

Working as a language assistant in Málaga through RVF International has been such an amazing experience. From the start, RVF was super helpful — they walked me through the visa process, gave tons of helpful info before I moved, and were always there to answer questions once I got to Spain. Having that support made a big difference, especially during those first few weeks.

Living in Málaga has honestly been a dream. The city is beautiful, super walkable, full of life, and the weather is hard to beat. I loved working at my school — the teachers and students were really welcoming, and I felt like part of the community pretty quickly. It’s been a great mix of professional growth and just enjoying the Spanish lifestyle.

The only thing I’d flag is the pay. It’s doable, but if you’re planning to live on your own without roommates, it can be a bit tight — especially in a bigger city like Málaga. So if you’re someone like me who prefers to live alone, just expect to pay pretty much your whole stipend on a studio apartment and bring enough savings for your day to day living expenses because the stipend is not gonna cut it.

Overall, I’d 100% recommend RVF to anyone thinking about teaching in Spain. It’s been such a rewarding experience, and they helped take on all the challenging bureaucratic stuff on so I could relax knowing that my appointments were made and all I needed to do was be sure to show up and have my paperwork ready and enjoy my time here more. I’ve made memories (and friendships!) that I know will stick with me for a long time.