Best Decision I Have Ever Made

I arrived in Madrid exactly two months ago and have loved every minute of my experience through CIEE. I feel incredibly grateful towards CIEE and all of the support the program has offered; I definitely wouldn't have wanted to begin my career teaching abroad any other way.

CIEE has been helpful from the beginning. The support team is incredibly friendly, and they responded to all of my emails very quickly with genuinely helpful responses. Having to apply for my visa felt extremely daunting and confusing, and CIEE's guidance throughout that process was invaluable.

Their various checklists, being added into a CIEE Facebook group, and the consistent email updates helped me feel assured in my decision to teach abroad and allowed me to communicate with fellow auxiliars before I even got to Madrid.

Once you arrive in Spain, there is a several day orientation, and I could not be more thankful for those few days. I learned so much about Spain, life as an auxiliar in Spain, and so much more. I also met my roommate and a great group of friends during these days. During the orientation, I attended a flamenco show—it was super fun—with my orientation leader and group, and she showed us around the city a little bit. I thought it was cool that CIEE made an effort to introduce us to some of the culture of Spain from the very beginning.

CIEE has also sent an email each month with information about upcoming festivals and events; it's been a very nice way to find out more about what's going on around the city.

I would definitely recommend teaching abroad through CIEE. Without this program, I wouldn't have met the friends that I have now or have felt as comfortable stepping into my role as an auxiliar. Meeting and hearing from auxiliars that didn't go through CIEE has only reinforced how glad I am that I signed up for the program.

Every person I have met that works for CIEE has been very friendly and ready to answer any questions or address any concerns. I am really grateful that I discovered CIEE and am excited to see what is to come in my remaining time as an auxiliar!