Who's On Aux?
- Natalie Penry
- Feb 11
- 7 min read
Finally, back to our regularly-scheduled programming! We've passed a big milestone here on the island: NALCAP is officially past the halfway point. In other words, there are only four months left in this little Menorcan paradise before I become a Real Grown-Up...
Then again, living in Spain has been pretty cool...and there is a clear path in place for Auxiliares wanting to renew...but that's a conversation for another day, I think ;)
No, today is all about telling you, Dear Reader, about the possibility of doing NALCAP yourself. Maybe you're a recent grad or about-to-be-grad and you loathe the possibility of starting a 9-5 purgatory when you're still too young to rent a car. Perhaps the last few weeks have been particularly stressful for you (I dread waking up and seeing News Alerts on my phone) and you're looking for an overseas adventure. NALCAP may seem like a perfect solution: an eight-month contract in Spain to help local students with language acquisition. As a current participant, I can confirm this is a pretty sweet deal, so long as you're willing to forego the delicacies and familiarities of home (American peanut butter and/or similar waking hours to your loved ones).
Nothing is perfect, though, and there are certainly parts of this program's onboarding process I wish I'd known about before moving. So, on the off chance you're wanting to become an American in Spain, let's put the kettle on and spill some tea.
NALCAP 101
I've briefly touched on this in previous posts, but let's get all the information in one, consolidated place:
What is it?
NALCAP (North American Language & Culture Assistants Program) is an educational outreach program run by the Education Office of Spain. It allows for native speakers of target languages (in this case, English) to partner with Spanish schools in order to facilitate better language acquisition and cultural appreciation for the next generation of students. From October 1 - May 31, you work ~15 hours/week in your school, coordinating with teachers across four different age groups: Infantil, Primary, Secondary, and Adult Education.
Who can do it?
NALCAP is open to native English speakers ages 18-60, though some regions limit their auxiliares to ages 35 and below. NALCAP applies specifically to US citizens with valid passports, but there are similar programs for other English-speaking countries like the UK or Canada. You must either be in progress on or have earned a Bachelor's Degree; however, it can be in any area. Take, for example, my housemates and I, who are an eclectic mix of a film major, an art/English major, an environmental science major, and an education major. You must be in sound physical and mental health with a clean background check. Apart from that, you're good to go!
If we're being real, not just regurgitating the info on the website, an ideal NALCAP participant is someone with an open mindset, global awareness, and passion for learning. Not that you need to love school or anything, but you should be excited to wake up and find yourself in a totally unfamiliar place where you are the Other. There's no point in doing this program if you're going to complain about how different everything in Spain is so different from life in America (though some lamenting is a given - none of us ever quite accept losing access to American Institutions like Whole Foods, Goldfish crackers, or iced lattes).
How to Apply
For being such a monumental experience, the application is almost comically easy. Applications for the 2025-26 program opened February 11th and will close in late March...just in case you're interested ;)
There are only a handful of documents you need to gather for the online application:
A copy of your valid passport's main page
An official college transcript or diploma
A signed statement of purpose (250-300 words)
A signed & dated letter of recommendation from a colleague/professor (also 1 page)
A signed Health Statement & Statutory Declaration (available on the website)
That's it! During the application, you'll also your contact info, background details, etc., as well as your preferences for age group and location. You'll get to pick three autonomous communities in Spain, one from Group A, B & C; so, you can express your preference for Catalonia, but not Barcelona exactly, if that makes sense. They do allow you to note whether you'd prefer a village/small city/big city/etc., and whether you'd like to be placed with another applicant - helpful for couples applying together!
Honestly, the hardest part of the application process is navigating the Profex website, especially since it's in Spanish. There are lots of technicalities with the online portion, including the difference between being Admitted and Accepted into the program - these are explained more in-depth by documents on NALCAP's website. Truly, though, the application is a breeze.
If you are considering applying, the earlier you turn in your application, the better. All applicants will receive an Inscrita number that plays into when the applications are reviewed and/or who will receive offers first. The lower your Inscrita, the higher chances of receiving your top choice placements. No worries if you procrastinate - I submitted my application hours before the due date and I'm very happy with my placement here :)
The Cost of NALCAP
Okay, so this is the TEA tea. If what you've heard so far has been appealing, we've got to talk about how much it costs to become an English Language Assistant. NALCAP prides itself on being free to apply to, which is absolutely true; however, there are a plethora of costs associated with being accepted to the program. Since NALCAP lasts eight months (and we receive government stipends as payment), participants need visas to stay longer than three months here. Once the entry-student visa is acquired, auxiliares then have to go through hoops of getting a TIE (I outlined that process a bit more in some previous posts!), which ensures that we can stay in Spain for the entirety of the program. Visas, tickets, background checks - these all cost money and the fees add up. Here's the barebones cost of what it takes to become an ELA, everything I absolutely needed to pay for from the day I turned my application in to now:
FBI Background Check - $68
Fingerprinting at USPS - $50
Actual Background Check - $18
Apostille (US Department of State Certification of the FBI Background Check) - $40.20
Apostille Form & Money Order - $20
USPS Priority Flat Envelope to Mail Apostille Form - $10.10
USPS Priority Flat Envelope to Return Apostille Form - $10.10
Certified Translation of the Apostille (Into Spanish) - $45
Passport Photos (Used for Visa & TIE) - $20.98
Visa Fees - $183
Visa Application Fee for US National - $160
BLS Processing Fee - $18
SMS Notification Fee - $5
TIE Tax Form 790-012 - $16.59 (Converted from Euros)
Sooooo that gives us a grand total of $373.77, just to get the visa & residency documents sorted. That's not counting the cost of airfare, of international phone fees until you can get a Spanish plan, of staying in hotel until you can move into your apartment. I would have to estimate the numbers, but I suspect those three items alone cost me ~$1000. You have to pay for an extra checked bag, you're moving abroad, and of course, splurge on the Pick-Your-Seat fee for a trans-Atlantic flight. Let's assume you have enough savings to become an Aux and move to Spain. Now, we're hit with another issue: you won't be paid until the end of October. So, it's back to the savings to come up with your security deposit, first month's rent, food, bus passes, new pillows, etc. By the end of my first month in Spain, my incidental costs came out to ~$1320, all before my first $900 paycheck came in. While I do plan on getting my $500 security deposit back, that's still quite a lot of necessary expenses to plan on. The total cost of the entire process was approximately $2700.
Even this number feels rather conservative. I didn't pay to print anything (thank you FC Tucker), which seems like small potatoes, but I ended up printing over 100 pages of documents - that adds up! While I didn't have to pay to see my PCP for my medical certificate, that can be an unexpected cost for others. I didn't pay for housing when I went to my visa appointment in Chicago (thank you Aunt Barb) and my flight cost were significantly reduced by my mother driving me to O'Hare from Indianapolis. If I lived farther from the consulate, if I didn't have friends and family there, the cost of applying would have risen even further. Also, as anyone who knows me can affirm, I'm a penny-pincher at heart. I was cutting costs literally wherever I could.
The TL;DR here: NALCAP doesn't lie when they say it's free to apply, but the cost of becoming an Auxiliar is fairly steep for a demographic largely consisting of 20-somethings. You should really have $3000-$5000 of disposable income available if you plan on participating in the program.
That feels like a really bleak note to leave it on...transparency can really bite! And none of this is to say that it isn't absolutely worth the price. NALCAP is a genuinely amazing experience, and the longer you participate, the less those fees seem to matter. For auxes who come back year after year, they more than manage to make ends meet and afford their flights back home. Reapplying for the visa is markedly easier than obtaining the original one. And, of course, if you're really interested in NALCAP and want to ask some questions, I'd love to chat! There's a lot to cover about what happens after your application is submitted and/or if you end up in Spain ;)
As I hinted at earlier, I'm still undecided about renewing for next year. I love my school, my coworkers, and my students - don't even get me started on how gorgeous Menorca is, how much I love being by the sea. But it's a tough decision, to effectively keep my life on pause and stay isolated from my loved ones for another year. There are things left unfinished Stateside - will they keep until next June? I don't know...and I have until the end of February to decide...
Until then, I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of even warmer weather (I'm losing all my Midwestern credibility) and filling my days with friends and Oscar nominees - I am the girl I've always been 😊
Hasta Luego!
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