Great for a gap year (or, if you're me, semester)!

After plans with another program fell through, I received an email in September 2013 inviting me for an auxiliar position for the 2013-2014 school year. With the length of the visa process, I wasn't able to start until January 2014. So many components of the program are luck of the draw, but I'll explain my experience with each feature by feature.

Benefits: 16 hour work week for a monthly stipend of 700 or 1000 euros, depending on where you're placed plus three day weekends every week! This was definitely enough to get by in Madrid; I paid about 450 total for my rent and transit pass.

Support: Definitely the weakest component of my experience there. Once you receive your offer letter, you're on your own when it comes to getting a visa, residence card, housing, and more. Since I arrived mid-year, I missed the big orientation session and start-of-year training. I was fortunate enough to have the other auxiliares at my school catch me up to speed. Support at the school itself can be a wildcard as well. Of the three teachers I worked with, one put thought into her classes, one did well but left nothing to prep us for his paternity leave, and one let her students color while I took over the bulk of the teaching. It's really up to you to make the most of it, which leads me to...

Fun: What I remember most about my time in Madrid! Between three day weekends, the sizable expat community, and the endless wanderings I found myself on, this is what would make me recommend the auxiliar program. There's always new cities to explore, and sometimes the school even has little functions of their own that you can partake in. For those of you placed in a primary school - the cute kid potential can be high.

Facilities: Barring a few wonky doors and some old facilities, my school's were mostly passable. There were lots of different teaching materials made by former auxiliares, and we made our own materials as well. The way that the English library was organized didn't make the most sense to us, which occasionally hindered our lesson planning.

Safety: The village we taught in was about as safe as they come, but that was my experience during the day. I generally felt safe in Madrid too, but be sensible about big-city life and guard your belongings closely.

Overall: As an auxiliar, you will laugh with your fellow expats about adapting to a foreign culture, cry about how disorganized the system can be, and learn so much more about yourself through the process of doing something on your own. And if you're looking for a career in study abroad or international education, this is a great place to start...though not always the most forgiving from an administrative standpoint.