Everything You Need to Know about Teaching English in Spain with BEDA
What is Beda?
Their website states that BEDA is a program that “offers the opportunity to live in Spain as a Language & Culture Assistant, get valuable experience working in a classroom, learn about the rich and enticing culture of Spain and have an eye-opening, unforgettable experience while providing an enriching addition to your resume.” Some other things you should know is that BEDA is only for concertados (a privately run school that is funded by the State). Also, all of the schools that participate in BEDA are Catholic schools. The program requires you to take a course though Comillas University. This course is meant to help you learn more about bilingual education and assessment. They also give you ideas of activities that you could do with your students. This year, the classes were held Friday afternoons. The class lasts about 3 hours. I should mention that the classes are about once a month and that you get a break time during those 3 hours. Personally, I didn’t mind the classes and I feel like they look good on a resume. However, I know plenty of BEDA auxiliares who feel they didn’t really gain much from the classes. It’s all a matter of opinion. Part of the classes you take are Spanish courses. You take a Spanish test during orientation and that decides what group you will be placed in for the Spanish classes or if you test out of the classes entirely. I tested out of them, but I have friends who took them and found them to be pretty helpful.
