Daily Routine of a Language Assistant

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 the city, and the journey takes about an hour — so I use the time to listen to a podcast (Mel Robbins is my go-to of late) or read a book (at the moment I’m delving into Russian classic literature).

Once I get to school, I start my lessons. My job as a language assistant is to reinforce what the students are learning with their main English teacher, working with small groups of 5–7 at a time. Then we have almorzar, a mid-morning snack break from 10:30 to 11. After that I teach two more classes, and then it’s la comida — lunch, which lasts almost three hours. I eat, and spend the rest of the break practicing Spanish, doing an online course, reading, or sometimes heading across the road to the skatepark to ride my penny board (I’m still learning).

After school, I head back to the city centre and teach private English lessons until 21:00 as a way to earn some extra income. Depending on the day, I’ll either go out for drinks in Cabanyal or Russafa with friends, cook dinner with them, go for an evening run through the Turia gardens or along the beach promenade, or do yoga before winding down for the night — and then it all starts again.

I like having a routine during the week and being spontaneous on the weekends, so my weekdays stay pretty relaxed and focused on work.