Expensive program, but a great way to arrive for year(s) in Spain!

It's definitely an expensive program - you should know that it's completely possible to work in Madrid directly through the Spanish Ministry of Education (the actual people who hire you) without paying a thing. It's called the Auxiliars de Conversacion program. BUT, I am very glad I chose to come through CIEE. It was worth the pay for me. They guarantee placement in Madrid rather than other regions of Spain. They helped immensely with pre-depature VISA paperwork, including fixing a mini-emergency while I was at the consulate missing a form.

Their application process is reliable, easy to understand, and in English, plus they actually reply when you email them, unlike the Spanish government. Upon arrival, they had everything sorted for airport transfers and a place to stay, as well as bringing former participants to share tips and tricks, guide us through our first days, and take us to cool local events. Most importantly they provided all they could to get us legally settled - residency card appointments and paperwork, transit cards, bank account, cell phone plan, etc. All has worked perfectly.

The truth about this program in Spain (with CIEE or the Ministry) is that your experience can vary WILDLY depending on your school placement. You may get lucky, like I did, with a centrally located school full of nice teachers and hardworking kids and an amazing principal who takes us out for drinks and lets us change our schedule if we need to. Or, you may get unlucky and get placed 2 hours by bus outside the city with irritable bosses who never let you change an inconvenient schedule and kids who don't listen, like a friend of mine in the same program. Nothing that can't be handled, and nothing big enough to demand a change, just consistently mildly unpleasant.

So if you can afford it, it's worth it, your life will be SO much less complicated. I never felt nervous or anxious coming abroad thanks to CIEE.