Since I was home in Richmond, VA for the summer, a lot of friends have asked me how it is that I’ve come to live in Spain and what I’m doing there. I love talking about this because the fact is, you can do it too. Teaching English has opened the world up to me, literally. So as crazy as it may seem, it’s really not all that crazy and it’s not some out of this world thing you can’t afford, like a study abroad program. This is the an actual opportunity that you (yes, you reading this) can take advantage of. And while I’ve briefly explained what I do in Spain, the logistics of how I got there were not included, so I am writing this to inform anyone interested in living abroad how it works. So here it is…

I am doing a program called the Auxiliares de Conversacion program (Conversation Assistants Program), which is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports. According to the EU, Spain needed to up its English-speaking abilities as a whole, thus, this program was created in order to foster that goal.

This program is open to native English speakers from North America who hold a college degree and do not possess a violent criminal record.

You are placed in one or a few public schools where you will provide assistance in English immersion classes for 12 hours per week and you’ll make 700 euros per month.

As I’ve discussed in previous posts, this program acceptance warrants you a visa to live in Spain for a little less than a year, solid health insurance and a stable, relatively undemanding job. The catch? It’s up to you to do the following:

• Make the visa happen
• Buy your plane ticket and get to Spain
• Cover your costs until the program pays you (which may not happen on time)
• To figure out where you’re going to live
• How you’re going to commute to work
• Set up a bank account
• Giddy up on a phone plan
• How to obtain your residency card

Sounds like a lot right? It can be. But you can do it. It’s amazing how much your survival and research skills kick in when you’re suddenly in a new world. It’s also amazing how many people out there are willing to help each other. Hence, why I am providing the following information. It’s definitely my turn to pay it forward.

A little background on why I made the decision to do this:

When I was in college, I wanted to work in government. I found it difficult to obtain a job upon graduating and was working as a pastry cook for a year out of school, three years total, without much promise for upward movement in that industry. While I loved my job at the time, it was not my life goal and it was taking a physical toll on me, so I knew that even if I ended up there again one day, I wanted to try something less taxing on my health for awhile. Someone recommended that I gain experience traveling, rather than at a desk job in order to impress potential employers. Not to travel in the sense of vacationing 24/7, but really prove that I was capable of working and setting up shop in a foreign country and manage a normal, ongoing daily life without retreat to my home country and ‘without a Wal-Mart around the corner’. The best way to achieve this was by obtaining a job teaching English. It turned out, my ESL/TESL/TEFL certificate would be my golden ticket.

Note: You don’t need an ESL/TESL/TEFL certificate to participate in the Auxiliares de Conversacion Program.

Why I decided to return and do the program for a second year

I loved it. Being able to travel, experience the music culture I adore, which originated in Europe and has a major distinctive presence and community in Europe, starting to learn Spanish – something I thought I’d never do and learn so much from so many amazing people. I started taking advantage of the opportunity by investing time in my own skills towards the end. Feeling as if I had just scratched the surface of amazing possibilities, I knew I needed to extend my stay. I wasn’t ready to return home to the US and settle down. Especially after I wasn’t hearing back from the latest round of jobs I had applied to. There were still so many countries I hadn’t visited. So many artists I hadn’t seen. So much art I wanted to create, things I wanted to write about and recipes to cultivate.

Notice how I haven’t mentioned the job in the preceding paragraph? That’s not exactly the reason I’m returning. Nothing wrong with the job, but it’s not for me in the long term, and that’s okay. I am happy to fulfill a 20 hour per week commitment if it means I can pursue all of what’s listed above.

I did, however, adore my students and enjoy the job.

I recommend this path and program in particular…

• If you don’t know what you want to do when you graduate from college
• If you are struggling to find a job in general, or upon graduating from college
• If you have a desire to travel long term, but don’t possess the means to simply vacation
• If you are considering a career in education and want to get some experience
• If you want to learn a foreign language
• If you want more time to engage in your personal hobbies and goals but your current job doesn’t permit the time required to do so
• If you are feeling generally unfulfilled and need to step back and get a little perspective on life

Here’s what you need to know:

First off, DO NOT ONLY go by what you read on blogs, including my own! Formalities, requirements and procedures change when it comes to things like visas. So, while I will provide my most up to date information, which has worked seamlessly for me twice now, you ought to verify the pointers and instructions listed below via their proper channels (The Spanish embassy’s website, the Auxiliares FAQ page, the FBI’s background check FAQ page). Thus, I am providing a lot of links.

Second, the following information pertains exclusively to those applicants who reside in the state of Virginia as well as to those whose states fall under the jurisdiction of the Spanish consulate in Washington DC. I made this post catering to my friends at home who asked how to participate in this program. For residents of other states, the background check will come from a different source and have different requirements. Spain has multiple embassies in the United States which have slightly varied procedures. Residents of DC, Virginia, Maryland and a couple of other states apply for visas at the embassy in Washington DC.

For residents outside of Virginia, this may help you at least get a similar idea of what to expect.

Your step by step guide to move to Spain

Step One: Apply for the Auxiliares de Conversacion Program on this website

Read through this PDF which will answer a lot of your questions about the program.

I won’t go too far into this process explaining details, but I will tell you this – Completing the application itself is by far the most complicated and difficult part of moving to Spain as an auxiliar. It is daunting and it is in Spanish. If you can’t read Spanish, don’t fret. You will make it through with Google Translate and maybe help from a friend who is fluent. I did this all on my own. It took me an entire day, literally from 10 am to 6 pm to finish it. This involved a couple of trips to Kinkos to get digital scans and printed copies of my passport, college degree, college transcript and a letter of recommendation from a former professor (and other random but crucial information).

Apply to the program early to increase your chances of being placed in a region which you desire. While there are no guarantees that you will be placed where you want (in fact, the likelihood is extremely low, especially if you’re applying late and it is your first year as an auxiliar), you might have a shot at getting your second or third choice. If you apply early, or plan to and have a little time for preparation prior to the application window opening in early January, do some research on regions in Spain and think about where you might like to live. First year? Maybe don’t go for Catalonia or Madrid – second year applicants list these regions in large numbers and receive preference from the program. However, maybe island life is for you? Why not list Canarias (Canary Islands) or Islas Balearas (Balearic Islands) as a top preference. Maybe you like the cold frigid weather? List something in the north, like Pais Vasco or Galicia. Prefer mild winters and a low cost of living near the coast? Check Andalucia, Murcia or Valencia. The kicker is, you can’t just choose your top three regions. You’ll have to pick from the three random as hell categories and list your preferences.

My first year, I was totally clueless about the regions of Spain and I was applying within the last 48 hours of the open window. I just quickly chose the order of 1) Madrid 2) Asturias 3) Extremadura – big WOOPS on number 3. However, I did not list a preference for age to teach and I DID list a preference for population city size – the highest possible option, being 400,000+ population. Being in a big city was important to me.

I wound up being plopped in the region of Mucia. Very low on most peoples’ choices but an underrated region. My schools were located about 20 minutes outside of the city so I would be able to live in the capital and commute to work.

Once you’ve properly completed and submitted the application, a PDF summary of your application will be generated. Print a couple of copies of this. One needs to get sent to the embassy of Spain or the official office of the program in Madrid. It will instruct you on what to do with the PDF and where to mail it. If you don’t send the PDF, you haven’t actually applied to the program in full. So get this done.

Now, the waiting game begins. An applicant number, also known as the infamous “inscrita” will be generated for you. This will give you a rough ballpark estimate as to when you will hear back regarding your acceptance in relation to others. When the window closes and the program finally starts issuing acceptances, many applicants will post within the Facebook group (link here) something along the lines of “Yay! I’m inscrita number X00BS059 placed in the region of Madrid”! You won’t receive your specific city/school information until later into the summer – but we’ll get to that. So expect a 2-3 month wait to hear back about whether or not you were accepted.

Fast forward to your acceptance.

Congrats! Now it’s time to start the visa process.

While this should be considered at the time you apply, make sure your passport is up to date.

Step 2: Gather the appropriate documentation to apply for your Visa

Take a look at the visa requirements on this page to familiarize yourself with what you’re about to do. I’m listing more detailed information in order of priority based on what you need in order to do the next thing and what requires particular time for mailing. Scroll down to ‘student visa’:

https://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/WASHINGTON/en/Consulado/Pages/Visas.aspx

Step 3: The Background Check

Get a state background check or go through an FBI ‘channeler’ to have it done. An approved list of channelers is located on the FBI’s background check info page. You can google ‘FBI-approved channelers’ and you will receive a list of entities you can go through to get your background check done. The channeler takes WAY less time than a federal background check (I’ve heard it can take more than three months sometimes). I used https://www.myfbireport.com/ .

Enter your email address and you’ll receive the documentation needed to get started in your email. Print out two copies of the fingerprint cards on cardstock paper and be ready to have your fingerprints taken on both. This process was fairly easy, considering the documents emailed to you include a checklist of everything that needs to get mailed in. Have a large manila envelope ready.

Keep in mind that the background check needs to be dated within 90 days of the time you apply for your visa. So while you should familiarize yourself with this process, have your forms, fingerprints and money order ready, don’t jump the gun on mailing it in until you know your application timeline.

Here is a full list of fbi-approved channelers: https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/identity-history-summary-checks/list-of-fbi-approved-channelers-for-departmental-order-submissions

In order to submit a background check request, you’ll need your fingerprints taken.

There are fingerprinting locations you’ll find online, but I just went to the Richmond police station on Main Street and have this done in minutes. I believe you can do this at any local police station. It costs between 5 and 10 dollars per set of fingerprints. It’s best to get 2 sets of fingerprints done to send in in case there is an issue with one set smudging or something. I would definitely get 2 though, because if you have to wait for them to notify you about the problem with one set, it will delay the overall process of getting the background check mailed to you and in turn, the delay the time it takes to get your background check apostilled, in turn, delaying when you can apply for the visa.

Step 4: Get your background check apostilled

This is essentially a fancy notarization which needs to be done to verify the background check’s authenticity (yup, it’s that serious). $8-10 for the initial document. Additional charges apply per copy if requested together. Fortunately, the State Department does this in Virginia, so the mail turnaround time was pretty quick.

What to include when you request authentications by mail:

• A completed Request of Authentications Service DS-4194 form – specify the document’s country of use in Section 4
• The document(s) requiring authentication services (the UNOPENED envelope containing the background check)
• Fees (check made out to US Dept of State)
• One self-addressed, prepaid envelope for return of your document (use USPS Priority Express Mail and GET A TRACKING NUMBER WITH IT).

You also have to include a cover letter with your apostille request. In this cover letter, state what you are including, what requires the apostille (student visa requirements for a cultural exchange program) and info about how they can contact you should an issue occur.

Step 4: The Medical Certificate

A visa to live abroad and do this job will require a documents issued and signed by a doctor stating that you are in well enough physical and mental health to travel, are free of any contagious diseases and free of substance addiction. It must comply with this standard in accordance with the World Health Organization’s wording. This is stated on the visa requirements section.

Either print or have the visa website pulled up on your phone to show your doc when you go in and ask them to create this document for you with the official MD letterhead. I sent an email to my doctor’s office ahead of time to give them the heads up and explain the purpose and wording, because they had never done this before. I have heard some people have had trouble with this, though I didn’t have an issue at all, beyond explaining the situation to my general practicioner. If you’re looking for a doc to do this for you, maybe your insurance will accept where I went in Midlothian – Dr. Lind Reiss of Family Practice Associates. If you’re medical insurance situation is iffy in the US, I would recommend visiting a CVS Minute Clinic to have this done.

I also brought a record of me and my family’s medical history to the the Spanish consulate in DC to see if they wanted it. They didn’t but it’s good to have this and plan to travel with it abroad, so get that from your doctor as well.

Step 5: Gather the additional documentation and requirements while your background check is being mailed/apostilled:

You also need the original letter of acceptance and the document which mentions you’ll be provided with medical insurance. These will likely be on the same letter, known as the “carta” which is emailed to you after your initial acceptance. The carta specifies which city you’ll be working in! You’ll have received this after a bit of waiting.

On that note – Whatever you’re sent by the program, just make 10 copies of each and bring them with you to the consulate and to Spain. Per the consulate’s instructions, also bring:

• Your passport
• Self-addressed USPS Express Mail Envelope with $23 worth of postage on it. They will use this to mail your visa/passport back to you, so I’d advise getting the waterproof slip to go inside the envelope if you can as well as a tracking number. Whenever you get your visa back from the consulate, you’re allowed to go to Spain. However, you need to make sure you don’t buy a flight too far in advance aka before your visa comes in the mail. My visa came in the mail on Friday. My flight was the next Tuesday and that Monday was a holiday aka no mail. It was a little scary!
• $160.00 in cash or money order (no checks, no debit/credit card payments). This is your visa fee. Self explanatory.
• A background check with the Apostille of the Hague
• Medical certificate
• Passport-sized photos of yourself

Step 6: Apply for the visa

Here is the visa application form, which is the last thing you’ll need for the big day in DC. Remember you are applying for a student visa, so check those boxes. Make sure you have a full page of passport-sized photos in color ready. I brought in a photo of myself to Walgreens 24 hour photo and had them resize it. Didn’t even have them take the picture, but you can do that. Halleujah, the DC consulate doesn’t require an appointment to be made in advance for visa applications. You’ll just walk in during the opening hours (NOT YOUR TYPICAL 9-5 Monday through Friday! Like a little preview to Spain, the office is typically open from 9-2 Monday through Thursday and closed on Fridays. Know the hours in advance). The visa takes about 3-4 weeks to get mailed back to you.

Spanish Student Visa Application Form

Good luck chicos! Always feel free to comment with questions. España awaits you!