Kira is a third year Auxiliar in Castellon de la Plana, Valencian Community. Originally from Lancaster, UK, she studied Modern Languages at Durham University. Post studies, she decided to travel and put her language skills into practice.
Can you tell us a bit about how you ended up in Castellon?
I originally put as my preferences: primary school, big city, and the Valencia region. I chose “big city” because I love doing lots of different activities like sports and dancing etc. Therefore, I thought I’d find it difficult to live in a pueblo. When I was lucky enough to be offered a primary school in Alicante, matching all my preferences, I realised that a big, big city wasn’t exactly what I wanted either. The reason I’d chosen the Valencia region was so I could practise the Catalan I’d learnt at uni. Luckily, one of my friends had been placed in Castellon de la Plana, but she didn’t speak any Catalan/Valencian, and she had friends near Alicante. So, we swapped. (Note: this isn’t technically allowed and not always possible, but for us it worked out.)
Castellon has been perfect for me. It is a small city rather than a pueblo, so there’s plenty to do. But it’s also quite small and easy to get around. It’s not a pretty city, but it’s very comfortable to live in. Also, I have lots of chances to practice Valencian!
What is your living situation?
The first year I lived in a flat on Avenida Capuchinos, which was a typical students’ flat, with cheap furniture and 4 other flat mates. They were nice enough, but the only one I became actual friends with was an Erasmus student who left in February. Many Spanish students go back home to their village and their “real friends” at the weekends, so they aren’t as keen to make friends as when you go to uni in the UK!
The 2nd year I was in a different student flat, with 5 other flat mates. Living there, I realised how much I hadn’t appreciated how much light my first flat had. This one had few windows and was very dark. Not too bad usually, as I don’t spend loads of time in the flat. But then lockdown came along and I was suddenly spending ALL my time in the flat and it was quite difficult.
This year is by far the best place I’ve lived in Castellon! It’s an actual house on Calle Alloza. It’s very central, with 8 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 kitchen and a terrace just for us! My room is big and has a mini balcony. I made sure to find a place with a balcony in case we went into another lockdown (hasn’t happened yet…touch wood!) My other 7 housemates are all from different countries and are really cool, and the house is pretty quirky and cool too! It’s falling apart a bit, and the landlord isn’t great, but you can’t have everything!
Rent here in Castellon is really cheap compared to what I’m used to in the UK. I’ve paid between about 170€ and 240€ a month including all bills. If you rent the whole flat and find other people to share with you it will be even cheaper. For transport I’ve joined the public rent-a-bike scheme, Bicicas, for 27€ for the year. I use that most of the time, or I just walk. Occasionally I pay 1,50€ to get the bus to Benicassim or Vila-Real, or 1,05€ for the tram to the beach, but usually I cycle, as I now have my own bike too and love the freedom it gives me. It also costs about 6€ to get the train to Valencia which is a nice day out.
Where do you recommend someone go for a drink?
Castellón has my favourite ever cocktail bar – Tiare Tahiti – with delicious cocktails made with fresh fruit! For brunch (not many places do anything like that in Castellón!) there is Sirope, which is also one of the few places you can get a cappuccino (normally it’s just cafe solo, cortado, or cafe con leche!) Goiko Grill has delicious burgers, but is all inside seating, so with the pandemic it isn’t ideal. Julieta Street Food is an entirely outdoor place where you also get good burgers! Bar el Cantonet de las Aulas is a nice bar with nice owners, but there are so many other good bars and restaurants. The cafes are just not cosy like a proper English cafe though. Santa Gloria, a chain on Av Rey Don Jaime, is the closest you’ll get!
Does your regular aux income allow you to live comfortably?
Yes! We get 1000€ for 16 hours. So lucky to have such good pay for the hours and responsibility we have. I have plenty for all the activities I want to do ,as well as having some left over for savings, even without trying! I haven’t travelled loads because I ended up making local friends who are keen to show me the local area. I’ve really appreciate being able to discover and explore. You could definitely fit travel into your budget without too much difficulty too.
Can you tell us about outside work opportunities?
I do a few private lessons a week, but mainly because I enjoy it and it’s a good way to meet people, rather than because I feel I need the money. As a native speaker it is easy to get private lessons, and it’s all paid cash in hand. I charge 15€/hour for a 1-1 conversation class. I’d charge a little more if you’re preparing them for an exam or have to prep more activities. If there are 2 people I’ve charged 9€ each and everyone has seemed happy with these prices. I wouldn’t recommend working for an academy unless you know they treat you well. It’s often low pay, hard work, and they don’t seem to particularly care about you. This is a generalisation of course, and I’m sure there are some good academies out there, but be careful!
The aux position is 16 hours in the Valencian Community. How have you used your free time differently than back home?
The free time is one of my favourite things about the aux programme! I have joined local traditional dance groups and flamenco classes, I play padel and pilota (a Valencian sport), I do some private lessons, I cycle, I go to the beach, I have a lie in, I read and I meet friends for coffee. Before the pandemic my favourite activity was muixeranga – a Valencian tradition involving climbing on people to make human towers!! I’ve also done some voluntary work for some organisations back in England, and visited pretty nearby villages. There are so many options!
What are some must-sees in the Castellon?
The Via Verde between Benicassim and Oropesa is a beautiful, easy walk right along the coast. You can walk, run or cycle, and it’s suitable for all ages. Vilafamès, Culla and Ares are my favourite pretty villages. And if you like mountains you have to climb Penyagolosa, the highest mountain in the contiguous Valencia community, which has stunning 360 views from the top! The Desert de les Palmes offers some lovely hills much closer to the city too!
Castellón isn’t a very pretty city, so I wouldn’t say there are many must-see things here! But the beach in El Grao is definitely worth making the most of, and the Correos building is pretty! Covid-permitting, the Magdalena festival is great! It’s a week in March full of free concerts, fire displays, dance displays, processions, food, tapas and vino marquees, and people fill the streets! Forcall has a pretty cool Sant Antoni celebration too!
But my strongest recommendation would be to befriend local people and get them to show you their villages, because seeing them from an insider’s perspective is so much more special!
How do you travel outside of the Valencian Community?
I haven’t travelled outside the Valencia region much at all, as there is plenty to do here, but Castellón has a direct, fast train to Barcelona, and you can change in Valencia to get to Madrid and many other places. There are also some long distance buses which I once used to get to Madrid as it was a bit cheaper. Castellón is pretty well connected.
How has Covid affected life in Castellon?
At the start of the pandemic, the Valencia region and Castellón were one of the least affected regions, but here in Spain we were all in full lockdown for 2 months. We are now the 4th worst region in Spain, but still don’t have that many restrictions (at least compared to my friends in England). We can meet in groups of 6, but have to wear masks all the time except when eating or exercising. Most activities can still happen, like dance classes and sport, just with some added precautions. Muixeranga can’t, sadly, because it involves people squashed right together and is literally the opposite of all restrictions! We also currently have a curfew of 11pm.
Schools are still open and there hasn’t been a massive amount of transmission there. There are some changes, but overall it works pretty well, and I’m used to the extra precautions now. I more or less get on with teaching as normal, with lots of added disinfecting and fewer hugs! Over the Christmas period the Valencia region closed its border though, which was a blow for anyone planning on going home for Christmas.
What were your schools like?
The first year I was here, I was at a high school/college, and taught kids aged 12-44! This year and last year I’ve taught kids aged 6-12 at Primary school.
If you have a good coordinator or colleagues, use them, because they will be experienced with teaching and know things that work. Discipline is a hard one because it’s not really our responsibility, but not all coordinators or teachers are very good at it, which makes things difficult!
For primary school flashcards are great and versatile. Youtube has loads of great songs. For secondary there’s an activity I love called desert island. Everyone has to draw an object, don’t tell them why. Then in pairs they have to convince their partner why that item would be the best to take with them to a desert island – think outside the box! After a certain amount of time, they have to decide who has won. Then that pair find another pair and argue for the winning object, against the other pair’s winning object, and repeat this until you have two halves of the class debating over two objects, before deciding a final winner!
What are some reasons people should or shouldn’t chose Castellon?
I would definitely recommend Castellón, especially if you are interested in the Valencian culture, as there are so many opportunities to experience this. It’s well-connected, comfortable to live in, cheap rent, and really close to both hills and sea, We’re so lucky! For me it’s a great combination of most of the things a big city has, while not being too big!
Maybe don’t choose it if you have no interest in learning any Valencian. You don’t need to be fluent in it, as everyone also speaks Castilian Spanish. But showing an interest in it will earn you the favour of the local people, and understanding at least basic Valencian will help you understand more of the conversations that are had around you.
Would you live in Castellon again?
I stayed here for three years in total when I’d originally only planned to stay for one, so the answer is yes! I have found it perfect for my aux experience, but it’s not somewhere that I see myself living longer term. This will probably be my last year here, but we’ll see! I’ll be very sad to leave when I do! Next I might learn to drive, and maybe cycle tour around Europe!
Anything else you would like to include?
Please feel free to contact me on kirabrowne95@gmail.com if you have any questions about Castellón or are considering coming here with the aux programme. I’m always happy to talk about my experience here and I can put you in touch with people and activities too!