September 2013 to Present (Returning)

The Town

The town is small (ish) and everything that one needs is available and accessible. The people are friendly, and it’s a very much «everyone knows everyone» type of place. There are also fairs, festivals, carnivals and the likes that take place throughout the year. The most famous is the Romeria de la Cabeza which really is worth seeing.

Getting Around

There is a train station on the outskirts of the town, and has a direct train to Cadiz (which goes through Cordoba and Seville) and to Barcelona (which goes through Linares and Valencia). There are also regular trains for Jaen and Cordoba. But for other cities, you would have to change at Cordoba. There is also a bus station which pretty much goes everywhere in Andalucia as well as Madrid. Within the town, everything is within walking distance.

The School

The school is in two parts, the main school and the annex which is literally three/four doors down. The classrooms are of various sizes, and are equipped with everything you need and want.

Materials and Resources

There is a staff room full of resources and materials for various ages, levels and teaching points which is continuously growing. The management are open to new ideas for resources, etc. There is also a huge selection of books for those who are studying for a diploma.

The Staff

The staff are great, supportive and will help wherever they can. They have a vast range of experience and expertise between them, from young learners to exam skills and knowledge.

Students/Classes/Levels

The students are, as a whole, great fun. The classes are never with more than 12 students and the levels range from beginner to advanced. The children are noisy, the noisiest I have ever had, but wanting to learn

Teacher Training

There are lots of opportunities for external training with talks and sessions offered and paid for by the school in Seville, Granada and Madrid, just to name a few.

Finding a Flat

My partner and I were lucky. We told Julie what we needed before we arrived, as we were also bringing three cats (insane, we know!) and within two weeks of emailing her, we had a gorgeous flat, which we?re intending to keep for next year.

The Cost of Living

Everything is cheap. The most expensive things would be toiletries and the electricity bill and the latter only appears to be expensive because it isn’t paid monthly but every two months. It is still slightly more expensive than the average UK bill.

Health Cover

Having injured my foot early in the school year, I had the experience of visiting the hospital and the doctor’s clinic. Excellent care and treatment provided and as the school has arranged for a medical card, nothing is paid for or rather the bare minimal is paid for. My partner’s asthma inhaler cost 36 cents on the medical card. You couldn’t ask for better!