Ella is a 2nd year Auxiliar living in Huesca, Aragon. She was working as a chiropractor in Adelaide, Australia when she decided to spend a year in Spain to improve her university Spanish. Covid had other plans for her, and since she wasn’t able to return to Australia during the lockdown, she decided to stay another year.
Can you tell us a bit about how you ended up in Huesca?
My first choice was a pueblo in Aragon, and that’s what I got. I am from Australia, so that usually happens. As an ice hockey player and a skier, I wanted somewhere with mountains. I was originally hoping for Jaca, but was happy with where I ended up, working: Almudevar, a pueblo of about 2000 people. But I live in Huesca capital, which has about 50,000 people and is 20 minutes away by car.
What was your initial impression of Huesca?
Great. One of the teachers picked me up from the station when I got in, then another came to meet me at my hotel the next day and showed me around. Huesca is a small city – 30minutes walking end to end. It’s cute. All the teachers were super nice and helpful. They came with me to find somewhere to live and even called up for me.
On my second day of work at the high school we went on an excursion with the whole school. All the kids were excited to see me, as they hadn’t had an Auxiliar in about 10 years. With 250 kids total in both schools, they got to know me quickly.
I had a great schedule: 3 full days, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with a short day Tuesday, noon finish, and 5pm finish the other days, with few gaps in the timetable. The teachers drove me to school and home no problem. It was a great way to get to know people. The principals of both schools were super nice, and I ate with the primary school teachers in the lunchroom 2 days a week.
What was your main criteria for making your choice?
Snow, mountains. I was disappointed not to get somewhere in the mountains, but it turned out better. It’s much easier to travel, and with my 3 days schedule I was away most weekends. I would bus to Zaragoza Thursday nights, and then overnight bus to the Madrid airport for an early flight out. I took the cheap AVE back Tuesday evenings.
Obviously this year is different. I am spending more time in the province. Well, in the city. I decided to keep living here even though I am working in Zaragoza, because I would prefer to be locked down in Huesca province, with access to the mountains, and it is easy to go for a walk in the countryside here since the city is so small.
What is your living situation?
I am older, early 40’s, thus I didn’t really want to live with uni students – just different interests. It was really hard to find a place in Huesca, as I arrived a couple days before we started work at the start of October and a lot of places here are aimed at uni students who arrive in September.
I finally found a place with 2 brothers in their late 40’s who worked as delivery drivers, and were thus often at work. We wouldn’t see each other for weeks. I was away most weekends and our hours didn’t match. It was fine until they randomly invited a friend to live while he was finding his own place, for 2 months…. and then one guy’s wife and 4 year old kid moved in during lockdown, 2 months. 4 adults and 1 whining 4 year old in a 3 bed, one bath flat… I basically stayed in my room. I moved during lockdown to my friend (other aux’s) flat as he was alone.
The first place was 250 euros a month for a room with double bed in 3 bed 1 bath flat. Bills I think ended up about 10-15 euros a month. Central heat, no aircon. Current place is 260 euros a month for a big room with a double bed, desk and wardrobe, bills included, and a cool view of the mountains. Central heat, no aircon.
I would be happy to live alone, but Huesca doesn’t have many studios or 1 bedroom flats and they are all 400-450 euros a month before bills, which I can’t justify.
What do you spend on food?
I probably spend too much, even though I don’t eat out a lot. Last year I travelled most weekends and ate in the comedor at school 2 days a week (4 euros) so probably about 25 euros a week (not including money I spent while travelling). This year I am home more, so probably closer to 40 euros a week, but I like chocolate, and I will buy pricier stuff like cheese and local meats, and that also includes teas and cakes out maybe once a week, and tortilla de patatas when I do my in-person teaching week.
Transport costs?
Last year was basically zero. I went with the teachers, and they were already going, so I just bought them a present. This year I work in Zaragoza 3 days a month and the rest is at home online. Zaragoza is an hour away by bus and costs about 15 euros a day, or 50 euros for that week, but only once a month. The school is a 10 minute walk from the train station and it is a high school. I finish just after 2 and am back in Huesca by 3.30pm. I have permission to travel between provinces for work.
So total of all categories, maybe 400-500 euros a month for basics.
Where do you recommend someone go for a drink?
Honestly any of the neighborhood bars are fine, or in the centre. I don’t really go out super late. Plaza del Mercado is nice, a big plaza in the centre. It’s 2.50 euros for a caña or wine (a bit pricier). Local places would be 1.80 ish. A couple of nice bars there. The casino in Plaza Zaragoza is also nice. It’s in the centre of town and of similar price. There is a nice bakery near my house, La Paca, that does amazing chocolate croissants and tea, but it’s only open in the mornings.
Does your regular aux income allow you to live comfortably?
Yeah, 700 euros is fine for living, rent and food, and my jota dance classes – no problem. I rarely buy clothes. Last year I was away most weekends and spent an average of 100 euros a day on trips such as Berlin, Vienna, Canary Islands, Malta, Madrid, San Sebastian, Alicante, Switzerland, Zaragoza, Valencia, Logrono, my friend’s village and local day trips to the mountains and France.
How about any outside sources of income?
Yep, I am doing private classes. Last year it took a while to build up, but I ended up with 10 hours a week over 3 days, all in person, 2 hours conveniently in my lunch break, mostly kids. This year was obviously easier, because I had some classes continue from last year and people recommended me. All my classes have come from recommendations: the teachers told their friends, etc. It’s a small city.
This year I have 15 hours a week, about half online, because with lockdown I lost my classes, but online you can do from anywhere. I would be happy with maybe 3 more hours, but I can be picky, and I would prefer online at this stage.
I charge 18 euros an hour for 1 person, 22 euros for 2 people, 30 euros for 3 people and I have 1 class of 4 at 36 euros. The groups are kids and in person. I charge the same online as in person. When I got here one of the teachers said she had paid between 18-20 euros an hour for conversation classes with a native speaker, so I went with that.
The aux position is 12 hours in Aragon. How have you used your free time differently than back home?
Last year, I travelled and I was still studying at uni online for a couple of subjects. This year we have been under perimeter confinement for the last month or 2. I managed to go to Toulouse and Pamplona in September. Since then, my jota dancing classes have been cancelled, but I have decided to train for a marathon, so I do 2-3hr runs in the local area every Sunday. I’m also studying Spanish, reading and hopefully will get to do a bit of travel. I am doing more private classes this year and hoping to save some cash.
What are some must-sees in Aragon?
Huesca city has an interesting history as a Roman and Arab frontier town and was quite important during the middle ages, but not much super exciting to see – some cool buildings, but a lot has been destroyed or fell into disrepair and been built over. The Huesca province is amazing, the Pyrenees and all the different valleys and cool villages and castles – I am still working my way through it. San Juan de la Pena monastery, former home of the Holy Grail, Castillo de Loarre, Canfranc and I am still waiting to get to Ordesa y Monte Perdido national park. Sierra de Guara is great too, lots of cool canyons, and vultures. Skiing in winter and hiking in summer and canyoning and climbing.
How has Covid affected life in Aragon?
The community has been smashed. The capitals were under perimeter lockdown for a month or 2, and we are still under provincial lockdown which will continue until at least after Christmas. I think the community has been doing a pretty good job – lots of testing and confinement after close contact.
I really enjoyed working in Aragon last year. They were well organised, we got paid on time on the 15th of the month, sometimes earlier, and we had public health, which was great. This year has been a bit of a nightmare, but I am happy now. I renewed because I wanted to stay at my same schools: great teachers, kids, variety and 3 day schedule.
However, without telling anyone, Aragon decided not to participate in the program at a community level. So that means we are all employed by the ministry in Madrid with crap insurance. Instead of 110, there are 24 auxes so we are all in the capitals at bilingual high schools. They placed me in Zaragoza… but it was close to the train station, so I decided to stay and commute, because I had accommodation and all my private classes and everything in Huesca.
So now we all work 3 days a month in person and 3 weeks of 3 days online with 3 other centres. The teachers at all of the schools are really nice during this crazy Covid year. However, it is a bit confusing keeping up with all the different schools, and the different way they want me to do stuff. Overall I am actually pretty happy with how it turned out, finally.
What age groups did you teach?
Last year was infantil & primary 3 years old to 6th, and the high school 1-4 Eso every week – it was great! Primary school was pretty programmed so minimal prep for me, just going along with the teacher. High school, basic prep, but I usually used the same presentation for each class and just adjusted the activity to their level.
This year is high school only. I basically give the same lesson every class for a month. My roommates can recite it. How well it goes depends on the class, how much they want to talk and the technology, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t.
Any advice for new auxiliars?
Primary school kids are fun, with lots of games, and you get to be the cool teacher. Teenagers hate to talk in front of each other – it’s like pulling teeth – and they smell, although occasionally you can have interesting adult conversations. My go-to intro activity is Dangerous Australian animals. Everyone loves things that will attack them, so it works for all ages!
Would you choose Huesca again?
I have done 2 years here, which is the limit, but I know some people have got around it by working for the ministry in Madrid and not the community. Probably not renewing this year… we’ll see.
Anything else you would like to include that I haven’t mentioned?
I am glad I came with a good level of Spanish, especially being in a pueblo my first year. It would have been hard to socialise at work and honestly outside of work with no Spanish. If you don’t speak Spanish get onto it. It will make your life easier.
Also coming with savings. Everyone probably says this but I came with about 5000 euros which allowed me to not worry about being paid or stress out about not having heaps of private classes. I travelled a lot and managed to survive when I was unexpectedly here over summer, and actually do stuff and not sit at home. COME WITH SAVINGS!!!
Bureaucracy – I have generally been pretty lucky. The teachers called to help make appointments for me and to help figure out the paperwork. Stuff takes foreeeeevvvveeerrrr.