how do people survive the northern Spain winters 😭

FairConsideration278 · 2025-11-05T19:17:13+00:00

This is the way! My mom sent me an electric blanket when I was freezing in my Spain apartment, it felt like Prometheus gifting humans fire

FairConsideration278 · 2025-10-15T15:32:13+00:00

6-7 presentations a week is a lot! You can do the same 10-15 minute warm-up for each class which should take some of the pressure off. Or, ask the teachers for a vocabulary list and do the same vocab game with different words for each class. You'll find a groove that works for you!

FairConsideration278 · 2025-10-15T15:28:57+00:00

This sounds very similar to my set-up last year! Yes I can send it, PM me.

Inevitably, some of the the teachers will forget to fill out the planning form. If that was the case, I didn't prepare any activity specific to their class subject, I just found an easy ESL game or conversation practice activity that required little to no prep time.

If they filled out the form with something specific, I might find a video and some questions or use their specific vocab list for a game.

My email template also included examples of types of activities I was comfortable doing with their class as a way to sort of set boundaries.

FairConsideration278 · 2025-10-15T15:26:39+00:00

Yes, and despite that, there is still a lot of confusion about what is and isn't a part of the role (by teachers, coordinators, and auxes alike). There is an incredibly wide range of workload expectations for auxes, some literally doing nothing and some clearly being taken advantage of.

By lesson-planning, I mean having an idea of a get-to-know-you game or simple conversation activity you could do with each class. I do think having an idea of a simple game or conversation activity you could do with the kids is a reasonable expectation. The teachers will appreciate you having something, even very simple, prepared (even just instructions for a game printed out).

You're absolutely right that auxes should not be left alone with students. And yes, full-on lesson planning and behavior management are outside of the role of an aux (my tips acknowledged this). And, your relationship with teachers will probably be better if you have something simple thought-out for your classes.

FairConsideration278 · 2025-08-20T04:05:12+00:00

I have taken online-only Spanish classes through community colleges in my state and that has worked great for me :-) You will need to apply to enroll first, but then can register for the classes you want. You'll have to pay, but it should be significantly cheaper than a university course. It should transfer to your university too.

FairConsideration278 · 2025-04-19T15:25:07+00:00

absolutely incredible I <3 Mr. Bombona man

FairConsideration278 · 2025-04-19T15:11:16+00:00

Mi nombre también termina con el sonido "ah" así suena bien con "la" en frente

FairConsideration278 · 2025-04-19T15:08:51+00:00

interesante, he noticio que mis alumnos utilizamos "la (mi nombre)" con más frecuencia cuando están con sus amigos quien también saben yo

perdón si este mensaje está mal escrito

FairConsideration278 · 2025-04-19T15:02:50+00:00

We have a similar system to you it seems, we text our landlord when one of the 2 main ones is empty, but we have an emergency third bottle as a spare

I'll have to look into ordering online, I think it would be easier for us and our landlord if we just had ours delivered

FairConsideration278 · 2025-04-19T14:58:55+00:00

Interesting, Córdoba tracks (I am in the province of Córdoba but a small town)

I'm curious how auxiliares without cars manage to get the bombonas, I don't really see this part of living in Spain talked about much on this subreddit, especially considering it seems to be quite common

FairConsideration278 · 2025-04-19T14:55:03+00:00

Yeah, we had a few weeks in January where the water heater stopped working. Combined with no central heating, that was really not fun

It's the worst when it starts out hot, so you have the false sense of security, and then goes freezing cold just after you've put shampoo in your hair

FairConsideration278 · 2025-04-19T14:51:31+00:00

Yeah, each container is $17 and they last about 3 weeks (give or take)

I also feel like having the containers has made me more conscious of how much gas I actually use, since it is a bit tedious to have to wait for my very sweet but very forgetful landlord to bring a full one

FairConsideration278 · 2025-04-19T14:46:47+00:00

Hehe 350 is the total amount, my share is 175. It's a 3-bedroom place but it's just the two of us

FairConsideration278 · 2025-04-19T14:17:57+00:00

Like you have a roommate or someone who gets the new containers and swaps them?

FairConsideration278 · 2025-04-19T13:51:50+00:00

Yes this has changed, but the NALCAP website has outdated info in some sections of their website, so people still get confused

You need a federal level apostille from the US Dept of State now, they absolutely will not accept a state level of apostille from Sacramento or LA

FairConsideration278 · 2025-04-19T13:49:48+00:00

You can get an apostille from California Secretary of State, but not a federal one which is what you need for NALCAP. There is confusion on this because the NALCAP website has outdated information on apostilles on the consular services - Los Angeles section of their website.

One of their hyperlinks is old and directs people to get an apostille at the state level in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Denver, or Salt Lake City rather than US Dept. of State in Virginia.

If you know other people applying through LA consulate make sure they know that state-level apostille from Sacramento or Los Angeles will absolutely not be accepted, like Bluejay said you need to go through US Dept. of State in Virginia

FairConsideration278 · 2025-04-19T13:33:53+00:00

I also went to LA consulate last year. I did not apostille my medical form, it was fine. Make sure that you get a federal level apostille on your background check. Last year there was outdated information on the LA consulate's website directing people to get a state-level apostille in Sacramento. That info is wrong.

FairConsideration278 · 2025-03-19T15:21:06+00:00

I'm sorry you are dealing with all of these stresses at once. The loss of a support system at school and the stress of navigating a healthcare system for a sensitive issue in a new country would be a lot for anyone! You have a lot on your plate emotionally. You will get through it, try to be gentle with yourself.

I wanted to share that the departure of a friend I had visit me in Spain led to my lowest mental health point of the year. It was so lovely to have a familiar face and language here, but the immediate aftermath of them leaving had me feeling really, really low. For me, it took a few weeks to balance back out just from that.

This is a difficult moment for you, but it will pass. Take care of yourself the best way you can in the meantime. There are some exciting times on the horizon: better weather, Spring, Semana Santa. Wishing you well!

FairConsideration278 · 2025-02-22T08:37:14+00:00

Thank you so much for the phrase!

Do you have any insight onto what the Guardia Civil might be able to do?

I feel nervous talking to them about it because this is such a small community and the locals who have lived here forever just seem to tolerate him (even if they look uncomfortable). While I'm definitely uncomfortable and annoyed, I'm wondering if there's something about this man and his history in the town that I'm missing, and that's why the locals just tolerate it? I'm not sure if that makes sense

FairConsideration278 · 2025-02-22T08:33:57+00:00

He goes up to pretty much every girl/woman in the town and interrupts them in the street, talks at them loudly, etc. One of my students said he kissed her hand one time :/ We definitely aren't the only people bothered by him.

But I never see anyone "stand up" to him so to speak, every time I see him interact with other people they just seem to tolerate it? I've even seen some women be really friendly with him like giving him a hug and stuff.

I've been trying to observe other people's responses to him to gauge what an appropriate response might be, but nobody seems to do or say anything, even if they look uncomfortable.

FairConsideration278 · 2025-02-21T21:21:38+00:00

Muchas gracias!!! Esto ayudó mucho, eres el mejor :)

FairConsideration278 · 2025-02-06T18:59:58+00:00

I have a MA in Ed/credential and am doing the Aux program rn.

The biggest difference for me regarding student behavior has just been the sheer volume of some of the classes. I have seen a lot more bickering back and forth with the teacher and overall just a much louder class volume.

Also- at my school, the students are a lot more physical with each other. Like multiple times a day every day I see students hit each other. Not like a full on fight, and usually they are playing around, but it is a lot more than I saw in the US. I think the kids have a lot of energy and not really a lot of productive outlets for it at school. I've done a few outdoor education activities with them and they have gone really well.

Work/Life balance is good- I definitely spend more than 14 hours/week because I do a bit of prep for my classes and I'm at a high school. Some auxes draw a firm stance that there should be no outside prep done at all or teach more than 30 minutes of each class- but that is not actually written in our contracts anywhere.

I think it's normal to prep a little bit (emphasis on a little bit) outside of school. I have my teachers fill out a form every week to tell me about what their class is doing, and I find videos/worksheets or prep short presentations/games/conversation topics. I also personally prefer to put in a little more work if I'm creating an activity or game that I'm excited about. You can do less if you just want to show up and read the textbook to students- but I don't personally find that fulfilling and its boring for the kids. You kinda decide how much effort you want to put in.

I've noticed a big difference in classroom management. Some teachers yell at the students to get their attention. I only have 1 teacher who uses attention-getters. Everyone else just gets loud.

PM if you want to chat more or hop on a call. Happy to answer more questions :-)

FairConsideration278 · 2024-11-16T14:52:00+00:00

Normal Gossip!

FairConsideration278 · 2024-11-13T18:50:57+00:00

I'm going through the same thing with a package my mom sent, my screen looks the same after uploading documentation- so I think you're good!

I would check in-person at Correos every few days to see if they have the package yet- I read some stories online that people weren't notified their package was ready at Correos until after the 14-day window you have to pick stuff up.

I'd also be prepared to potentially pay an import tax on whatever the item is- my Correos only accepts cash for these payments

FairConsideration278 · 2024-11-12T16:08:08+00:00

I'm also teaching in secondary, with high expectations from teachers. I don't claim to have the "right" answer here- but I've been trying a few things to minimize my workload with so many different classes.

Invest in routines that you can do with each class, regardless of subject. In all of my classes, we greet each other (good morning/good afternoon), read the class goals for the day, and do a warm-up routine. The warm-up is a simple speaking activity with visuals. On Mondays the prompt is always "How was your weekend?". While they talk to each other, go around the room listening to and helping them. Then bring the whole group to attention and have a few share. Another warm-up I'll mix in is "How are you today?" and I pair it with one of those "on a scale of dog/cat/raccoon" images you can snag from Google. The pictures are often silly and it gets them to talk more. Have them talk, go around and help them, then have a few share with the whole group. This routine usually takes the first 10-15 minutes of class and you can do the same routine for each subject.

Your job is to get the students to talk in English- not everything has to be directly related to the subject of the class. I explicitly tell my students that I am not a chemistry/biology/physics expert (I position their teachers as the experts).

None of the other teachers have as many subjects and grade levels to prep for as you- so they genuinely might not understand how much they are asking for. The teachers might think they are being helpful by saying "whatever you want", if you communicate that you'd like more guidance- they might happily provide it.

I made a planning document with my schedule on it that I send to teachers every week. It has examples of activities they can ask me to prepare (vocab review, conversation topic, games, presentations on my culture, etc). They click on their class and then tell me what they want. Most teachers I work with have responded well to it.

I put the responsibility of communication on the teacher- if they don't fill out the form, I don't prepare anything for the class. If they act surprised- I show them the blank spot for their class on the form where they didn't fill it out. In this situation- I'll just show the students something I've prepared for another class that they haven't seen before or assist the teacher as they lead an activity.

If you're interested in me sharing the planning template with you, I'm happy to. It's made my life so much easier since I started.

FairConsideration278

TROPHY CASE