hiii i have lived in spain for a few years and it has changed who i am and how i see life so positively!! im v jealous you're just starting the whole experience
re: the job—i'm not teaching atm but did for the three years before. i didn't get a TEFOL certificate so i taught through the auxiliars program (i was a teaching assistant). in my case, it was super chill, i didn't have to plan lessons and the teachers helped me a lot. in any case, most public schools in spain run from 9-2 which is a work schedule i'll probably miss for the rest of my life. private schools generally run on a standard 9-5 schedule. the main problem you'll come across in the schools is poor organization and communication. my main piece of advice is brushing up on language skills if necessary—knowing spanish helps you communicate with the kids and the teachers a lot better. to be honest, the job had almost nothing to do with why i moved here, i just wanted to live in spain. that was mostly not a problem. my main issue with the job was being bored.
okay, work aside—life in spain is a dream. spaniards value work much less than we do in the us, and it's a more social, laid-back culture. take advantage of it!! travel around spain—it's pretty cheap and there is sooo much to see. i never experienced "culture shock" or anything like that, but i live in madrid so it's maybe easier than in a pueblo. that doesn't mean it's always easy or that it doesn't take a bit of time to adapt, but i don't personally know anyone who has moved here and had a negative experience. sooo anyways idk what else to add but rest assured you're making a great decision
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thanks for the reply :-) I’ve been romanticizing the more patient, laid back sort of Spanish lifestyle forever, so I’m thrilled to hear about it first hand. I can‘t wait !
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i've lived in Spain for 3.5 years now, and my number one regret is not becoming involved in the "local" scene sooner. Many ex-pats say that it is impossible and not worth the effort, and sure, it can be fun to be in an anglophone bubble and you'll still have a great time. But befriending locals enriches the experience so much; rather than feeling like a glorified tourist, you can actually feel a part of it all. in my experience, most spainards are pretty open and excited to share their culture! a great way to do this is by going to intercambios (language exchanges) at bars, as a lot of people want to improve their english.
other miscellaneous advice:
1) idk how old you are but many museums are free/reduced admission for those under 30. there is a thing called a youth card which allows you to go to basically any museum, for free, as much as you want. this is one of my favorite parts of living in madrid especially; spending an afternoon at the prado, soaking it all in at a languid pace, knowing you can come back whenever is magical!!
2) spanish food is commonly hated on my foreigners but i love it so much now, peak comfort food. eat as much tortilla, bravas, huevos rotos, jamon, croquettas etc. as you can. drink vermut
3) working at a school is kind of a crapshoot. i've worked in two schools; one was wonderful, the other kinda hellish. like abbooo said communication and patience are really necessary— if you need support don't be afraid to ask.
4) watch spanish films and listen to spanish music. get excited!! being familiar with at least a couple almodovar films (they're amaze) (law of desire is the best) will be surprisingly useful in conversation
5) things take longer, life is slower, when it takes over an hour to get the check at a restaurant try to avoid frustration and take things less seriously
Jan 25, 2025
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I think about this country every single day
reminds me of fish and wine and olive oil and good cheese/pork and just chilling out - not my native tongue unlike my parents and I want to become fluent eventually
May 10, 2024
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I want to share how exciting it is for me to lear Spanish as a 20 year old.
It literally feels like when you were at primary school and started learning the first things in all the different subjects and when you finally began to notice some improvement you were so genuinely happy about it.
May 1, 2024
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i did a quick search on my goodreads and here are some <150 page reads that i gave 5 stars!
heart berries by terese marie malhot- uniquely told memoir about the life of an indigenous canadian woman
a room of one's own by virgina woolf- classic, brilliant feminist text
happening by annie erneaux- annie erneaux has lots of really short books. i've read two by her and both have absolutely blown me away, this one is about her experience having an illegal abortion in 1960s france
the eye by vladamir nabakov- only 100 pages and thrilling!
Jan 26, 2025
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