Teach English In Spain

 I  f I By Ryan Edgar

If you’ve been reading my posts about studying in Germany, you have gleaned that there are some challenges to achieving a Bachelor’s degree abroad. Teaching English abroad could be a good way to earn a stipend while feeling out the perspectives of living in a foreign country.

I have been accepted and assigned a school in the region of Galicia through the North American Language and Culture Assistants Program (NALCAP).

The program accepts American candidates who have graduated from a college accredited in the US or Canada. You will receive a monthly stipend of 800 to 1000 euros and medical insurance. That might sound like it’s not a lot of money but Spain’s cost of living being so low it should be enough to cover a modest lifestyle.

If you want to travel around Europe, I would recommend having some savings. A friend of mine had $3,000 in savings when she went and that tied her over while staying in Spain for a total of three years.

In my post about learning German in preparation for studying in Germany, I wrote about coming to Germany through the au-pair program as a way to get language school paid for through the host family. As a working professional, you could check out the Chancenkarte.

NALCAP offers a pathway to check out Spain, improve your language skills and see if living abroad is something you genuinely and authentically want to pursue.

If you wanted to pursue a degree abroad, Spain does offer Master’s programs in English.

For me, I wanted to work with the National Park Service (NPS). Earlier this year, I applied to a variety of postings, most of which were canceled during the DOGE efficiency campaign. As a history nerd, this was disappointing. Yes, I’m that guy who reads all the signs at the museums and the random plaques about the crop failures in 1737.

Because of the aforementioned friend, NALCAP was on my radar, luckily the application period was still open, so I applied. I thought the experience would be neat, I could work with (Spanish-speaking) kids in an educational setting, which will help my resume if I ever apply to the NPS again.

Part of living abroad is honing a sense of dynamism and adapting to non-advantageous situations. For me, the non-advantageous situation was the cuts to the seasonal NPS roles.

A wise and wonderful ex-girlfriend once told me, “the rats jump ship.” Rats are known to not only survive but thrive in challenging and adverse circumstances. Embody that energy. Rats don’t give up, they keep going.

Pursuing NALCAP is me embodying the resilience of the rat.

As with all things international, visa applications are time consuming and daunting. The actual application process of applying for the position of language assistant is very straightforward.

The required documents needed to apply are:

A copy of the main page of your valid U.S. passport

An official college transcript or a copy of your diploma

A signed statement of purpose

A letter of recommendation

​Health Statement and Statutory Declaration.

These documents are submitted through something called PROFEX 2.

In 2025, the application period opened in February and ended in March.

A piece of advice is that it’s important to make a handful of people in positions of authority like you, because you will need them for letters of recommendations and references.

Once accepted you need to book a visa appointment at the consulate.

I was accepted and assigned to a school in June, when I started looking to book a visa appointment. I wasn’t able to find an appointment until in mid September when I booked a spot for late October. This is a bummer as the job technically begins on October 1st.

I likely won’t get a visa and arrive in Spain until November at the earliest!

According to the Spanish Consulate in San Francisco, I will need the following documents to receive the visa for the NALCAP:

1. National visa Visa Application form 2024.pdf​(original).Each applicant must complete and sign a visa application, filling out every section, including the e-mail address(clearly written or typed) of the applicant, so we can contact if documents are missing.​
2. Two recent passport-size
3. Valid, unexpired passport.
4. Copy of the Acceptance Letter by the Regional Education Authorities (“Nombramiento").
5. Criminal record check certificate, is required in all cases, regardless of whether the studies exceed 180 days or not.Applicants over 18 must present original and copy of the criminal record certificate(s) issued by their country or countries of residence for the past 5 years.The Criminal record check certificate cannot be issued more than 6 months preceding the submission of the visa application. Apostilles are required. It should also be translated into Spanish.
6. Medical certificate, accrediting that "the applicant does not suffer from any disease that could cause serious repercussions for public health pursuant to the 2005 International Health Regulations". 
7. Proof of residence in the consular district. 
8. Payment of the visa fee.

(Always double check any information on the internet about visa and legal requirements with the official government office that oversees visas or the program)

All of this seems straightforward enough, except you need to budget ample time for the background check which took a month for me and the receiving the Apostille certification from the US State Department.

I’m currently waiting for my FBI background check to come back from the US State Department, which according to the website can take 5+ weeks.

After having lived in Germany, I’m used to bureaucratic administrative chores taking a long time. I missed the email from the FBI saying my background check was complete and just figured it took a long time before realizing it’s been around three months since I applied.

Turns out, the background check had been completed six weeks prior, I just hadn’t noticed the confirmation email. My patience and high tolerance developed after dealing with German bureaucracy had worked against me. I should have paid closer attention rather than patiently wait for the notification. Also I thought the background was supposed to be mailed to me, but I must have misunderstood that I would only receive an electronic copy.

Prior to submitting the paperwork to the FBI, I had to go down to my local police station and get my fingerprints taken. That was the easiest place to get this done in my community. That was easy.

If government surveillance and off-grid living appeal to you, moving abroad will be challenging as every aspect of your life will be examined.

One time in Germany while renewing my student visa, the bureaucrat was looking through my bank statements from the last six months (it was required to bring that) and inquired why was I sending money to this individual listed on my bank statement?

Turns out the individual I was transferring money to monthly was my landlord. Expectations of privacy should be reduced. If you are purchasing something that you don’t want government workers to know about because it pertains to a hair loss prevention subscription or whatever else might be embarrassing for you, don’t purchase it through the bank account connected to your visa stuff.

Same idea applies to the fingerprinting. If you’re a hard-core libertarian or “sovereign citizen” getting a visa to an EU country will be hard to align with your values against government surveillance and privacy, because you will be vetted and bureaucrats will scrutinize your bank statements and life if necessary.

As I have talked about in other posts, remembering your long term goals will give you the endurance to get through all the hurdles.

NALCAP and the au-pair program could potentially be used to test the waters and decide if you wanted to find a suitable university degree or vocational training or whatever else floats your boat.

If living in Barcelona and going to the Catalan beach is your goal, then explaining to a bureaucrat that that monthly money transfer is to your landlord is a really small issue. I wanted to study in Germany so I accepted sharing insights into my life with a stranger in order to renew my visa.

These small situations will be something that you will inevitably encounter and will have to deal with.

But it will be worth resolving if it helps you reach your long term goals.

I will update you on my experience teaching English in Spain as it progresses and help you understand if the program is right for you and how you can achieve it.

NALCAP offers the opportunity for Americans to teach English in Spain while earning 800 to 1000 euros a month. That might not sound like a lot, especially if you’re accustomed to American wages, but for Spain it’s enough to live a modest lifestyle.

NALCAP would give insight into the reality of living abroad and if pursuing a degree abroad matches what you truly want before committing to an actual program, whose credits likely wouldn’t transfer back to the US. The time in Spain would give you an opportunity to improve your language abilities as well.

As with everything involving moving abroad, obtaining a visa is always a headache. It can feel like an invasion of privacy, but it’s ultimately not a big deal if moving abroad is something you want to achieve.

It took me a long time to finally book an appointment with the Spanish consulate in San Francisco and I’m currently waiting for my background check to come back from the Apostille.

The school wants the language assistants to be there October 1, which I will miss as my visa appointment is late October. Huge bummer! But it will progress as it will.

Feel free to contact me through my website if you have any questions for me about living and studying abroad.

If you ever wondered about pursuing a bachelor's degree in Germany, read about my experience to know more about this opportunity.