Meddeas

Language Assistant

October 2017 - June 2018 • El Puerto de Santa María, Cádiz

What I liked

The opportunity to live and work overseas. Being able to adapt to different work cultures is an important skill and this was a great way to develop it. Living in a different country in general is a great way to grow as a person. I really enjoyed Colegio Guadalete (the school I taught at) and their staff as well. All around, the entire experience teaching in El Puerto was a positive one that I believe helped make me a better version of myself.

What I wish was different

I wish I could have spent some time teaching older students as well as the younger ones. While I really enjoyed teaching grades 1-6, I think it would have been nice to have been able to get some experience teaching students grades 7-12 as well.

Advice

Be adaptive. Pay attention to the culture of the school that you teach at and adapt your teaching style so as to have a "cohesive" teaching experience. The school will appreciate it, you will challenge yourself and grow through these efforts, and "fitting in" at the school will make your life easier.

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Language Assistant

September 2017 - May 2018 • Málaga, Málaga

What I liked

Meddeas does an incredible job to ensure Language Assistants are comfortable with their teaching experience through the application process. Meddeas reviewed my preferences and placed me in Malaga, a large city on the Mediterranean Sea. This was a perfect placement based on my application!

What I wish was different

Advice

As a first year-teacher, my experience in the classroom was reciprocal: I taught my students English and my students taught how to teach better. Although a teaching course can provide a framework for classroom management and lesson planning, the best way to improve as a teacher is through actual teaching. As I read and studied techniques and experiences through the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya TEFL course, nothing compared to my hands-on experience gained with my students.

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Language Assistant

September 2019 - March 2020 • Almería, Almería

What I liked

I loved being fully immersed in the culture and language. I lived with a host family and am still in contact with them today, hoping to visit soon.

What I wish was different

The school that I taught at was transitioning into a new curriculum, so it was very disorganized when I arrived, but I navigated and adapted.

Advice

You spend a lot of time speaking English, due to the job, so speak Spanish as much as you can when you are outside of work and join sports clubs and language exchanges to meet people and learn the language.

5 ${count} people found this helpful