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Writer's pictureKaitlyn

The First Step

How and why I decided to spend 8 months teaching abroad in Madrid.


Ever since high school, studying other languages and cultures has been a passion of mine. After taking a trip to Spain in high school, I quickly discovered my newfound

desire to travel and since then, I have actively sought out opportunities to travel and learn more about different cultures, particularly in Spanish-speaking countries. I have studied in Mexico and Chile and look forward to circling back to the country that set my passion on fire.


For over two years it has been a dream of mine to teach abroad post-graduation.

When I was just a freshman in college, I began to see older friends commit to this opportunity upon their graduation. I wanted to know more about it, despite not needing to finalize my future plans for some time. Well, fast forward to spring of this year, and that future was all of a sudden the now - it rolled around much quicker than I thought it would.


I applied to CIEE's Teach in Spain Basics Program to be a language and culture assistant for the 2019-2020 academic year. This program is designed for those who have previously lived, worked, or studied abroad in another Spanish-speaking country for a longer period of time.


As a language assistant, I will be teaching any given subject in English, for 16 hours a week and will work four days a week. My placement is at a primary school in Tres Cantos, which is directly north of Madrid's city center. I will be working with students ranging from kindergarten to 6th grade. As the majority of my experience has been with high schoolers, I thought it would be a great opportunity to try something new and work with the pequeños. :)


Preparing for Arrival

Since my acceptance into the program, I have already received lots of support from CIEE. I even made it through the lengthy visa process!


As my departure date approaches, I will continue my housing search and gather all the necessities I will need to bring with.

Orientation starts September 23rd, but I will be arriving in Spain a few days early to get adjusted and familiarize myself with the surroundings. The official first day of school is October 1st.


To read more about my time in Spain, and to be notified when I post, enter your email at the bottom of the page!

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3 Comments


cnadeau
Sep 16, 2019

Querida Kaitlyn, espero que te vaya de maravilla. Tengo muchas ganas de leer tus entradas aquí durante el año. Escríbeme si quieres información de contacto de este amigo mío, Guillermo. Un fuerte abrazo de IWU, Profa. Nadeau

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Corinne Pitterman
Corinne Pitterman
Sep 15, 2019

Can’t wait to hear about all your adventures overseas! Good for you for following your passion and making your dreams come true! You are wise beyond your years, and you are such a wonderful role model for young girls everywhere in this day and age! Safe travels!

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Kevin Camino
Kevin Camino
Sep 08, 2019

Looking forward to your next steps, but not you leaving the country!!

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