Zaragoza by Kay on 27 March 2025 Posted in Spain Experiencing culture… Whilst living in Spain, I was keen to experience some of the country’s local and national traditions and festivals, or ‘fiestas.’ My housemates, being Spanish, were also keen to introduce me to some of their country’s traditions. I’m not necessarily religious myself, but I’d heard that this particular religious festival was an important, Read More
A new kind of playground duty expectation! by Kay on 15 March 2025 Posted in Teaching Playground duty in Spain… Before I came to work in Spain, I worked in a fairly large school consisting of two playgrounds. During playtimes there were roughly 180-240 on each of the two playgrounds, as it was a two-form entry school. And, on each playground, there would be 5-6 adults on duty. However, in Spain, Read More
A staff meeting and a half!! by Kay on 6 March 2025 Posted in Teaching Monthly staff meeting… Once a month we were required, in our contracts, to work until 7 pm. Sometimes this was allocated time in our classes updating displays, marking, preparing resources or meetings within our teaching teams. Other times there were specific things the management team wanted to discuss and inform us about and so it Read More
Spanish head’s non-communicative organisation on a Monday morning! by Kay on 3 March 2025 Posted in Teaching Last full week before the holidays… It’s Monday morning and the last full week before the Christmas holidays, so I was feeling quite upbeat as I start the morning with my year 2s. We do the usual routine of taking the register and discussing their weekends and then I explain what’s in store for them Read More
The washing line is where now? by Kay on 1 March 2025 Posted in Life abroad A new concept! The idea of how the Spanish wash their clothes, particularly in the cities, was quite a new concept to me. Yes, most apartments had washing machines as part of the furnishings when looking for a rental, some even had driers. This was a handy feature so that I didn’t have the faff Read More
Hour of need, or just another gormless ‘me’ moment? by Kay on 25 February 2025 Posted in Life abroad Homesick… Sadly, my time at home for the Christmas break had come to an end. My flight was at 7:15 pm. After the long 3-month term, I had no idea just how homesick I had been and how much I’d missed home. I guess the whole moving overseas and starting a new job had kept Read More
When Spanish head went a#se over t#t! by Kay on 23 February 2025 Posted in Teaching It’s nice just to be left to get on with it! More often than not I usually get left alone to get on with teaching my classes without being disturbed or ‘spied’ on as we were in my last school. Back in England, there was a time before I left when we were told to Read More
Spanish parents’ meetings… by Kay on 20 February 2025 Posted in Teaching A different arrangement… One thing that wasn’t really discussed in much detail during my interview was how the parents’ meetings were arranged given that there are two teachers and two classes. I remember asking the question, and the English head dismissing it saying that it was something that the two teachers arranged together and delivered Read More
Journey home entertainment, educacion infantil style! by Kay on 18 February 2025 Posted in Teaching Homeward bound! There are several children from across the school that also get the same bus back as me, including some infantil (or early years) children. There is an adult specifically employed to supervise them. Like a chaperone I guess. And, the poor woman certainly earns her salary, as they are all lively and loud! Read More
Spanish bank experience, and why I can never return! by Kay on 7 February 2025 Posted in Life abroad Needing to transfer money home… On starting my new job, I needed to set up a Spanish bank account in order to receive my salary. Well, the school HR team set it up on my behalf! During the first week, a member of HR made the appointment at the local branch and then accompanied me Read More
