Many assistants this year haven't been paid yet...

[anaspain]

Hey guys.. I found this article on the facebook page for culture assistants 2011-2012. It's from El Pais and in Spanish...

I feel like everyone should read it just to know the worst case scenario.... : not getting paid as soon as we should be. According to the article, some assistant haven't been paid at all. I've looked on facebook pages and noticed that some communidads pay their auxiliaries on time and some don't because of political reasons and/or simply not having sufficient funds.

Here's the link:

http://www.elpais.com/articulo/cataluna/Hello/where/is/my/money/elpepuespcat/20111202elpcat_7/Tes

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[I Am Zlatan]

That's nothing new to be honest.  And a few regions only pay once per semester.  That's why the handbook advises assistants to come prepared to cover several months' worth of expenses.

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[anaspain]

Well, for the ones who don't know, I feel like the article is worth reading to be well informed.

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[Future Diplomat]

Well, for the ones who don't know, I feel like the article is worth reading to be well informed.

I agree!!

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[I Am Zlatan]

Well, for the ones who don't know, I feel like the article is worth reading to be well informed.

Oh definitely!  I just meant that from what I've read over the years it's not a "new" occurrence.

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[Askalon]

So this is a problem that varies depending on the comunidad you're in?  Does anyone have maybe a list of the comunidades with what to expect with regard to getting paid in each one?  Or does anyone know which comunidades tend to be the worst?

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[pittel]

Even within Comunidades there are differences. For example, in Madrid, the school gives you the check, so it depends on that. Andalucía too. This happens every year, and it's probably not going to fix itself, to be honest. I would say the majority of people are paid on time, but save as much money as you can before you get here in case the worst happens. That's really all you can do if you have your heart set on coming here.

So this is a problem that varies depending on the comunidad you're in?  Does anyone have maybe a list of the comunidades with what to expect with regard to getting paid in each one?  Or does anyone know which comunidades tend to be the worst?

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[Teo]

Are you all aware of auxiliares who are not paid in the end? Or is it usually taken care of eventually?

I'll be able to manage whatever delay in payment, as long as I'm going to get what I'm promised at the end of my time in Spain.

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[Askalon]

Even within Comunidades there are differences. For example, in Madrid, the school gives you the check, so it depends on that. Andalucía too. This happens every year, and it's probably not going to fix itself, to be honest. I would say the majority of people are paid on time, but save as much money as you can before you get here in case the worst happens. That's really all you can do if you have your heart set on coming here.

Oh, okay.  I guess that's less bad than late payments across the board in entire comunidades.  I'd heard about this problem prior to applying for the program, so I'll definitely come financially prepared for something like this.

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[arrecifes]

Are you all aware of auxiliares who are not paid in the end? Or is it usually taken care of eventually?

I'll be able to manage whatever delay in payment, as long as I'm going to get what I'm promised at the end of my time in Spain.

I haven´t heard of anyone never getting paid, you do have a legally enforceable contract.  The contract, however, doesn´t say when you´ll get paid.

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[pittel]

I knew one girl that left this summer without getting her money, but I don't know anyone else personally. It's a crisis here, and the new president isn't too keen on public schools and has plans to cut more money from them, so be prepared. Not saying it's gonna happen, but if it does, make sure you have some money saved up and work on getting private classes right when you get here.

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[runningloose]

I knew one girl that left this summer without getting her money, but I don't know anyone else personally. It's a crisis here, and the new president isn't too keen on public schools and has plans to cut more money from them, so be prepared. Not saying it's gonna happen, but if it does, make sure you have some money saved up and work on getting private classes right when you get here.

When I told my mom I'd applied for this program, she gave me a side-eye and asked "Do you really think it's going to survive the austerity measures?" and I've been obsessing over it ever since. (And my mom is super-supportive of travel and me working abroad, it's not like she was being catty in an attempt to keep me closer to home or something.) Can anyone comment on that? I mean, the article linked at the beginning of this thread seemed quite supportive of the program, but that's one article in one newspaper.

Personally, I don't think I can afford to do this program unless I'm getting some form of salary, so I'm just very nervous about the whole crisis/austerity measures/!!! thing. I have money saved, and would obviously be doing private lessons and such, but still...sigh.

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[feelingalone]

I am in Granada province. While I was paid on time for both October and November, I have quite a few friends who have not been paid for either month. Some people got paid for October, but not for November. One friend is not getting paid until February!  So def. come prepared....

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[evams]

When I told my mom I'd applied for this program, she gave me a side-eye and asked "Do you really think it's going to survive the austerity measures?" and I've been obsessing over it ever since. (And my mom is super-supportive of travel and me working abroad, it's not like she was being catty in an attempt to keep me closer to home or something.) Can anyone comment on that? I mean, the article linked at the beginning of this thread seemed quite supportive of the program, but that's one article in one newspaper.

Personally, I don't think I can afford to do this program unless I'm getting some form of salary, so I'm just very nervous about the whole crisis/austerity measures/!!! thing. I have money saved, and would obviously be doing private lessons and such, but still...sigh.

I feel the exact same way and it is stressing me out! I will have money saved up and plan to do extra lessons, but I also will need to get paid the stipend in order to do this program. Unless I can get a ton of extra lessons, but there's no certainty in that. And the unfortunate part is we won't know how our stipend situation will be until we are there, and I assume each month will be a waiting game.

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[Future Diplomat]

My sister and I decied that if the auxiliares in Catalunya don't get paid by the middle of January, we probably are not going to participate in the program.

As of now, they have pushed back the date (again) to December 31st without offering the auxiliares any recourse.

I don't care what the manual states...3 months without a paycheck is ridiculous..

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[I Am Zlatan]

Aren't there some provinces that tell you upfront that they only pay twice per year?  I thought Pais Vasco was one of them, what are the others?  I know I've read that on this site before.

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[pittel]

I'm in PV and we got paid 3 times this year, 2 last year. I don't think there are any other provinces that do it, but I may be wrong. I actually really like it, it helps with trip planning and you don't feel the crunch at the end of every month. Plus, you only have to call and witch about getting paid 3 times a year instead of 7.

Aren't there some provinces that tell you upfront that they only pay twice per year?  I thought Pais Vasco was one of them, what are the others?  I know I've read that on this site before.

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[beachp]

Even within Comunidades there are differences. For example, in Madrid, the school gives you the check, so it depends on that. Andalucía too. This happens every year, and it's probably not going to fix itself, to be honest. I would say the majority of people are paid on time, but save as much money as you can before you get here in case the worst happens. That's really all you can do if you have your heart set on coming here.

The school I was in in Sevilla, had direct deposit, and so does my present school in  Madrid. Wonder what would happen if the assistants who haven't been paid don't show up for work until they are.

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[pittel]

I know a lot of people are being paid out of their school's personal budget, the government hasn't sent the money. It's weird how different things are within a comunidad, my friend in Madrid gets a check. It's a disgrace to the government for them to not pay people they invited to their country. If they can't afford it, they should stop doing it. It puts so much unnecessary stress on people. Not ok.

The school I was in in Sevilla, had direct deposit, and so does my present school in  Madrid. Wonder what would happen if the assistants who haven't been paid don't show up for work until they are.

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[evams]

My sister and I decied that if the auxiliares in Catalunya don't get paid by the middle of January, we probably are not going to participate in the program.

As of now, they have pushed back the date (again) to December 31st without offering the auxiliares any recourse.

I don't care what the manual states...3 months without a paycheck is ridiculous..

That's a good point...We have a few months left to see how the payment situation turns out, before we would have to accept a placement. If things are still bad in March/April when we have to accept, then we can make the decision. In the meantime, let's hope it gets better!!

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[halydia]

I knew one girl that left this summer without getting her money, but I don't know anyone else personally. It's a crisis here, and the new president isn't too keen on public schools and has plans to cut more money from them, so be prepared. Not saying it's gonna happen, but if it does, make sure you have some money saved up and work on getting private classes right when you get here.

Yes, but the other side of the coin is that bilingualism seems to be one of the PP's key educational goals. So, on one hand it's time to worry about what's going to happen to public schools. On the other hand, I'm pretty relaxed due to the fact that bilingualism is/was a priority.

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[Farmgirl]

We're in Extremadura (province of Caceres).  We were paid for October, by the Junta, on November 22nd, direct deposit into our Spanish bank account.  It was a huge hassle to get paid the first go around, with a lot of emails saying that if we didn't have our alta tercera sent in by a certain date, in a certain manner that NOBODY in our region was going to get paid.  We haven't yet received our payment for November and our Spanish bank account is down to double digits.  Twice now we've had to pull our funds from our US account, which is there to sustain us when we return.
All I can say to folks thinking about doing this program is to be very prepared for very late payments and yes, you'll all need to supplement with private lessons.  On the one hand that's nice, but it also takes up free time you might have thought about using for travel.  Everything costs a lot more than you might expect (i.e., bus fare) so be prepared for that. 
I also suggest you keep a close eye on this year's pagos and then decide next spring if you want to put yourself in this position -- or not. 
I think some regions are better than others -- and with the new government planning on making cuts, I think anyone thinking of doing this program needs to stay on top of the Spanish news and make sure they know what they're getting into before coming over.

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[Future Diplomat]

I think anyone thinking of doing this program needs to stay on top of the Spanish news and make sure they know what they're getting into before coming over.

Best advice, IMHO. I am keeping my fingers crossed, but also keeping my eye on grad school in the UK and teaching in Korea.
 
Sigh.

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[Seth]

I too am very worried about the possibility of not being paid on time. It's very discouraging. For me personally, I'm applying to this program as a means of giving myself a less stressful year between now and graduate school. I'll be graduating in May and hope to start this program in October, but I'm also keeping my eye on graduate school because that is guaranteed.

It's unfortunate... this program seems like a great opportunity, but is the risk worth the reward? Like some of the other posters, I can only go so long without getting paid. I was thinking of going with ~$2,000 (USD) for the first couple of months, but I am not sure how long I'll be able to "get by" on no salary. Private lessons can only do so much and those aren't even guaranteed. These are legally binding contracts... mustn't they pay us?

I'm also an EU citizen (in addition to an American one)... I wonder if that changes anything. Probably not... minus the whole visa thing.

AH... bad economy = everyone loses out.


Seth

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[jctyrrell]

Just to provide a more positive experience. My schools, I work in two in Madrid, have both paid me on time each month (with the exception of one time when the school ran out of checks, to which an apology was given) without any prodding at all. In fact, I walked in today and one of my schools had my check for December filled out and signed for me. It all depends on the region, and the coordinator for your schools.

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[Stellar7225]

I noticed that the El Pais article is from Feb of 2011. Can anyone speak to how it all turned out? Did auxiliares eventually get paid in the end? Or did anyone end up leaving Spain without EVER getting paid?

I, like many of you, would seriously have to consider doing the program if this problem seemed to get worse or if people were leaving the country without ever being paid. However, this has been my dream program for a couple of years now and now that I've finally gotten the opportunity to apply for it, I'd hate to back out on it! Going to Spain for a year might be the best thing I could ever do for myself, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

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[Seth]

Hey there,

The article in El País is from the 2nd of this month (December). Keep in mind, the European date format is 'reversed' when compared with the American format.

Needless to say, I agree with you. This program has been a dream of mine for quite some time but now I am having second thoughts. Nevertheless, if I do end up going, I will be PLANNING on getting my paycheck by the end of the year, not by the end of the first month.

Seth

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[call_in]

Did you guys see this article?



And the comments, too! Yikes!
I could handle not getting paid for a couple months. But if we're talking 5 or 6 (or never...), I don't know if I'll be able to make it work.

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[Future Diplomat]

Did you guys see this article?



And the comments, too! Yikes!
I could handle not getting paid for a couple months. But if we're talking 5 or 6 (or never...), I don't know if I'll be able to make it work.

I personally would stop posting that blog around...I have read some of the posts and the author has said some pretty classist/discrimminatory things in the blog before...not to start drama but I thougt you might want to know something like that...

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[anaspain]

I think we'll have to see what happens in these upcoming months. it will be interesting to see how this unfolds..

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[Seth]

I agree... it seems like there's just A LOT of confounding information. I have a friend who is a L&C Assistant in Madrid right now (she's working right outside the city in Fuenlabrada) and she just told me yesterday that not her or anyone she knows teaching in Madrid have had any problems. Of course, there are obviously problems elsewhere so I guess it just depends on the situation in the CCAA where you're placed.

Like the poster above me, I think it's a good thing to wait it out and in another three months see where things are. A lot can change in three months... plus we won't hear back about our placements until then anyway. No use in worrying about it now.

Seth

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[jessicaks]

I'm not sure what the numbers are, as far as what percentage of people aren't getting paid. As someone else said, the government hasn't given the schools the money to pay us yet, as I understand it.  I have been paid on time every month--and was even told that I can ask for the check a bit early if I need it. I have other friends who are similarly fortunate. But, it seems like it's all chance. I'm in Castilla La Mancha. There's a group of us living in Ciudad Real and working in pueblos in the region here, and out of our group of about 11 friends, one hasn't been paid yet. The school has told her that they have €2 euros in their account. She's received money twice, but out of other teachers' pockets, only after they saw how desperate she was. She was told last week that she'd get November AND December's money this week, but today the school told her they couldn't. That's when a teacher sacrificed their own money so she could have one month's pay (the other time was mid-November, for October's pay). She's contacted all the people we're supposed to--even sent a couple of emails to the US embassy. She was told today that the office in Toledo was supposed to send the money, but decided to hold it in case something comes up (I didn't hear this directly, mind you, but she's a trustworthy lady). It's pretty outrageous. I'm just now getting in on it to help her flood some inboxes and try to get some support. Yes, unemployment is insanely high here, and we are lucky to have jobs. But the fact is that we have contracts, and it really isn't possible for most people to come here prepared with several months' worth of savings. (A couple of months, sure.) She was also told that if she stops working, she won't be paid for days on strike. I don't know--I'm no economist, and maybe this is how it's been for years. But I don't know if I want to deal with the potential mess next year. (Maybe that's easy to say since I'm in the admittedly lackluster Ciudad Real, and it won't be that hard to leave, I'm thinking )  I hear teaching jobs in Korea pay really well...

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[Stellar7225]

Ahhh, my bad with the date in the earlier post.
My feeling about this is that as long as people are EVENTUALLY paid, if you can gather enough savings for next year, you'll be ok. I'd happy to support myself for the year as long as I know I'm being reimbursed by the time I leave. For me, the decision isn't going to be made NOW, but at the end of the year when the truth comes out about whether or not the auxiliares have been paid AT ALL or if it was just massively delayed.
I am in total agreement that not being paid on time is unfair and it an unprecedented "hiccup" (to say the least!) in the scope of things, but wouldn't it be worth it to take out a loan for the year abroad as long as you knew that you'd be getting the money by the end of your stay to pay that loan back??

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[Teo]

Not that these cuts can't affect our the auxiliar program but according to Al Jazeera, "The government also decided to freeze public-sector hiring in all areas except for health, education, policing and tax inspection." (Italics mine.)

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[halydia]

I reiterate; due to the fact that bilingualism is one of the priorities in the PP's education platform, I'd be shocked to see this program go.

El Pais has been covering the cuts well: http://www.elpais.com
They also have an English site if you'd prefer: http://www.elpais.com/english/

According to this article, they'll present the 2012 budget in March. The article is an interesting read, especially the bit about minimum wage. If anyone thinks auxiliares don't earn much, read how much a person who works four times as much earns if they just get minimum wage: http://www.elpais.com/articulo/english/New/government/reneges/on/campaign/tax/pledge/elpepueng/20111230elpeng_1/Ten 

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[dcatalan]

the december newsletter for the program says the following, and all we can do is trust that we aren't being lead astray
 
"Due to your interest in the program for the 2012-13
year we would appreciate it if you encourage your
friends or family to apply for the program. We look
forward to having a bigger and more successful
program this year and hope a lot of candidates take
part. Please refer to the information on our website
and follow the instructions in the  MANUAL."

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[MDL]

Here's hoping! *fingers crossed*

I'll be interested to see the 2012 budget after it's released in March. Even though those articles say the Spanish government won't be cutting education funding, I consider assistantship programs in general to be something extra; beneficial, but not necessary. South Korea recently did away with a popular English assistantship program.

Spain already has English teachers employed to work all of our hours, so the program might be expendable.

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[Stellar7225]

Just found this article while looking for news/hope for the future of education in Spain as far as being an auxiliar.

This quote (from Rajoy) in particular keeps me hopeful that the program will NOT be cut! "Tenemos que promover el bilingüismo español-inglés en todo el sistema educativo, y favorecer la opción de educación trilingüe en las comunidades con lengua oficial."

Here is the link to the whole article: http://www.hazteoir.org/noticia/42886-rajoy-reformas-en-educacion-pero-replantear-modelo

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[dcatalan]

Just found this article while looking for news/hope for the future of education in Spain as far as being an auxiliar.

This quote (from Rajoy) in particular keeps me hopeful that the program will NOT be cut! "Tenemos que promover el bilingüismo español-inglés en todo el sistema educativo, y favorecer la opción de educación trilingüe en las comunidades con lengua oficial."

Here is the link to the whole article: http://www.hazteoir.org/noticia/42886-rajoy-reformas-en-educacion-pero-replantear-modelo

thank you. you just made my day.

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[Future Diplomat]

Just found this article while looking for news/hope for the future of education in Spain as far as being an auxiliar.

This quote (from Rajoy) in particular keeps me hopeful that the program will NOT be cut! "Tenemos que promover el bilingüismo español-inglés en todo el sistema educativo, y favorecer la opción de educación trilingüe en las comunidades con lengua oficial."

Here is the link to the whole article: http://www.hazteoir.org/noticia/42886-rajoy-reformas-en-educacion-pero-replantear-modelo

Thank goodness

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[justmuel]

Just found this article while looking for news/hope for the future of education in Spain as far as being an auxiliar.

This quote (from Rajoy) in particular keeps me hopeful that the program will NOT be cut! "Tenemos que promover el bilingüismo español-inglés en todo el sistema educativo, y favorecer la opción de educación trilingüe en las comunidades con lengua oficial."

Here is the link to the whole article: http://www.hazteoir.org/noticia/42886-rajoy-reformas-en-educacion-pero-replantear-modelo

Thank you! Nice quote!

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[aberns24]

I found someone online ( via Twitter) who's a current auxiliare in Andalucia. I asked her if she's been paid on time this year and she said yes as have most of her friends in the area. She has heard of some people who haven't though, so while this may be a bit of good news, you never know. Just thought I'd let everyone know what I've heard! She also said that if you can swing it with the chance of having to wait for a paycheck, the program is still totally worth it! Makes me a little more excited!

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[diflan]

I found someone online ( via Twitter) who's a current auxiliare in Andalucia. I asked her if she's been paid on time this year and she said yes as have most of her friends in the area.

One of my good friends is teaching in Malaga, and she said she only had a delay the first month. She has had no issues; she reminds the secretary and is handed a check. Definitely gave me some peace of mind!

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