Payments

[BrandinhoGaucho]

I'm in Galicia and haven't been paid yet. It's January 4th, 2010, which means that they're 3 months behind.

Who do you contact in this situation when emailing your region's coordinators doesn't work? Is there a contact at the national level that we can get in touch with to pull some strings?

I love Spain and am even hoping to renew, but until rent and groceries are free I can't continue to ignore this (or renew).

[BrandinhoGaucho]

Update: A deposit was made for assistants in Galicia on 1/15/09 for the months of October, November, and December. More to come on future payments...

If you're a first time assistant, then please do yourself a favor and save money beforehand.

[raspberryginger]

Hi I´m a language assistant in Valencia and we have also had major problems with our supposed 700E per month payments.  In the middle of December we were paid for October and November and are now again, two months behind on our payments.  I just want to warn anyone thinking of doing this program to have enough money saved (several hundred euro per month) to pay rent and groceries, at the least.  Not only have we not been getting paid, but there are also no answers given to us when we call or email.  It´s always the same, we are working on it story over and over, if we even get a response.  If if I would have known this beforehand, I would not have done this program and saved myself the stress of not being able to enjoy Spain.  How is one supposed to enjoy being here when we can´t even pay our rent/utilities (for which I am behind and lucky I haven´t been asked to move out) and the little American dollars we do have can only buy us groceries.  The entire program on this end is very poorly organised and there is vitrually no support in-country.  If this is something you want to do, apply, but be prepared with as much money as possible.

[halydia]

However, one must also know that what has happened in these two regions is not the typical experience in all regions. For the last two years, my region begins paying in late November (it takes that long for everyone to get their legal documents and bank accounts in order) and you can count on the payment the third week of each month.

When preparing to come to Spain, it might be a good idea to contact someone who has been in your region the year before. The experience in Cantabria is not the same as the experience in País Vasco. (Or Galicia, or Valencia).

[BrandinhoGaucho]

Fact:

-Assistants in Galicia haven't been paid for January. Nobody is willing to say exactly when we can expect a deposit, but they have mentioned potentially grouping January and February (at the end of February).


A bunch of opinions:

-The Xunta's lack of accountability and action are an embarrassment.
-Each office blames another office until you get tired of calling offices.
-You need to save before participating in this program.
-This program is a great way to legally live in Spain.
-You should be a language assistant because you want the experience, not because it's lucrative (as with any teaching job, really).
-Bureaucracy is giving places like Galicia (and even Spain) a bad name, which are otherwise great places to live.
-My situation in Galicia is a rare case for which, ideally, the rest of Spain shouldn't be punished nor its reputation tarnished.

[knina23]

Hi,

The program can at times be very screwy and not make any sense. Different areas of Spain are definitely more difficult to deal with than others. I was waited listed and then started the program in a pueblo an hour outside of Sevilla (were no buses or trains go to) the first week in November. Once I arrived at my school they informed me that the Junta de Andalucia will not be able to pay me until February. I told the school that I will not work until I am guaranteed that I will be paid every month because I have no other source of income.

My school in particular since it is so out of the way and has no public transportation (over the last 3 years they have had no shows from teaching assistants) I am the first that actually made it onto school property. My school said that since they didn't want to lose the teaching assistant that they would pay me every month out of pocket until the Junta sends the checks in February. So for the last 3 months they have been paying me by personal checks from the school and they will cash for themselves the Junta checks when they arrive in February. Also since I was on the waiting list and didn't start until November the Junta told me I had to make up the 48 hours of work for the month of October I missed over the course of the year. I was able to work it out with my school that I will also work the month of June instead until the end of May.

In my personal experience it was best to be very assertive with the school and the ministry - refusing to work helped in my case.

[beachp]

Since your town has no public transportation, did the school send someone to pick you up from the closet train or bus station? What do you do when you want to leave town?

[SRedw]

I do know that Andalusia does have problems finding language assistants because the schools are out there and it's hard to get to them.  Once again, it depends on the person and if they are willing to do what it takes to realize a dream and live in Spain.

Shawn

[knina23]

Since your town has no public transportation, did the school send someone to pick you up from the closet train or bus station? What do you do when you want to leave town?

I had a friend in Sevilla that had a car and drove me to and from the high school the first day. At first I was considering living in the pueblo but the other language assistant in the primary school had already been living there for a few weeks before I arrived and she said not to do it ... she ended up moving to Sevilla and commuting. So I live in Sevilla now and go with one of the teachers but I pay 160 euros a month in gas to go back and forth. On the up side the bilingual cordinator placed my 12 hours into 2 school days because the drive with traffic is 1 hour and 45 minutes sometimes longer. For me personally it is worth paying the 160 euros and having the ability to live in the city. 

[stacylimones]

This is my fourth year in the program, and I also know people who were in the program the year before my first. In those 5 years, there has been 1 in which we (assistants in Andalusia, specifically Sevilla province) have been paid on time. The Junta usually asks the schools to front the money to the assistants in the beginning which the schools have done to the best of their ability. However, this messes up the school's budget and they have ended up not being able to front all of the months that the Junta was behind. This year, the Junta did not deposit the money for assistants' salaries until the middle of January. It's very frustrating for people who are working and not getting paid, and I agree with previous posters' assessment that if you plan on participating in this program, also be prepared fiancially to not get paid for the first few months. It's all too common.

[beachp]

In Castillia Leon if you got your paperwork in before October 1 you got paid for 2 weeks in September in the beginning of October. After that, you get paid every month.

[knina23]

In Castillia Leon if you got your paperwork in before October 1 you got paid for 2 weeks in September in the beginning of October. After that, you get paid every month.

What paperwork are you exactly talking about? So you were paid 350 euros for September? In Castilla Leon does the program start earlier or do you still start in the first week in October?

[knina23]

The Castilla Leon contract starts September 15 and goes until June 15. Though  the assistants where I am didn't really get started in the classroom on the 15. we were given 350 In October  as long as we provided the bank info before the deadline.

Do you receive an additional 350 euros for the 2 weeks in June? These things are good to know about different regions. Thats a pretty sweet deal ... if I was in Castilla Leon I would have made sure that my paper work was in by October 1st. 

[beachp]

Do you receive an additional 350 euros for the 2 weeks in June?

The contract goes until June 15, so I expect to be paid for the 2 weeks worked in June.

[SRedw]

Some interesting points brought up here.  The Language Assistants, here in Madrid, are expected to work until the last day of school in June and therefore are asked NOT to make plane reservations before then.  There have been cases of people having their pay docked because they didn't work until the last day in June.

Shawn

[BrandinhoGaucho]

The Xunta is at it again, this time for the months of January and February.

As I am enamored with Galicia, this is something I didn't think I'd ever say... but don't apply to Galicia for the upcoming year. The idea of this program is to promote your country to Spain, and upon your return to promote Spain in your country. What the Xunta is doing is tarnishing their own reputation and making it difficult for people to pay rent and eat, along the way giving non-answers and excuses.

I strongly recommend doing the program, I also recommend VISITING Galicia, but if you want to be able to rely on payments and the people paying you, then leave Galicia out of your top 3.

[hurrikaane]

Thanks for this update.  Galicia is my #3, I have a low enough number that I probably won't end up there, but this is enough to make you worry somewhat.

[BrandinhoGaucho]

I realized after posting this that most that make it into the program will already have their top 3 chosen by now. If you are placed here, it truly is a wonderful place to spend a year. Just take this as a heads up so you can be on top of things from the start and hopefully have better luck than the rest of us.

Here's an article that was published today by La Voz de Galicia regarding the payment issue (there may be more articles to speak of soon): http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/galicia/2010/03/02/00031267485965638276677.htm

[SRedw]

Brandinho,

Thanks for posting the link to this wonderful article.  I am glad that it made it in the newspaper and that people are finding out about this slowly but surely.  It does make te Xunta de galicia look bad.

Shawn