Why do you do what you do?
I like to share my language and culture and also learn from my students, their language, and culture. I always say this job allows you to travel everyday without taking a plane and being paid for it. I have met people from all over the world. At the beginning they were students but now they are friends.
What inspired you to work for ALE Zaragoza?
ALE has a maximum of five students per classroom. This allows the students to speak more than in any other school. The teacher can attend to individuals through personalization, accommodating the content to every student.
I can give to every student what they need to be engaged and learn. At ALE, they are focused on quality teaching.
Tapas night
Describe a typical day at work.
We work in small groups of students. Normally lessons are two hours per day, Monday through Friday. I teach two groups, and in between lessons we go for a coffee outside of the school in Puffins. They know how to make coffee because they are as passionate about it as I am about teaching Spanish.
After the lesson I send homework to my students. Some afternoons or weekends we organize activities for all students at school.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I am in charge of day trips during the weekends. I love hiking and trekking and did my mountains guide training during 2021 because I had free time.
In Spain it is compulsory by law to have this qualification in order to lead people into the mountains. Our region has many natural areas for hiking. The school is now accredited and I am the teacher organizing these types of activities.
How do you use your education and international background in your current role?
I did my training and became a qualified school teacher. Working for five years in a school in England allowed me to understand and learn how to teach. Learning is a process and the teacher is the leader.
It is very important to know your students in order to motivate them to learn. It is also important to push them out of their comfort zone.
What challenges do you often face and how do you overcome them?
Learning requires effort and it is easier to overcome effort when you have motivation. It is important to push the students out of their comfort zone and into their stretch zone.
They may have emotions that come up, but when they overcome these difficulties and they realize that they are learning, motivation grows and they ask for more.
Hiking in the Pyrenees
What are some current projects you are working on?
At school we are researching and working on different ways to learn Spanish out of the classroom. We started the activities to help our students meet other people in town, but now we are realizing this is a great way to practice Spanish as well.
Last summer we organized an immersion summer week in the Pyrenees and we are going to do more next summer.
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
Traveling is about growing and making you more open minded. At the beginning there is fear of the unknown, but as you walk along, this fear vanishes.
Focus on every single step and don't look too far ahead, this is where the fear hides. Be present and enjoy every single part of your journey. You deal better with your present than with your future.
Why should someone choose ALE Zaragoza over competitors?
I think there are great teachers in every Spanish language school and when you have a great teacher everybody in the classroom is motivated. But numbers count and when we talk about learning a language the smaller the class the better the result.
Check how many people will be in your classroom. Our school only takes a maximum of five.
How is your company handling Covid protocols? What should participants know about your Covid readiness? How are you assisting participants with navigating the new travel landscape?
We moved online as a response to Covid, and we are prepared to do it again if needed. In fact, online teaching has arrived and it is going to stay forever. Our in-person lessons can be moved online easily because we have the technology to do it.
What is your organization's mission and how do you continue to work toward it?
Our mission is to provide high quality lessons and help our students to learn Spanish as fast as possible. We do it by hiring teachers who have good experience in teaching Spanish and are passionate about it.
Also we aim to create the best environment in the classroom—the number of students is the key and we keep it low with a maximum of five.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
Someone once said something along the lines of: "To have another language is to possess a second soul." This happened to me when I lived in the UK. I hope my students go back home with their original soul and their newly acquired Spanish one.
They have a new pair of eyes to look at the world and that makes us more empathetic. This is how we all connect and understand what the world needs.
Students in the classroom
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
When you travel and experience other cultures you normally gain more empathy. It is fun but it also grows your awareness.
If you learn a second language, then you really get to experience another version of life because a language communicates emotions and every culture has different ways to communicate. By learning a new language, you can understand another culture and truly love it.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Traveling can be fun but it is not the main goal. Meaningful travel is about connecting with people, cultures, and languages. Visiting too many countries in a short period of time is fun but normally won't be meaningful because you miss the details of each country.
I think meaningful travel is when you stay in a place outside your home country for a period of time that allows you to connect with it all.
