Moving abroad to teach English is a thrilling adventure that I would recommend to anyone who’s curious to live abroad temporarily. I moved to Spain to teach English with Meddeas back in 2017, and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I spent two years in the program living in Barcelona, and I still live there to this day. Here is a look at the Meddeas program, one of the best programs to teach English in Spain.
Meddeas Program, an inside look
When I first moved to Spain in 2017, I participated in the Meddeas program. This teaching abroad program is designed for Americans, British, and Irish citizens with our without college degrees. They are given the opportunity to teach English in Spain as a language assistant in one of 200+ private schools across the country.
For the average salaries in Spain, it pays really well for part-time work. When I first started my program I made €920 a month for 22 hours of work a week. To put it into perspective, the average full-time salary in Barcelona at the time was €900. So, I was making more than the average resident for half the amount of work. Not bad, right?
The 2021/2022 Meddeas program in Spain is divided into three different sub-programs. You are a language assistant and not the sole teacher of the class (in most cases). You also have the option to live with a host family or find accommodation on your own. (I chose to find accommodation on my own.)
Advanced
Requirements: Degree in English or Education OR any degree + TEFL Certificate. (You can get accepted even if you do hold a TEFL certificate at the time of applying. You just need to complete it before your program starts.)
Group size: Up to 15 students
Monthly stipend: €932 (or Host Family €482)
Graduate
Requirements: Any degree
Group size: Up to 8 students
Monthly stipend: €882 (or Host Family €432)
Speakers
Requirements: Any degree OR undergraduate students OR gap year students (haven’t gone to college yet)
Group size: Up to 3 students
Monthly stipend: €860 (or Host Family €332)
Thinking about doing the Meddeas program? Here’s a PDF of the 2021/2022 program.
Check out a blog post I wrote for Meddeas about making new friends in Spain!
FAQS about the Meddeas Language Assistants Program in Spain
How long is the program? The program is usually 9 months long. You’d start in September or October and finish in May or June.
Can I do the Meddeas program for more than one school year? Yes! You can do the program for up to two years.
Can I meet other teachers through the program? Yes! The majority of my friends during my first year in Spain were people I met through the program. You’ll do an orientation with language assistants throughout Spain, but you’ll get placed in a Facebook group with everyone and you can find other assistants in your area from there. We made a Facebook group and a Whatsapp for the language assistants in Barcelona. There were probably 15 or so of us. Honestly, the friends I made through Meddeas are some of the best friends I’ve ever had. <3
What kind of visa will I need to teach English in Spain? Americans will need a student visa to do the Meddeas program. They will walk you through the steps and help you out along the way.
How do I apply to the Meddeas program? You submit an initial application. Then, you’ll do a Skype call, and finally an in-person interview with one of their many representatives throughout the country. My interview was unfortunately in Texas, so I had to drive quite a while for a short interview. That’s one of the only cons of the application process.
How many hours will I work a week? The typical schedule is 20-24 hours a week.
Will I get holidays off? Yes! You’ll get all the public holidays off, whatever regional holidays your province has, and you’ll get a couple of weeks off at Christmas and a week off for Semana Santa (the week before Easter).
Can I choose which city I am placed in? Not exactly. They will ask you where you would like to be placed, but it is ultimately up to the company and what placements they have available. However, I requested Barcelona and was luckily placed there! So, there’s hope!
Can I choose what age I teach? Yes and no. Once again, they will ask you what age you are comfortable with and what ages you might not work well with. I told them I was happy with any age. Little kids are great, and I would prefer to not work with teenagers. I was placed in a pre-school and it was perfect for me!
Can I do other work while in the program? Yes! Since the job was part-time I boosted my income by teaching private English classes to kids around Barcelona, taught English online with VIPKID, and eventually started growing my freelance writing business. I did this all while I was doing my preschool job with Meddeas.
My experience teaching English with Meddeas
I was placed at a private preschool in the city centre of Barcelona. I worked 22 hours a week, and it was a lot of fun! However, it was also quite tiring to work with such young kids. My kids ranged from practically newborn babies to 2 years old.
My day started at 8 or 8:30 a.m. where I greeted the kids as they arrived, helped with taking off their jackets and backpacks, and feed them any breakfast foods or snacks their parents left them. Whenever that was finished, I would sing songs and chat with the kids until we’d break up into smaller groups.
I would then start with P1 (the one year olds, who were also joined by the babies) or P2 (the two year old class). We would go to the English classroom where’d we sing songs, talk about the weather, read books, play games, make crafts, and so much more. I loved it! But — I was alone with my kids and sometimes it was very tedious to keep them on track and seated.
After I’d been with both groups, it would be time for lunch and during that time I would help feed the kids or wait with the students who were leaving to have lunch with their parents.
I would leave around noon. So, my mornings were either 3.5 or 4 hours long. Easy!
Then, I would come back in the evenings at 5:30 p.m. to do one hour of afterschool classes with students of all ages. My oldest student was, I believe, 14 years old. This was pretty fun! I assisted the main teacher, which eventually turned into me sort of being the main teacher because he never prepared activities and occasionally didn’t attend the class. In this class, we learned vocab and verbs, played games, laughed, and had fun.
I actually wrote up a reflection from my first year teaching with Meddeas. Read it here! It’s a heartfelt look at what teaching in Spain can do to you. Enjoy!
Some handy packing items when teaching in Spain
This is one thing I wish I knew more about before arriving my first year to teach English in Spain. So, here’s some must-have items when living in Spain! Click for my recommendations.
Note: Some of the links below contain affiliate links. This doesn’t increase the cost of any item to you, but simply means that I’ll receive a small commission of any sales from those links. Thank you!
- A universal adapter
- An anti-left bag (Pickpocketing is a serious issue in major cities like Barcelona – read here)
- Less clothes (You can find so many cute things here in Spain. I would bring the essentials and a couple of favorites and do most of your shopping once you’re here. Believe me!)
- A portable charger
- A watch (My co-teachers requested I got a watch to keep track of the time since I wasn’t around my phone.)
Do you have any questions?
I know that I had tons of questions when I was first looking into the Meddeas program, and teaching in Spain, in general. Comment down below any questions you have and I’ll get back to you ASAP – I promise! Alternatively, I’d be happy to chat on Instagram. Send me a DM anytime! Here’s my Instagram account.
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