Finally some news!

Although I’m known to be pretty indecisive, when it came to what to do on my year abroad, I made a surprisingly quick decision.

 It was honestly more of an elimination process than a strong desire for one option; I was fed up of studying so avoided a year as an Erasmus student while applying for jobs in Spanish was just too terrifying.  This left me with one choice: working as a language assistant via the British Council.

The idea of teaching English in Spain was by far the most appealing – not as daunting as working but a different environment to studying. I knew this would be a great way to get my Spanish to progress as being part of a school would mean getting involved in the local community.  (Plus it was a good way to see if teaching was something for me…)

Although the decision was made quickly and the application was relatively pain free, confirming the teaching post was the most drawn out experience of my life. While those who had applied for jobs or universities had everything sorted by Easter, you have to be prepared to wait a lot longer with the British Council.

It first took months to confirm I actually had a place, then came the news of the region in Spain I was assigned to then FINALLY after waiting all summer, I found out the name and address of my school.

Because the whole thing was so up in the air, it was hard to do any mental preparation for the year. Without knowing an exact location I couldn’t envisage my new life at all and so decided not to think about it. This meant when the news finally came, I was very unprepared…

So, it turns out that I have been placed……wait for it……in IBIZA!

Initially I was in a state of disbelief. When applying to teach in Spain, this was the last place I imagined to end up.  Who knew it was even a possibility?!

Besides a summer holiday destination, I didn’t think much else happened on the island but apparently it has a number of schools, part of communities that live there all year round.

It took me a while to come round to the news and even now it hasn’t really sunk in. Thankfully (and completely by coincidence) I visited Ibiza earlier in the summer so I know that it’s not only about the famous nightlife. (See here) Even so, the idea that I will be spending a WHOLE YEAR enjoying the islands idyllic beaches hardly seems real.

After finding out more about the school, which is tiny and apparently very welcoming, I am feeling better about things. There’s still an endless list of concerns: where to live, how to get to the school, sorting out a phone/ bank account etc. (If there’s one thing I’m dreading it’s the Spanish paperwork) but I’m slowly getting my head around it all.

Nothing is sorted, but I can’t expect it to be straight away. Time for the classic pre-year abroad ‘everything will be fine’ It may not be now, but it will be sooner or later! My flight is less than two weeks away, nervous is an understatement but I know I have to go out there and make the most of this amazing opportunity. (I mean, who else gets a chance to live in Ibiza for a year?!)

Looks like my previous post on the island was just the beginning…….

 

[Advice to anyone thinking of doing British Council for their Year Abroad: be prepared for anything. Do not get your hopes up for a specific city or region because you can get put ANYWHERE (literally anywhere!)]