Tell us about yourself. We’d love to know your background, what drew you to teaching abroad, and more.

Hello, my name is Emily; I am twenty years old and from Co. Cork. After school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. So, I did a one-year PLC in healthcare in cork and became a qualified healthcare assistant. I loved the job but felt I was too young to commit to such a job. However, I have always wanted to travel or move to a different country, and I had been thinking about opening some doors for myself with a TEFL course for a while, so when I saw the opportunity of a TEFL internship in Spain. I jumped at the chance.

Where are you based in Spain? Are you living in the city or a town? Is it an easy commute from your accommodation to school?

I live in a small town called Sant Sadurni d’Anoia, about forty minutes from Barcelona. I am enjoying the town. It is great being in a small community and having such a big city like Barcelona so close by. My walk to school from home is only a three-minute walk.

Is this your first teaching job? If so, what advice would you give to students looking to go to Spain?

This is my first ever teaching experience or job, and I can only think of good things to say about it. I never considered being a teacher when I was younger in school, but this experience has made me enthusiastic about teaching and completely shocked me. For people considering trying the internship, I can only say, DO IT!

Do you think your TEFL course prepared you to teach English in Spain?

I think the TEFL course helped to prepare me for Spain. It gave me the teaching skills and confidence I needed to come here.

What is your accommodation like?

I have been so lucky to have a fantastic host family to take me to their home for almost three months. There is a mother, her two daughters and me in the house. Furthermore, I feel so lucky to have gained a second family in Spain I was welcomed into the home as if I have always been there. Living with a host family makes the move from home by myself and learning about a different country much easier.

Tell us what’s your favourite thing about Spain.

My favourite thing about Spain is trying to navigate a language barrier, a new culture, and a new place to call home. It has been an action-packed two weeks getting to know everyone in the school, my host family and meeting new people in the town. Furthermore, I am so grateful for the experience and opportunity to be here; it’s only getting started.

Describe to us your day in the life teaching in Spain.

Getting situated in the school was made tremendously easy by the welcome I got from everyone. All the teachers and students were extremely welcoming and happy to have me. I have been able to practice one-on-one speaking with all my classes and be included in group tasks with the children.

There are about twenty-eight students or so in each class, and I have about eleven different classes I attend every week. It is a great learning experience for me as someone hoping to teach. I am privileged to get this first-hand knowledge of working in a school and seeing what teaching techniques and ways of engaging students I can use in the future.