It really applies to any non-English-speaking country, but one of the best things you can do in preparation for a trip to Spain is to learn the language. You’ll often find Spain’s famously warm welcome becomes that much warmer when your new neighbor sees you’re making an effort to engage with them on their terms instead of just expecting them to come to you. And, of course, there’s also a degree of necessity to it — only about 28% of Spanish people speak English fluently, and most of those are clustered in larger cities and tourist areas. Finding an English-speaker in a hurry isn’t always easy.
What if you could improve your grasp of Spanish while helping Spanish speakers improve their grasp of English at the same time?
The North American Language and Culture Assistants Program
The North American Language and Culture Assistants Program (NALCAP) is an educational outreach program from the Education Office of the Embassy of Spain in the U.S. It helps grade schools in Spain that need to bolster their English language programs and adults in North America who want to bolster their Spanish language by putting them in the same room and making them talk.
NALCAP places English-fluent adults in Spanish classrooms as language teaching assistants to help provide a more immersive environment for language learning. (They work under the supervision of a Spanish teacher — a teacher from Spain — and speak exclusively in English, so they aren’t just thrown to los lobos out there.) And when they’re off the clock, the TAs are free to explore their new community and country, getting their own immersive experience in Spanish language and culture. And they receive a monthly stipend and Spanish medical insurance.
While NALCAP does sound in some ways like a study abroad program, it isn’t limited to college students — it’s open to adults 18-60 who have at least two years of college under their belt or a college degree. That said, it does lend itself better to college students and young adults able to live on low pay (as low as €800, or about $940, per month in some regions) and low stability (the program only runs from October 1 to May 31). But if those conditions work for you, anyone who meets the requirements is welcome to apply.
Those requirements include being a U.S. citizen with a valid passport and a clean background check and bill of health. Language assistants also need to have at least two years of college or a college degree, a native-level grasp of English, and a basic grasp of Spanish (good enough for, say, buying groceries, using public transportation, asking for directions that go beyond el baño).
Placements are offered in nearly every city and town in Spain, making it a great way to explore a new country while helping out kids and teachers. If you want to immerse yourself in Spanish language and culture while also helping Spanish schoolchildren immerse themselves in your language and culture, NALCAP is a way to do both — the Spanish Department of Education has details. And if NALCAP doesn’t sound right for you, Expatsi has experts to help you with studying abroad, teaching abroad, and finding other ways to get abroad and enjoy other cultures.
