Worth the go

Through the whole process, CIEE has been responsive and sent several emails reminding about important dates for applying for your visa, etc. They also provide excellent online materials to help you through the different things you need to take care of before in Spain and while in Spain. The school placement was great. It's a newish school in a good area with access to the metro system. Being an auxiliar (language assistant teacher) is an interesting experience that I'll remember for the rest of my life. Being in Madrid gives easy access to tons of destinations both in Spain and Europe on weekends and holiday breaks from school.

That said, there are some things to keep in mind: the immigration processes are long, illogical, and bureaucratic, e.g. applying for the visa requires an appointment which may take weeks before an appointment shows up on their website only to be snatched up by someone else, the same jumping-through-hoops exercise with applying for the residency card (TIE) while in Spain, and then the same thing to make an appointment to pick up your residency card which for some reason takes the Spain government 30-45 days to make -- why can't they just mail it to me? These aren't issues with CIEE but rather the Spanish government. I think CIEE does everything in their power to share clear instructions and share insider information that they've learned over the years and for the current year from other applicants in your shoes which makes things easier -- but it's still a pain to go through it all. Definitely worth it though for the whole experience. Recommended.