Author Topic: N. American Lang & Cultural Asst 2008 - 09 (Read 36920 times)

bri10s · « **Reply #50 on:** April 30, 2008, 11:34:22 PM »

yes!!! andalucia!!!! now i just need to get sevilla!!! and my friend got into madrid!!

(i didnt even think to look on the website. i was looking at the lists on the profex application pages. thanks so much!!)

hollyl1003 · « **Reply #51 on:** April 30, 2008, 11:37:43 PM »

No problem!

I was actually expecting the wait to be longer, but I'm glad we know.

What happens next?

graciela.a · « **Reply #52 on:** May 01, 2008, 05:10:03 AM »

First congrats to holly and bri who have heard back!! Yea!!!

Now on to a perhaps **grimmer** topic:

I applied to the program and sent in all my materials by the April 15th deadline (true just barely, but still the electronic form was "inscrita" by April 14 and all the papers were guaranteed to be at the Miami consulate by April 15th) however I wasn't on the list of accepted candidates

. My application still says "registrada"........... does this mean i am in the second batch of applicants? rejected? forgotten? Any ideas?

Thanks in advance for your help!

-crossing my fingers.
-g

bri10s · « **Reply #53 on:** May 01, 2008, 04:11:45 PM »

hmm gracie, i'm not sure. i have a friend that both inscribed her application and mailed it on april 15th and she has been accepted to madrid. however, it looks like you mailed your info to Miami. even though she was suppossed to mail hers to new york (since we live in CT) she called that day and they told her to mail it to DC since it was so close to the deadline. i dont know if that has anything to do with why you have not been accepted yet. i would suggest calling the DC office, ask to speak to Rachel, and she might be able to help you. she may be able to find out if your stuff arrived or not. i'm sorry you havent heard yet, the waiting game sucks

i finsished one stage of it, but it looks like i still have a ways to go before i find out if i was accepted to sevilla

on the bright side, even if your application is processed with the second batch, there are still about 450 positions available. only 850 have been accepted so far, and it doesnt look like anyone was rejected. plus, they extended it once again, so it looks like the second batch still didnt fill all the slots.

bblewett3 · « **Reply #54 on:** May 01, 2008, 04:17:48 PM »

Im going to Madrid!!!!!!!!!

hollyl1003 · « **Reply #55 on:** May 01, 2008, 08:05:45 PM »

Congrats on getting accepted and going to Madrid...your first choice, I'm assuming...

And Graciela, I would do what Bri said, it wouldn't hurt to call them. Because it was so close to the deadline, perhaps it was moved to the 2nd deadline...I'm not quite sure. Has your status on Profex changed?

bri10s · « **Reply #56 on:** May 01, 2008, 09:00:38 PM »

hey again gracie...i looked back at your original post and saw that you said that your application still says registrada...where exactly? i know on my profex page, under the Presentación solicitudes tab, my status went from borrador, when i was still working on it, to inscrita, to admitida and finallly adjudicada. check what you have there, it might give you some clues. and again, i'd say to call the DC embassy

hope that helps!

AshleyDencsy · « **Reply #57 on:** May 04, 2008, 11:43:09 PM »

Hi everyone!

So, my friend and I accepted our placements to teach in Madrid. Since we are both graduating from college this May, we were wondering how to handle paying back our student loans. Does anyone who has participated in the program have any experience with this? Can we defer the payment until we come back to the states?

I appreciate any information you can give me!

SRedw · « **Reply #58 on:** May 05, 2008, 10:48:01 AM »

Ashley,

You will have to talk to the company with which you have the loans and they will tell you whether or not this program is elegible for you to be able to defer your loans. Best to go straight to the source.

Shawn

alivermo · « **Reply #59 on:** May 05, 2008, 06:27:42 PM »

How do you go about accepting the position? My name is on the list, and my status on profex is adjudicada, but i haven't received an email or any directions for how to accept the placement. on the website it says that instructions on how to do so will be forthcoming--has anybody received anything yet or have any idea how to accept? thanks!
drew

AshleyDencsy · « **Reply #60 on:** May 05, 2008, 08:33:24 PM »

Thanks Shawn. The loans are mostly governmental so I guess I'll have to weed through the papers.

Drew- I accepted my post by logging on to Profex then clicking:

Auxiliares de Conversacion
Gestion solicitudes
Aceptacion y renuncia candidatos
Pull down bar to extranjeros en Espana
Buscar
Then click accept

Hope this helps!

AshleyDencsy · « **Reply #61 on:** May 05, 2008, 10:52:36 PM »

I forgot to ask this before, but I just wanted to make sure.

We are supposed to apply for a student visa, correct? Does the Spanish Embassy need any letter or paper from MEC proving that we are going to be doing this program in order for us to get the student visa?

Thanks again!

Ashley

bri10s · « **Reply #62 on:** May 06, 2008, 12:54:42 AM »

hey ashley,

yeah, we'll eventually have to apply for a student visa, but we cant start the process until we get the official letter from the MEC with our exact posting and everything. (for a student visa you have to have official forms saying either that you are a student or have a grant or something) from what i gathered looking through the threads on this page from the last two years, we wont be getting that til mid/late june. it seems like they were a little late last year, and stressed some people out about getting stuff done on time.

actually, i also have a question about visa's for those of you who have done this before, that i dont think i ever saw mentioned on any of the other threads...

for those of you who have done this before, i was wondering, when is the latest that we can apply for a visa and get it on time to move mid september?. my family wants to go on a vacation this summer, which means i would have to hold on to my passport until july 15th or so. i know that according to last years dates, that was pretty late to do it. did anybody try to get their visa's expedited?

i know its pretty early to be asking about all this, but my parents want to book the trip, but i want to make sure it wouldnt be a problem for me

thanks!

mll22 · « **Reply #63 on:** May 16, 2008, 11:30:34 AM »

Muy buenas,

I have a question for some of you spanish living veterans about driving licenses. (I'm thinking you'd have some good infor Stacylimones) Have any of you gotten your carnet de conducir here and how did you have to do it? I think i remember someone saying once that a US driver? license is valid in instances of renting a car and tourism, but for residential driving, you needed to get a spanish carnet de conducir. is that correct? what did you have to do to get that? Did you have to do any of the practica with the auto escuela? or just take the tests of the teoría and actual driving test? how much did it cost you? thanks for any insight you can give me! Suerte a todos los nuevos auxiliares!

bri10s · « **Reply #64 on:** May 16, 2008, 08:49:16 PM »

ok, so i just found an area on our profex page called "Buzón de sugerencias" and it says "Por favor, introduzca cualquier sugerencia que considere oportuno. Muchas gracias."...... have i been missing the place to request a specific city all this time?

?? buzon is mailbox---so address? and sugerencia is suggestion...so is this an opportunity to request a location? i know last year people were given an opportunity to make requests once they have been accepted, but until now i hadnt seen anything that could have been one.

ooorrr, i also found one place where it says that "Buzón de sugerencias" is the phrase for suggestion box. so is it just a place to make suggestions for the website? if someone could help me out i would really appreciate it. thanks!

hollyl1003 · « **Reply #65 on:** May 17, 2008, 03:08:13 AM »

I would assume it's a suggestion box...

Have you gotten any updates?

bri10s · « **Reply #66 on:** May 17, 2008, 08:27:01 AM »

not really. i asked a spanish speaking friend and he agreed that it was probably a suggestion box, but it might be worth a shot to put a request in there.

although, if info about our placements was supposed to go out after the 15th, it might be too late anyway. (and god, i hope it comes soon, i'm dying to find out!!)

Debbie55 · « **Reply #67 on:** May 18, 2008, 03:33:10 AM »

Hello! I was also accepted into the Language and Culture Assistant Program in Madrid for the 2008-2009 school year. I put Cataluya (ideally Barcelona) as my first choice for the region I wanted to teach in. Unfortunately, I was placed in Madrid. I was wondering if those of you that were accepted could tell me if you got your first choice in region??? Does anyone know if there's any chance of it being changed?? I appreciate the information.

stacylimones · « **Reply #68 on:** May 18, 2008, 10:39:08 AM »

mll22,
As far as I know, it's as you've stated: that our US driver's license is valid for tourists/non-residents up to one year. There is no reciprocity between Spain and the US, so if you wanted a Spanish driver's license, you would have to go through the examination process. I haven't done it (yet), so I really cannot comment on whether or not you must go through a driving school or just sign up for the exams directly with Tráfico. I've had that doubt myself. One thing you can do if you plan to drive here is to get an International Driver's License which is, essentially, a little booklet that translates your license into many different languages and is internationally recognized. You can get it at AAA and it's good for one year. The idea is that if you should get stopped by the police in a foreign country, it's a good idea to have something that substantiates your foreign license.
On a side note, I have a friend who lived here for a couple of years and bought and insured a car without taking the Spanish driving exam. The insurance company assured her that "no pasa nada", but who knows what they would have said if they had actually had to pay for any damages. I, personally, woulnd't take that risk.

andrew08 · « **Reply #69 on:** May 19, 2008, 11:37:32 PM »

Quote from: Debbie55 on May 18, 2008, 03:33:10 AM

Hello! I was also accepted into the Language and Culture Assistant Program in Madrid for the 2008-2009 school year. I put Cataluya (ideally Barcelona) as my first choice for the region I wanted to teach in. Unfortunately, I was placed in Madrid. I was wondering if those of you that were accepted could tell me if you got your first choice in region??? Does anyone know if there's any chance of it being changed?? I appreciate the information.

I'm in Cataluña, but I'd like to be in Madrid. Message me with your name/email and I'll see if we can swap places.

ARW044 · « **Reply #70 on:** May 20, 2008, 01:03:33 PM »

To those veterans of the program... is it typical that they keep pushing the date for being sent information back?

The new list was supposed to be up on Friday, then yesterday and now it won't be up until the 23rd. I am on the selected candidates list already (in Madrid

) but from reading past posts, etc. It seems to be a usual case that they send hardcopy information out that conflicts with what was said on the website (i.e. placement in Madrid, then switching somewhere else) I really am anxious to hear soon because I'm worried about the visa, and buying a ticket, saving money to go, summer plans, etc. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

graciela.a · « **Reply #71 on:** May 24, 2008, 08:04:28 PM »

Posted earlier in the thread about not being on the first list of selected candidates even though i sent my application in before April 15!

Well I just wanted to share the good news... made it to the second list that came out on Friday! I am so happy and relieved (phew!). And I'm going to Madrid, my first choice, so so incredibly happy. Looking forward to meeting all the fellow assistants in Madrid!

p.s. thanks to all who have posted so much info on this and last years program, its helped so much. (providing read material during the long wait to hear back, etc.)

bri10s · « **Reply #72 on:** May 25, 2008, 12:20:52 AM »

hey gracie...glad to see everything worked out!! now we just need The Waiting Game Part II to end....

mll22 · « **Reply #73 on:** May 27, 2008, 11:25:41 AM »

Hola returnees!

First, Stacy, thanks for your response on the driver's license stuff!!

Now, another question. I'm sure all the returnees have gotten the email about being able to present our applications to renew our Tarjeta de Estudiantes at cualquier Resigtro de Administración de la Junta de Andalucía, but i don't understand how that all works. Has anyone tried to do that yet? where did you go? i'm in the provinicia de almería, and i'm having no luck in finding where one of these registros would be through my searches in the internet. Someone in Administración Pública told me that any ayuntamiento should count as a Registro de Administración, but when i called my pueblo's ayuntamiento, they had no idea what I seemed to be talking about. So, was just wondering how everyone else was doing with all this?thanks for any insight!

stacylimones · « **Reply #74 on:** May 28, 2008, 03:22:49 PM »

Sorry, mll22, I don't know about that renewal stuff, because I have EU residency. Definitely post if you figure it out, though, I am sure that it will come in handy for others.
Good luck! :-)

alivermo · « **Reply #75 on:** June 04, 2008, 01:53:47 AM »

Has anybody heard anything lately? Any word on the specific school within the region, or on directions for applying for the visa? Should this come via snail mail or email? When do you think we can expect to hear something? Thanks!

bri10s · « **Reply #76 on:** June 04, 2008, 03:48:09 AM »

directions for getting the visa can be found by following the link on this page.. http://www.mepsyd.es/exterior/usa/es/programas/auxiliares_us/adjud08.shtml . it seems like this is where any new info goes. however, we still cant apply for the visa until we get the letter from our regions telling us where we are going, which is coming, i believe, through snail mail. looks like we still have some waiting to do

stacylimones · « **Reply #77 on:** June 04, 2008, 12:49:09 PM »

You'll probably receive your exact posts in July. Andalucia sends them out via e-mail and "snail" mail, but you need the hard copies for visa stuff.
Good luck and hang in there!

alivermo · « **Reply #78 on:** June 04, 2008, 06:03:17 PM »

Hey guys,
One more question. For my consulate (Chicago), I need a police record from every city where I've lived in the past 5 years. I have such letters from my hometown and from the city where I did my undergrad, but I also spent a semester (4 months) in Madrid. Do I need such a letter from the police in Madrid, and if so, how would I go about getting one? Thanks!
Drew

bri10s · « **Reply #79 on:** June 05, 2008, 01:50:39 AM »

i think you just need it from one place where you have lived in for at least 6 months for the last five years

from the MEC website given in the explanation of what you need to apply...
"One photocopy of a judicial conduct report issued by the police department of the last city in which the applicant lived for at least six months within the past five years. For more information, please refer to: Embassy of the United States in Spain (for United States citizens) or Embassy of the Canada in Spain (for Canadian citizens). The conduct report should be issued within six months prior to submitting the application"

http://www.mepsyd.es/educa/jsp/plantilla.jsp?id=150090304&area=internacional_eng

hollyl1003 · « **Reply #80 on:** June 08, 2008, 04:11:54 AM »

Hey all,

So...I came across my assignment according to Profex. It says it's a "centro de educacion infantil de nueva planta con programa de educacion bilingue"

My question is: is it a centro infantil or a high school? The name they gave me matches a HS, but I was second-guessing myself since it says "infantil". Does anybody have any ideas/suggestions?

bri10s · « **Reply #81 on:** June 08, 2008, 08:09:53 AM »

holly, where on profex did you find your assignment? was it under the tab called "gestion de plazas y profesores"? and did you get an email first telling you that something would be there? i have yet to receive any email from the MEC about visa info, although i found it on the website. however, i saw messages from some other people on the facebook groups saying that they received visa info via email

hollyl1003 · « **Reply #82 on:** June 08, 2008, 01:38:11 PM »

Hey Bri,

I did find it under "gestion de plazas y profesores", but I didn't receive an email from Profex. Is yours up there?

Nor did I receive an email about the visas...just from looking on the MEC homepage.

hollyl1003 · « **Reply #83 on:** June 08, 2008, 06:03:04 PM »

Okay guys, I got the answer to my question by emailing my contact in my comunidad.

I am working at a preschool/primary school, but it's a new school without a name...and thus just being referred to as "the new school" until it gets an official name.

Nina.Jedina · « **Reply #84 on:** June 09, 2008, 10:22:29 AM »

Has anyone else re-applied and has yet to hear back ANYTHING? I´ve written both Salvador and Magdalena...my profex remains inscrita...I haven´t gotten a response from anybody, and I´m worried I might have gotten mixed up with my younger sister who just applied for the first time (and got accepted to her first choice as well, Madrid).

So yeah-anyone else in the same boat?

bmxican47 · « **Reply #85 on:** June 10, 2008, 06:08:57 PM »

Any of the current auxiliares have any information about tax returns? Last year I didnt do it as I was under the impression that we could not, however, on the yahoo mailing list several people have said they are doing it and plan to get a return of almost €500. Im trying to get more info now and will post here if I find anything. In the meantime I was curious if anybody here knew anything. Thanks in advance.

Joseph

Nina.Jedina · « **Reply #86 on:** June 11, 2008, 03:27:17 PM »

Quote from: Nina.Jedina on June 09, 2008, 10:22:29 AM

Has anyone else re-applied and has yet to hear back ANYTHING? I´ve written both Salvador and Magdalena...my profex remains inscrita...I haven´t gotten a response from anybody, and I´m worried I might have gotten mixed up with my younger sister who just applied for the first time (and got accepted to her first choice as well, Madrid).

So yeah-anyone else in the same boat?

In response to my own question, today I checked again and it says adjudicada.

I'm guessing a sliding scale is working here, since slowly and surely a lot of my friends who reapplied are appearing on the list...

bblewett3 · « **Reply #87 on:** June 12, 2008, 02:52:24 AM »

question to those that have done this already. How did you guys handle the situation with U.S. taxes? Do we still have to pay them? Thanks

bri10s · « **Reply #88 on:** June 13, 2008, 11:23:41 PM »

question for those of you who have done the program before....

the apostille of the hague seal on our police report....is this only for the visa stage, or is it something that needs to be shown when we eventually go to get our NIE? some of the consulates dont require it for the visa. however, even if we dont need it for that step, will we still need it for the NIE?

thanks!

SRedw · « **Reply #89 on:** June 16, 2008, 10:31:07 AM »

Remember that this is just my case, and that everyone else's case will be different

When I presented all of my documents in the Spanish Embassy in DC, I showed them the police report with the seal and the person who helped me gave it back to me. I still have it in my file here in Spain.

Suerte,

Shawn

AshleyDencsy · « **Reply #90 on:** June 16, 2008, 06:35:29 PM »

Hey Shawn,

I have to apply for my visa at the Embassy in DC as well and I was wondering if you had to make an appointment or was it on a first come, first serve basis? I couldn't find any specific information on the Website.

Thanks
Ashley

hollyl1003 · « **Reply #91 on:** June 16, 2008, 08:05:18 PM »

Hey Ashley (and Shawn),

I was wondering the same thing.

I emailed them and even called them, but all I got was their automated response.

Let me know what you find out, as I'm also planning on going to the DC Consulate (assuming our paper work gets here in the next few weeks).

AshleyDencsy · « **Reply #92 on:** June 16, 2008, 08:53:01 PM »

Hey Holly,

I'll let you know if I find out anything. Where have you been placed? I still haven't gotten any news or paperwork.

hollyl1003 · « **Reply #93 on:** June 16, 2008, 09:34:02 PM »

Hey Ashley,

I am in Cantabria, in a small town called Laredo, which is about half way between Santander and Bilbao.

What about you?

AshleyDencsy · « **Reply #94 on:** June 16, 2008, 09:37:17 PM »

I'm in Madrid. Have you gotten any specific information about your school yet?

hollyl1003 · « **Reply #95 on:** June 16, 2008, 09:43:44 PM »

Cool...

At first, I was placed in a primary school that is supposed to open in September, but they don't have the details of the school...it doesn't even have a name yet...so they had to give me another school, I know the name of it, but I don't have any official contact information.

I'm assuming that will come soon.

There are less than 20 of us in Cantabria, so it seems like they're passing out assignments faster than other regions.

Where are you from?

SRedw · « **Reply #96 on:** June 16, 2008, 11:29:14 PM »

Ashley,

I did my paperwork in June of 2007, so I dodn't know if things have changed. I was told then that I didn't have to make an appointment. I went at 9am when they first opened and I was #5 in line and it took all of 3 minutes to present my paperwork and get out of there. It ahppend so fast that it made my head swim.

Good luck,

Shawn

hollyl1003 · « **Reply #97 on:** June 16, 2008, 11:35:39 PM »

Thanks for the info, Shawn.

Ashley, I just talked to somebody who called them today and they said the same thing...that we don't need appointments.

I think it's probably a good idea to get there at 9am when they open to avoid waiting.

AshleyDencsy · « **Reply #98 on:** June 17, 2008, 06:08:42 PM »

Thanks for your help Shawn and Holly.

Holly- I'm from Baltimore, so I only have about a 40 minute drive to the Embassy in DC. What about you?

hollyl1003 · « **Reply #99 on:** June 17, 2008, 06:36:49 PM »

Hey Shawn,

Perhaps you know this: do you know if we need the Apostille on our police clearance for the NIE?

And...Are you still in Spain? Just curious.

Ashley,

I'm in DC...although I'm returning to Ohio for the rest of the summer on July 1st...that's why I'm in rush to get everything done...as I would have to make a trip back to DC or go twice to Chicago to get my visa. My contact in Spain emailed me and told me she was sending my letter out today and she said it could take up to 10 days, so hopefully I can get things done without making any unnecessary trips this summer.

News:

Author Topic: N. American Lang & Cultural Asst 2008 - 09 (Read 36920 times)