About North American Language and Culture Assistants program in Spain

The North American Language and Culture Assistants program in Spain is organized by the MEC, the Ministerio de Educacion de Ciencias de Espana.  Their website is http://www.mepsyd.es/exterior/usa/en/programs/us_assistants/default.shtml.  The website describes in detail the application process, the deadline of which for the 2010-11 school year is March 30, 2010.

I am currently in my third year with the program, having spent all three years in Logrono, La Rioja.  I've worked at one primary school (colegio publico, CP), two different high schools (institutos de educacion secundaria, IES), and an official language school (EOI- Escuela Oficial de Idiomas).

Here are some considerations for those interested in the program:

• ($$$$$)MONEY($$$$$$)
  
  The program doesn't pay for your plane tickets, housing, food, local transport, or any other expenses
  
  Work starts in October and the local governments directly deposit your grant money into your new Spanish bank account at the end of each month
  
  The problem: most communities don't pay Language Assistants until December. 
  This is because they may have to process all Assistants' bank accounts together, and any and all delays will affect everyone.
  
  In my three years with the program in La Rioja our first paycheck has arrived in December each year
  
  Applicants should be prepared to have to pay for the following before receiving any compensation from the local government:  plane ticket, 2 or 3 months rent, deposit on an apartment (generally one or two months' rent), and all other expenses during the first few months.
  
  *****  You can ask for a loan from your schools  *****
  I've done this every year, and most schools don't have a problem with it.

• Finding an apartment
  
  You're not going to make much progress until you actually get to where you're going to be living.  The best preparation you can do would be to get acquainted with the locations of your schools on a map and to figure out where a convenient location might be.
  
  If there's a university where you'll be living, that would be a good place to look for housing listings.  Also, write your schools as soon as you can and see if anyone there can help you.  Problem is that no one is really available during the summer since they're all on vacation.  Try anyway though.
  
  Don't worry about getting a place right away.  You can hold up in a hostel or something for a few days while you look for a place.  Autumn is a great time to find places usually since it's the beginning of the school year, and there are lots of places available.

• Feel free to add comments on this blog or write me at my email address.  I'd be happy to answer any questions I can.  I'll try to add new information on this page to help everyone out because I know there isn't a lot of information about the specifics of this program online.  Later!