Auxiliares de conversación

I am going to Spain to be a language assistant at a school located on the coast in a town called Panxón, which is located in the region of Galicia. Galicia is located in the Northwest of Spain, directly above Portugal. Spain is a linguistically diverse country, as there are four commonly spoken languages. Castillian Spanish as well as Gallego are spoken in Galicia.

Galicia is not on the tourist track of Spain and although I have never been there, I am incredibly excited to call the region home for the next year. I plan on living in a larger city close to my school, called Vigo. Galicia Is a rural region and I am so lucky to have been placed only 30 minutes away from my school.

As a language assistant I work 12 hours each week and receive 700 euros each month, which is more than enough to live comfortably in Vigo. People without  European citizenship are allowed to participate in this program because the money we receive from the Ministry of Education is considered a scholarship and we are considered to be in a continuing education program. In order to participate in this program a university degree is needed in any subject or the applicant must be in their third year of university.

I spoke to the guy who worked at my school, CPI de Panxón last year and was told that the school is fantastic and that I am very lucky to have been placed there. The school is for children ages 4-18 and although I do not know what grades or subjects I am assisting with, I am excited for the opportunity to teach multiple age groups. I have big shoes to fill because the guy who had my job last year is awesome and gave me the best advice!

The job starts October 1st and ends May 31st. I hope to leave the United States mid-August so that I can visit my friends in Sevilla and some other countries in Spain before I start looking for a room and a second job.

La Feria de Abril en Sevilla

I first heard about this job in 2011 when I was an au pair in Pamplona, Spain during the summer. I spent a few days in Madrid and while in el museo de jamón I saw a girl order a mix of lemon fanta and beer. I wanted to order the same so I asked for una cervaza con fanta de limon, the girl who ordered the drink told me the official name of the drink, clara, it is delicious and I highly recommend it. We discovered that we were both American and she told me that she was working for the Spanish government as a language and culture assistant and loved it. So here I am, three years later about to participate in the same program. Luckily I was able to spend a semester in Sevilla, Spain during the Spring of 2013, and that only increased my love for Spain.


I hope to visit the villages of Galicia because villages always have the best fiestas and the surprise sheep stampede is always cool. These pictures are from my favorite village, Castrillo de la Murcia, located in Burgos, Spain. When I was an au pair we went to this village several times for the fiestas because my host mom was from there. I also visited the village in 2013 after studying abroad.

The city of Vigo is located less than 25kms from the border of Portugal, which means that starting out the night in Vigo and ending it in Portugal is very likely. I spent 6 days in Lisbon and loved it, so I definitely plan on going back. I traveled to Lisbon alone and recommend staying in a hostel with a bar because it is easy to meet people to explore with.

I am looking forward to practicing my Spanish and Gallego, as well as exploring Galicia, Spain, and Europe in general.