Do you have an itch to travel? Are you looking for a gap year or to uproot your life and move abroad? Do I have the program for you! Let me introduce you to NALCAP.
What is NALCAP:
NALCAP stands for the North American Language and Culture Assistant program. It’s a program run by the Spanish government that places native English speakers into the classrooms of public schools. In Spanish, this program is called Auxiliares de Conversación, and the program participants are overall known as auxes.
Auxes get placed in one of the 17 regions, then in a school in that region to assist their English teachers. Auxes help Spanish students learn English as well as teach them about American or Canadian culture.
Depending on what region you get placed in determines the amount you receive in your monthly stipend. In the Balearic Islands where I live, I get 875 euros each month. Other regions get more, others get slightly less. This stipend more or less goes with the cost of living in your region. You will be able to live off that, but I highly recommend coming with savings as well!
This program starts October 1st and runs until May 31st – and get this, you only work 15 hours a week. For me, that is working 9am-2pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. I honestly don’t know how I will ever go back to a 9-5 after living with four-day-weekends every weekend.
Who can apply:
Anyone ages 18-65 are eligible to apply! You need to be in school, currently studying for a bachelors degree, or have one. Other than that, being a native English speaker is the only requirement.
How to apply:
This year, the applications open on February 9th. At midnight, Madrid time, the portal opens.
You need to have four documents ready to go BEFORE the portal opens – if you want to apply ASAP. You can also apply anytime after the portal opens and still get placed, but the earlier you apply, the better odds you have of getting one of top placement choices.
The four documents you need:
- Main page of your passport
- Your official transcript or a copy of your diploma
- Your statement of purpose
- A letter of recommendation
If you try to apply right at Madrid midnight – it will crash on you. It took me 2 and a half hours to submit my application because the website cannot handle that many people and it constantly crashes – forcing you to start over. Then again, you can apply anytime you want, so if you don’t want to put yourself through this kind of stress, don’t!
This is why my statement of purpose looked like. They have more information on the website about how to write it, but I wouldn’t stress over it! People joke if NALCAP even actually reads them.
This is the guide from the NALCAP website that step by step tells you exactly how to apply on their website. They recommend that you do not translate the page when on the application, so use the guide and fill out what you can before the portal opens.
There is a facebook group with amazing admins who also help troubleshoot if things aren’t working. The facebook page in general is an amazing resource! I will link it here.
Regions:
While you fill out lots of information on your application, most people take the most time and consideration into their region’s selection. You might say, easy decision, I want Madrid or Barcelona. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works!
As shown in the photo above, there are three columns of options, and you can only choose one from each column. n the end, I put the Islas Baleares in Group C as my first choice. I believe last year Cataluña (where Barcelona is) was also in Group C (could definitely be wrong). I had a hard time deciding which to put first.
Last year, they posted the data of how many people were placed in each region. Out of the ~8,000 people placed, only 22 were placed in Cataluña (mostly second year or longer auxes), which is why I decided not to choose it. I also learned that Madrid works an extra month longer, from October 1st until June 30th. At that point, I was planning on going home for my brothers high school graduation, so that deterred me.
I would recommend doing tons of research on where to live, based on cost of living, what the weather is like, and the local dialects they speak. Also, decide what your focus for the year is. I personally wanted to travel as much as I could. The biggest airports normally have the most flight options and for the cheapest flights, so in hindsight, I should have chosen somewhere with a bigger airport.
What to do after you apply:
The visa process is quite tedious and long, so I would recommend starting to get your documents together. The one document that takes the longest to obtain is the apostille – which is basically your FBI background check. You send the background check to get ‘apostilled’ where the government confirms the document is legit for another country to use (like getting something notarized on a larger level). So I would recommend getting fingerprinted and submitting them to the FBI background check ASAP – take a look at this post if you want more information.
This program does not necessarily deny anyone, it’s more of how long you have to wait to hear back, depending on when you apply. Every person is assigned an inscita number, which is the order of applications submitted. The program goes in order of who applied first when assigning locations. I honestly would recommend starting the visa process ASAP if you know you are doing this program no matter what and no matter where you are placed.
WHY you should apply:
With NALCAP, you get to move and live abroad for 8 months, or longer, while only working 15 hours a week. You’ll get to live somewhere where travel is much cheaper than in the States/Americas. You get to connect with other adventurous people also doing this program since I think you have to be a little crazy to move your whole life abroad.
With the amount of time you are working, think about something you could focus the rest of your time on! Some people get online masters degrees at the same time. I have a friend working on being a DJ while we’re living here in Ibiza. I have been blogging, trying to monetize my social media accounts, and start my own business. You could find an internship or volunteer during your free time.
Closing thoughts:
I know I am at a HIGH risk of sounding like that annoying stereotypical study abroad kid, but living abroad truly is a life changing experience. You learn to live fully on your own in a culture and town you’ve probably never set foot in before. You’ll have a billion questions and not many people who can actually fully answer them. You will travel to new countries, learn a little about their history and culture, eat new and different foods, and interact with people totally different than you.
These challenges will build your confidence to the point you really feel like you can do anything. You’ll be a more compassionate and educated person by visiting new places with an open mind. You will grow immensely, more than you ever thought you would and never stop thinking about this time in your life. If you have the opportunity to study abroad or move abroad at all – I HIGHLY recommend it.
If you’re think, hmm I don’t think Spain is for me, check out this page to see some other opportunities that might inspire you more.
Please reach out if you have any questions about NALCAP or about living in Ibiza. If you are interested in living in Ibiza, check out this post to see what it was like/if I would recommend it (the winter can be hard but still fun). I would be more than happy to help, and I hope that you too might join me in this program at some point down the line!
