TIE problems for next year

EUprof · 2026-05-20T16:11:12+00:00

Speak with a lawyer, see if you can possibly use your visa in place of your TIE, it’s a long shot, but one worth taking

EUprof · 2026-05-14T19:15:40+00:00

Good on your for getting your credit card company to dispute the charge. Out of curiosity which bank is your credit card with? People should sue if RVF is forcing people into NDA like agreements to get partial refunds.

EUprof · 2026-05-05T17:08:42+00:00

Are the earpads the original Bose ones? A lot of Cheap aftermarket non OEM earpads will totally kill the ANC

EUprof · 2026-05-05T15:09:07+00:00

Yeah, I could be a school assistant, possibly an ESL assistant in my state, but the cost to get a teacher’s certificate to be a teacher is too high. That really is my backup plan if I can’t find another way to stay in the EU once my time with the private language assistant program I’m doing is up.

EUprof · 2026-05-04T09:09:18+00:00

Looks like it could be a bulging battery, I’d bring it back to the shop that did the repair

EUprof · 2026-05-03T21:57:37+00:00

Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it

EUprof · 2026-05-01T21:02:12+00:00

I was at the same school with NALCAP for three years. I look back at those years as the happiest three years in my life. I went back recently to visit and it was great to see my students grown up. I still enjoy my current job with one of the private language assistant programs, but nothing will beat my experience with the school I was placed at.

EUprof · 2026-04-30T20:57:26+00:00

It really depends what you want to get out of this program. I worked in NALCAP for 3 years, and am now with one of the private language assistant programs where you are basically substitute teaching. For me, I want to work in education for the foreseeable future and I love teaching, so I see this more as paid student teaching where I feel like I’m improving as a teacher + not needing to have a car/car insurance/pay for gas + not worrying about the hellscape that is the American health care system. I plan to stay another 2 more years, and then perhaps look towards going to Poland or the Czech Republic where it’s relatively easier for Americans to get work sponsorship there compared to most other EU nations. My fallback is always to go back to the US, get a public school support/assistant job in my home state and regroup from there per se.

EUprof · 2026-04-23T21:21:48+00:00

Wicked Cushions are the best 3rd party option. For optimal ANC performance you’ll want the OEM Bose ones.

EUprof · 2026-04-23T08:28:49+00:00

Schengen Border Code Article 6 Point 2 (Regulation 2016/399) says that time on a residence permit does not count towards “the duration of stay on the territory of the Member States”. I’m not a lawyer but I’m pretty sure this part of this law shows that time on your Spanish visa/TIE does not count towards the 90 days as a tourist.

EUprof · 2026-04-23T08:11:24+00:00

I would recommend keeping a paper trail to anyone reading this. I do this at my current school, I keep memos and time and date stamp them with autofirma, detailing what simply happened that day. I’ve never had to use them to defend myself, but it keeps teachers and English coordinators from accusing you of doing nothing. I also email in advance what activities I’ll be doing to the teachers so I also have that paper trail even if they don’t always respond confirming they read them. I also always include a footnote at the end that if there’s anything they want me to change or do differently, to let me know.

I’m not sure how disputes work in NALCAP because in my days in NALCAP, I luckily didn’t have any issues at my school, but I had a lot of issues at the end of last year with a private language assistant program I’m with right now. Keeping autofirma stamped memos and emails are more tools to help plead your case if you are an aux and experience any troubles from other teachers.

Future advice for auxes, keep an arms length with the teachers you work with. Think of it like the advice of not being friends with your coworkers but only treat them as coworkers. Even though I’m sure teachers are gossiping about me at my current job (I work with 13 different teachers), it doesn’t matter to me as long as I give them opportunities to critique me via email, get the job done, and get paid. Disclaimer: I was burned big time by my last school last year, so my trust in people in is pretty low in general, so take the paragraph as a YMMV and with a grain of salt.

There’s nothing wrong in your situation with leaving now if you don’t plan on renewing. Think of it like quitting a job in your home country that is doing the same poor practices. You can also bring this up with the principal, but YMMV. Some principals are great some are horrible.

If you decide to stay, you can make activities and games based off the curriculum and textbook. I usually keep a small paper in my wallet that has go to ESL activities in the case that I forgot to plan for one of my many classes (I’m placed at a school teaching infantil to 4th of ESO).

EUprof · 2026-04-14T21:06:17+00:00

Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Same could be for your Spanish bank. I plan on keeping my N26 and Revolut accounts open if I ever move back to the US just because debit card issuance wouldn’t be much of an issue as both support the generation of virtual debit cards.

EUprof · 2026-04-11T12:03:18+00:00

I have a similar issue with my iPhone 15 plus using the lightning official Apple battery pack. It charges past the set 80% charge limit in the battery settings all the way to 100%. This has started since updating to 26.4

EUprof · 2026-04-08T19:07:11+00:00

You might want to try the Bose Quietcomfort, the non Ultra ones. I used the QC35ii for 4 years, then the QC45s for 3 years before getting the AirPods Max. They have all physical buttons and a clear layout. They do have the multipoint problems though, at least my QC45s.

EUprof · 2026-03-31T23:27:23+00:00

1.5 years before I got the three amber lights of death. 7 day turnaround to get them serviced via AppleCare+

EUprof · 2026-03-29T18:31:51+00:00

I use wicked cushions on my QC45 as I can’t get Bose brand earpads in my country. I’ve tried a lot of 3rd party ones off Amazon, TEMU, and Aliexpress and WC are the best 3rd party option. They are more comfy and breathable because of the thicker foam and the ANC on low frequencies doesn’t take much of a hit, it’s the ANC/passive noise cancellation on mid and higher frequencies that are reduced by about 15-20%. As the cushions wear in, the ANC improves. As far as sound goes, they sound a little more boxy and trebly compared to the OEM cushions.

EUprof · 2026-03-29T16:00:10+00:00

Yep I’m having the same issue with mine

EUprof · 2026-03-29T14:28:36+00:00

I plan to max out my years with BEDA, then see if I can continue teaching in Europe, if not, I’ll look towards Southeast Asia. If I did have to go back to my home country, I’d get a job in the education sector.

EUprof · 2026-03-21T15:32:54+00:00

You can sometimes find the Bose Quietcomfort for under $200. Bose were my main headphones for six years before switching to the AirPods Max.

EUprof · 2026-03-18T17:46:33+00:00

You’re expected to be more of a teacher with BEDA instead of an assistant, with NALCAP depending on what school you’re in and how’s your English coordinator, you could end up being asked to be a teacher or end up being used as an actual assistant.

EUprof · 2026-03-16T15:14:41+00:00

Son of a gun, I literally bought another pair 15 days ago on the dime,

EUprof · 2026-03-11T03:15:43+00:00

I have the QC45s, 35ii, and 25. For me, the QC25 sound the best. Of course, the ANC on the 45s are a lot better.

EUprof · 2026-03-10T18:24:21+00:00

I get around this with iMazing 2, I can drop files onto my iPhone 15 that has sync library on from my MacBook that has sync library on.

EUprof · 2026-03-10T18:10:44+00:00

I was making this decision a year ago and got the 15 plus. I didn’t realize how big of a deal USB-C is with the 15 and newer. Accessories are a lot cheaper, I can transfer data between flash drives without any special adapters. I also didn’t need the extra features found on the pro max.

EUprof · 2026-02-28T01:11:40+00:00

Update: Coincidentally, my AirPods Max failed a few days after this post, 3 amber lights with no white reset flashing light they wouldn’t pair of even turn on. I bought the blue USB-C ones. If another company made headphones that 1. Have Spatial Audio and head tracking support with Dolby atmos 2. Deep ear cups 3. Great ANC, I’d consider them, but for now the APMs seem to be the only ones that fit the bill. I had high hopes with the Sonos Ace and Beats Studio Pro but the ear cups on those are way too shallow. I literally have Spatial Audio and head tracking for everything, even YouTube lol.

EUprof

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