People always ask me what a normal day looks like as a language assistant in Spain, so I finally wrote it down. Between the metro rides, the three-hour lunches (yes, really), and squeezing in penny board practice at the skatepark, no two days feel quite the same, even when the schedule stays the same. Here’s what a typical weekday looks like for me. I wake up early to catch the metro into the city centre. The school I work at is in Torrent, a small town on the outskirts of th

Paella Valenciana is the traditional version - rabbit, chicken, green beans, and rice cooked in a wide, flat pan over an open fire. The word "paella" actually refers to the pan itself, not the dish. There are countless variations - seafood, vegetable, mixed - but any Valencian will tell you that only the original counts. They're not wrong.

When I first moved to Spain, I quickly realised that half of surviving in a new country is just having the right apps on your phone. Honestly, I don’t know how people moved abroad before smartphones because I rely on mine for everything here. Finding buses, translating random signs, looking for flats, sending money, checking routes, messaging people… it all happens through apps. One of the first apps I used constantly was Idealista. If you’re looking for somewhere to live in

When people talk about moving abroad, they always talk about the obvious things. The weather, the language, the food, the travelling, the new experiences. But I don't think anyone really prepares you for the people.

One of the things I love about Valencia is that every neighbourhood has its own personality. Some are busy and full of cafés, others are quieter and more residential, and some feel like little villages even though you're still in the city.

La inteligencia artificial ya está aquí y, para muchos profesores, la pregunta ya no es si deberían utilizarla, sino cómo pueden hacerlo sin complicarse todavía más el día a día. Entre preparar clases, corregir trabajos, adaptar actividades, responder correos y atender a alumnos con diferentes necesidades, los docentes tienen poco tiempo. Y precisamente ahí es donde la inteligencia artificial puede convertirse en una herramienta útil. No para sustituir al profesor, sino para

By the time Fallas is over you'll probably be exhausted. Your clothes will smell faintly of smoke, you'll have walked miles around the city, and you'll be looking forward to a good night's sleep. But if you ever get the chance to experience it while living in Spain, don't miss it.

A veces parece que para hacer una clase más divertida hay que preparar una actividad completamente nueva, buscar materiales durante horas o convertir el aula en un espectáculo. Pero no tiene por qué ser así. Muchas veces, pequeños cambios en la forma de plantear una actividad pueden conseguir que los alumnos participen mucho más sin añadir trabajo innecesario al profesor. La clave está en conseguir que los alumnos usen el inglés, no solo que hablen sobre él. Menos ejercicios,

No matter how much you prepare before arriving in Spain, there are some things you only learn once you're actually standing in front of a class of 25 students who are all looking at you.

When I moved to Spain, I definitely packed some things I didn’t need and forgot some things I absolutely should have brought. You can buy most things here, obviously, so don’t panic too much. But there are a few things that made my life so much easier when I first arrived. The first thing I’d recommend is a proper folder for all your paperwork. I know that sounds boring, but Spanish admin is no joke. You’ll need copies of your passport, visa documents, insurance, empadronamie

Al final, nuestro objetivo es muy sencillo. Queremos que cuando un auxiliar llegue a su centro educativo no sea un desconocido que necesita varias semanas para adaptarse. Queremos que llegue preparado para integrarse en el equipo docente, conectar con los alumnos y aportar valor desde el primer día.

One of the things I love most about living in Tenerife is that some of my favourite days out have cost absolutely nothing. Before moving here, I assumed I'd need to spend loads of money to explore the island properly, but that's really not the case. In fact, once you're officially a resident and have your TIE, you're entitled to free public transport throughout Tenerife. That means I no longer pay for the bus at all. Honestly, it's one of the best perks of living here. If I d

Hace unos años, cuando una familia elegía un colegio, la decisión dependía principalmente de la cercanía al domicilio, las instalaciones o las recomendaciones de conocidos. Hoy el proceso es muy diferente. Antes de solicitar una visita o pedir información, muchas familias investigan en internet, consultan redes sociales, leen opiniones y analizan la imagen que proyecta el centro. Por eso, la reputación del centro educativo se ha convertido en uno de los activos más importante

Depending on your school, you may be involved in preparing students for Cambridge exams. Usually, as a language assistant, you'll spend a lot of time helping students with the speaking part of the exams, since that's where having a native speaker is especially useful. However, some schools may also ask you to help with reading, listening and writing activities too. Every school is slightly different.

Para muchos centros educativos, los exámenes de Cambridge representan mucho más que una certificación de inglés. Son una oportunidad para que los alumnos demuestren sus competencias lingüísticas en situaciones reales y obtengan una acreditación reconocida internacionalmente.

Moving abroad is exciting and fun and probably one of the best things you’ll ever do, but it can also feel really weird at the beginning. One minute you’re at home surrounded by friends, family and everything familiar, and the next you’re in Spain trying to work out where to buy shampoo, how to say what you need in a pharmacy, and whether you’re accidentally using the wrong milk in your coffee.

Contar con un auxiliar de conversación es una situación que muchos centros educativos valoran enormemente. Y aunque al principio pueda parecer un reto, la experiencia demuestra que los beneficios superan con creces cualquier inseguridad inicial.

I think before moving, I had this idea that I'd need an enormous amount of savings to make it work. The reality was that Tenerife ended up being much cheaper than I expected. Of course, everyone spends differently, but day-to-day life here isn't nearly as expensive as many people imagine.

Cuando hablamos de los grandes retos de la educación, solemos pensar en tecnología, metodologías o resultados académicos. Sin embargo, hay un problema que preocupa cada vez más a docentes, familias y administraciones educativas: el absentismo escolar.

Making friends in Spain takes a bit of effort at the start, but it does happen. If you’ve just moved here, don’t overthink it too much. Put yourself in situations where people are, talk to a few strangers, and give it a bit of time. That’s really it.