Work in Progress!
- Natalie Penry
- Oct 20, 2024
- 5 min read
And just like that, another week in paradise! To be honest, it does not feel like a week has passed since I last updated this site. Between school and the long-term-tourist mindset most of us auxes have, the days pass at a rapid rate. So, while I would love to dive into a more behind-the-scenes post describing the adventures of this weekend (think more beaches, more nightlife, and one peculiar cheese festival), I think I'll save those for another post when I can give them the reflection they deserve ;)
Today's post is going to swap out adventures for everyone's favorite things: logistics & bureaucracy. Now that I've managed to learn my new schedule at school, I figured I could share more about my day-to-days, maybe prove to my parents that this is not an eight month vacation, but an actual job! It's just...a job that has a lot more flexibility for beach forays, no? Still, NALCAP is an undeniably cool program for people of all ages; it's worth a read for those in search of an adventure.
What is NALCAP?
The North American Language & Culture Assistant Program (NALCAP) allows for native English speakers to live in Spain for 8 months, acting as an English lecturer for most of a school year. Referred to as English Language Assistants or 'Auxiliares', we work to broaden students' understanding and mastery of the English language while facilitating a cultural education and appreciation of the Aux's home.
The application process itself is straightforward, able to be done relatively quickly, but the onboarding afterwards is particularly complex and deserves its own unique post unpacking each step. Even now, when I’ve been in Spain for almost a month, I haven’t completely finished the bureaucratic task list that accompanies working abroad. Since I'm still working towards completion on that front, let’s dive into to what a NALCAP Schedule looks like as an assistant in a secondary school!
Unlike the traditional K-5, 6-8, 9-12 set-up in the US, Spain uses different levels and divisions in its educational system. The schools in Menorca are typically divided into:
Infantil (Infancy, ages 0-6)
Primaria (Primary, ages 6-12)
Secundaria (Secondary, ages 12-16)
Bachillerato (Baccalaureate, ages 16-18)
Batx (sounds like "bacchi") is optional! School is only compulsory until age 16, so students in Batx are typically looking to further their education. Many aim to continue to University, though the ages of Uni attendance vary more than the US.
Kind of interesting, right? I refer to my school as a high school, but it's honestly made up of students I would be more likely to encounter at a middle school in the states.
I was able to request an age group in my initial application & was granted my first choice: Secondary Students. As a non-education major with quantifiable patience levels, I figured working with students who could at least understand action-reaction-consequence structure would be good for me. The rest of my roommates, however, work with primary students, so the dinner table debriefs provide some entertaining comparisons! My students don't typically try to hold my hand or crawl into my lap, for example.
For this school year, I'm working at IES Josep Miquel Guàrdia in Alaior, Menorca. Like all auxes contracted through the Balearic Government Quota, I work 14 hours/week with an additional coordination hour, amounting to 15 billable hours. (In the interest of total transparency, I'm paid €875/month, which roughly converts to $950/month)
At my school, classes are 55 minutes long, so I'm assisting in 14 different periods from Monday-Thursday. Miquel Guárdia is a public secondary school with optional bachillerato classes, meaning students range from ages 12-18. The grades breakdown is:
1st ESO (12-13)
2nd ESO (13-14)
3rd ESO (14-15)
4th ESO (15-16)
1st Batx (16-17)
2nd Batx (17-18)
ESO stands for Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, or Complusory Secondary Education. There are ~600 students in the whole school...just a bit of an adjustment from my large, public university or my decently-sized public high school. However, since English is a foreign language, some students opt to take a different language instead, typically German. At this moment in time, I'm only working with 2-4 ESO and 1st Batx, so I would estimate that I work with ~250 students and 7 professors. My class assignments will change in February, but for now, my schedule is:
I'll touch on Spanish meal times & other cultural differences in a different post, but most of my colleagues & students have breakfast during our break time (when an American school might be having lunch) in a more casual, nothing-like-a-high-school-cafeteria kind of courtyard. I am still adjusting...and more often than not, starving by the time third period is over.
Keeping in mind that I'm working with 13-17 year olds for the time being, what I do in a class varies wildly. When I'm working with the batx students, for example, the level of comprehension is higher and we're able to discuss big ideas in place of basic vocabulary. When working with 2nd ESO, though, I do more small group conversations, encouraging students to yap with me.
My goal with each ESO remains the same, though. I'm trying to strengthen their grasp of English, but more importantly, I'm trying to inspire a love of languages and learning. Just in these three weeks, I've realized a whole new appreciation for my foreign language teachers in high school. The pure love and dedication they put forth to all students is so evident in my peers' and my passion for the subject and our continued pursuit of global citizenship. The ability to meet students where they are and habitually encourage them to interact with foreign languages and cultures at their own pace meant most every student in my class looked forward to lessons. Whether it was competing for pesos or completing the Wednesday charlas, we loved our profes & our clases dearly. It's a high bar to live up to, and I'm so grateful to have such a strong foundation to draw from.
As I look towards this next instructional week, there's some fun sessions coming down the pipeline. In my 2nd ESO classes, I'll begin my Halloween lessons, sharing more about general and personal traditions. There's a whole slide dedicated to Paige's previous Halloween costumes, IFYKYK. My Batx students are doing a vacation planning assignment this week, so I'll get to play the role of travel agent/mediator in our mock debates. All in all, not too shabby for a week of work :)
Have I convinced you this is a real job yet?
If I'm being honest, I'm not sure I've convinced myself yet. There are, of course, challenges, just like any occupation, but the highs and lows of secondary school seem extremely manageable when the 2-7 after the 7-2 looks as gorgeous as it does here.
I'm really looking forward to working with the students more, getting to know them and learn from them as they hopefully learn from me. While I'll only see most of them every two weeks, I'm optimistic that I can help to make a difference in this year of their English education, maybe even beyond that.
For now, it's time to rest and recover with what's left of the weekend. I'll be on that 7:15 bus, bright and early tomorrow morning. ¡Adiós!
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