The Fact and the Fiction of Teaching English at IES Litoral

CIEE Staff: You will never be alone with the students. You are there to serve as an assistant, so you will always be in the same room as the teacher.

Reality: I have been alone with the students in nearly every single one of the 11 classes that I teach. IES Litoral's teaching staff favors dividing the students into two groups, with one group remaining with the teacher and the other being led by the auxiliar. This means that, in practice, I spend half of each class with half of the students, and then switch with the teacher to work with the other half. The teacher and I are never in the same room with each other.

CIEE Staff: You do not have to worry about disciplining the students. Since you are an assistant, the teacher is responsible for dealing with problematic students. This is not your responsibility. 

Reality: On my second day of teaching, the bilingual coordinator informed me that I should send any student who is misbehaving to the detention room. Not only have I been given the authority to deal with misbehaving students; it is part of my responsibilities as an auxiliar.

CIEE Staff: The teacher will design the lesson plans. All you will need to do is help implement the lesson with the students. 

Reality: IES Litoral views the auxiliar as an opportunity for students to speak with a native English speaker. As such, they do not care what I teach, as long as the students are speaking with me. In practice, this means that I am responsible for designing my own lessons, though they do not necessarily need to match those of the teacher.

In truth, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Welcome to Spain.