Hello/Kaixo! My name is Skye, and I am a few weeks away from finishing my year abroad in the Basque Country, in Northern Spain. I am a 3rd year Spanish, French, and Linguistics student and I chose to apply to work as an English Language Assistant with the British Council. I didn’t want to study at a university abroad and I love working with children, so becoming an ELA was the perfect option for me.
I was given my placement in a primary school in Durango, a town in the mountains about 30/45 minutes from Bilbao, which is where I chose to live. Public transport is very cheap and reliable here, so living in the city was ideal to be close to all the major travel links and also be able to easily get to and from work. I work 4 days a week, teaching English to kids aged 7-12. From speaking to other ELAs, every school works differently and gives different roles, but I mainly work alongside another teacher in each class, helping students with their work and occasionally preparing a lesson to teach (Halloween, Christmas, etc).
The main challenge this year has been the language barrier — although a region of Spain, the Basque Country has its own language (Basque/Euskera) which is often used instead of Spanish. All schools teach in Basque rather than Spanish, so this was a bit difficult to begin with, but my colleagues were very helpful and the children are mostly bilingual Basque/Spanish so communication isn’t too difficult.
Tips from my own experience:
- Once you get to Spain, there are a few more bureaucratic steps even after getting the visa. Register your address (empadronamiento) as soon as you can, as you need this for your TIE (foreign identity card) application. There are quite a few steps to get this all done, but there are lots of guides online that make it a lot easier. Booking a TIE appointment can take a while but just check regularly and some always become available.
- I got a second job alongside the ELA work as an English tutor two evenings a week for a family with two children, 3 and 6 years old. I contacted a local language academy for this, and would definitely recommend something similar if you can, as I have got to know the family really well, and earn some extra money by just speaking English whilst playing!
- There are other programs like the British Council ELA program in different countries, which can be useful to meet other people doing the same job and share tips or advice. I have met and made friends with people from all over the world, including Canada, France, and Australia.
- Remember that you can be placed anywhere! The Basque Country was none of my 3 preferred regions on my application, however I did receive my preferred age group, so remember that you might not be given all your top choices and use this as an opportunity to explore new places. Public transport can be very affordable so taking advantage of this on my days off meant I could travel and explore new cities for much cheaper than I had expected.
Overall, although it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, I have really enjoyed my experience as an ELA and getting to know the north of Spain, and will definitely miss all my classes and the people I have met here!