For More Information Contact: National Scholarships Office – scholarships@umd.edu
Who Can Apply: Candidates must hold a U.S. or Canadian passport – Juniors, Seniors, Recent Grads, Graduate Students - Intermediate to advanced knowledge of Spanish – GPA of 3.0 or higher recommended - No age requirement
Description: Would you like to spend an academic year in Spain, getting to know its culture and people while improving your Spanish and collaborating with other foreign language teachers in school tasks? There are over 2000 vacancies awaiting you in many Spanish cities and small towns. Why not apply for one?
The Language and Culture Assistants program is coordinated by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science in collaboration with the Spanish Comunidades Autónomas (regions) and the educational authorities of the participating countries. It gives recent graduates an opportunity to visit Spain and become acquainted with the Spanish education system, teachers and students, while sharing with them aspects of your own language and culture.
The weekly requirement of the assistants is a minimum of 12 class hours (in some regions it could be 16 hours), all of which are spent assisting the classroom teacher. The scholarship recipient and the classroom teacher (or the institution’s Head Teacher) may agree upon other tasks or responsibilities for the language assistants to complete, such as attend meetings, give talks or conferences and participate in extracurricular activities, such as field trips, school exchanges, school plays, concerts or sports tournaments. Teaching assistants may work in Spanish elementary, middle and high schools as well as Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas (Official adult schools of foreign languages) located in all the regions throughout Spain.
Program Preferences: Candidates with prior teaching, tutoring or coaching experience are encouraged to apply. Prior experience living or studying abroad is helpful but not required. Coursework in education, ESL, or related fields is helpful but not required. Certifications or diplomas providing evidence of Spanish language abilities are helpful.
Candidates should have clear, strong interests in working and living in Spain.
Award Amount: Teaching Assistants receive a minimum stipend of € 700-1000 (tax-free) a month awarded from October through May (both included); medical insurance; an orientation course at the beginning of the school year; and paid school vacations (Christmas and Easter). Any additional costs (such as food, housing and travel to and from the country of origin) are the responsibilities of the scholarship recipient.
Duration: One academic year; may be renewed (upon application) for a second year.
National Deadline: Application opens in January and closes in April. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and placements are made on a first-come first-served basis. Early submissions are strongly encouraged.
