What can NET offer you!

General information guide on the

NET Program for teaching assistants
 What is the NET grant?
NET Program is an educational and teacher training program which is under-
taken in Spain, it is free of charge for native English speaking graduates who are
committed to working in education in the future.

This program is sponsored and promoted by Up International Education in
collaboration with Universidad y Sociedad Foundation created by the Public Uni-
versity of Navarra (UPNA).

www.unavarra.es
www.unavarra.es/fundacionuniversidadsociedad
www.upinternationaleducation.com

Academic training

The Universidad y Sociedad Foundation is a nonprofit organization in Spain,

promoted by the Public University of Navarra.. Its mission is to serve today’s society
by creating and transmitting knowledge, thus contributing to training integral indi-
viduals as well as preparing good professionals.

Organization

Up International is a Spanish company backed by SODENA and promoted by

the Moderna Foundation, institutions
which are supported by the Government
of Navarra. It specializes in Human Re-
sources in the area of language learning
in schools.

Work experience

Schools: official schools and centers of edu-

cation from all over Spain collaborate in this
program, offering participants posts as con-

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versation teaching assistants as well as financial assistance.

NET program
This program is aimed at native English
speakers who have recently graduated in Educa-
tion or Teacher Training (Foreign language acqui-
sition) or a related field and would like to gain tea-
ching experience n a practice program at a Spanish
school for an academic year.

This is a wonderful opportunity for the home
University to offer their graduates the possibility to
work in another country as a teaching assistant, en-
rich their teacher training and experience Spanish li-
festyle, language and culture.

The program is about teaching and learning of a

foreign language. is divided into two parts. The first one
is a on-line Spanish course and the second part of the
program involves practical teaching experience, which
will take up the main part of the program. It is here where teacher assistants can get
a valuable experience in a Spanish school.

This program has been developed in collaboration between Universidad y

Sociedad Foundation, , Up International Education and infant, primary and secon-
dary schools throughout Spain.

The role of Up

Up International Education manage the program, advises and supports stu-

dents with all the procedures and administrative requirements related to their arri-
val and stay in Spain:
• Student visa requirements.
• Finding accommodation.
• Obtaining the NIE number (identity number for non-Spanish nationals) and
residence card.
• Registration at the Town Hall.
• Opening a bank account.

In addition to this, Up International monitors and helps students during their whole
stay in Spain.

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The role of the University

Universidad y Sociedad Foundation collaborates in the academic manage-

ment of the program in the following ways:
• It develops and delivers the Spanish course.
• Attends to students’ queries regarding the academic program
• Supervises students’ learning and teaching practice in schools.
• Pays the monthly grant
• Awards a certificate on completion of Spanish course and teaching practi-
ce.

The role of the student

• Carry out an on-line Spanish course under a tutor’s su-

pervision.
• Carry out a teaching placement in a Spanish school un-
der the supervision of a tutor at the school by carrying out the
following duties:
• Helping students improve their spoken skills in English
through practice.
• Giving students an insight into the culture and lifestyle
of their home countries.
• Collaborating with teaching staff of the school in les-
son planning, developing materials and class delivery.
• Devising lesson plans to focus on oral communication
skills and pronunciation.
• Presenting a final report on their teaching practice ex-
perience.

Participants
This program is designed for recent graduates of courses related to education
or those who clearly see their future in this exciting sector.

It is an opportunity for participants not only

to undertake a year’s work experience in a school,
but also to enhance their training and receive an
award that complements their CV. The program
also offers a Spanish language course.

This course has no cost for the teaching as-

sistant and the school will also provide a monthly

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 grant which will help to cover the costs of your
living expenses.

Requirements

Candidates must:
• Be native English speakers.
• Be under 35 years old.
• Have received a university degree in Educa-
tion, Teacher Training or a similar field within
the last four years.
• You shouldn’t have professional experience
teaching languages at schools.
• Have a teaching vocation.
• Be willing to experience life and work in ano-
ther country and adapt to its culture.

Also desirable:
• It is highly recommended that teaching assistants who apply for these po-
sitions have some not professional experience in foreign language teaching, or at
least as students of a foreign language. A qualification in teaching English as a fo-
reign Language is recommended.
• Previous experience of working with children, such as summer camps, in-
ternships in schools, au pair, etc.
• Have experience of learning a foreign language.
• Some knowledge of Spanish, although this is not essential.

What is included and what is not included

NET includes:
• Enrolment in the UPNA,s Spanish course and its practice program.
• A monthly grant to help cover living expenses in Spain.
• Accident and liability insurance during the period at the school.
• Help and support with all necessary procedures: visas, paperwork in Spain,
finding accommodation.

NET does not include:

• Travel expenses.
• Private health insurance.
• Costs related to visas or personal legal documents (including

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healthcare).
• Personal tax payments related to specific situations (information will be indi-
vidually supplied).

Selection Process
Up will select candidates based on the
profile that the school has provided. The fo-
llowing aspects will be taken into account:

• Qualifications obtained, especially those re-

lated to education.
• Other experience with children or young
people.
• High level of motivation.
• Personality.

The stages of the selection process are:

1- Submit documentation requested: CV, re-

cent photograph and a letter of motivation if
wished.
2- Complete a skills test on line to value different competences related to the
role of teaching.
3- Attend a preliminary Skype interview with an English native speaker.
4- Attend an Information session on Skype with Up International Education
staff.
5- Final interview with the school.

The University
The NET program is based on a intership/practice program from Universidad
y Sociedad Fundation and the Public University of Navarra

The course and the practice at the school will be carried out under the supervision
of an academic tutor who will advise, coordinate and help participants in all acade-
mic aspects related to the program.
Moreover, the course will be undertaken on an on-line platform belonging to the
University, allowing students to be able to combine the activity at the school and
study.
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The teacher assistant will do an online test to know which course has to do. There
are six levels: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2. These are described in the table below.

The ability to communicate with the emphasis on how well it is done,

in terms of appropriacy, sensitivity and the capacity to deal with
unfamiliar topics.

The ability to express oneself in a limited way in familiar situations and

to deal in a general way with nonroutine information.

Its attached as an example the program of the B1 LEVEL course

Participants will not have to go to Pamplona (where the University is situated) in

order to do the course because its an online course. There will be an introductory
online session with the tutor of the University. He will explain the some of the main
features of the program.

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 Practical part
The relationship established between schools and participants during the
practical part of the NET program is fundamental to the success of the program and
to the achievement of each of the party’s aims and objectives.

Thus during the graduate program students benefit by acquiring hands-on

practical teaching experience and the school benefits by its pupils being taught
and learning from young native English-speaking teachers.

Being an assistant teacher

A teaching assistant helps to compliment the teacher in his or her job. To be

precise, the work is to provide assistance or back up the teacher in a particular sub-
ject.

The teaching assistant has no teaching responsibilities in the classroom and

his or her work must always be supervised and directed by the classroom teacher.
To this end, there is always a ‘tutor’ teacher available in the school, responsible for
the work of the teaching assistant. This, howe-
ver, does not mean that the teaching assistant
must be accompanied by the teacher at all ti-
mes.
It is possible that the teacher and the
teaching assistant carry out their work toge-
ther in one classroom, but they might also
work in separate classrooms. If the latter is
the case, the teacher will define and appro-
ve the scope of the teaching assistant’s work
beforehand. Furthermore, the teacher’s assis-
tant usually works with a limited number of
students (3-15) in order to work on objectives
specified by the teacher.

The teaching assistant may also be re-

quired to prepare part or all of the classes as part of the teacher training.

Educational centres normally hire teaching assistant for support in foreign

language conversation. More specifically, these assistants work with the students on
oral expression and comprehension and in many cases, at the primary school level,

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work through games and songs.

Conditions of the post

• Incorporation in an educational centre to give about 20 hours of class per

week, not including classroom preparation, as required in some cases. Of those 20
hours, at least 15 will take place during the school day. The remaining five hours
could be for extracurricular or extra help and could take place outside of the school
schedule.
• The placement will take place from Oc-
tober until May, although some schools
may ask that the assistant teacher start
in September and finish in June.
• The school day in Spain is usua-
lly from 9 am until 5 pm. The majority of
the 20 weekly hours of class fall into this
timeframe.
• Holidays will be similar to those
of the school: two weeks at Christmas,
ten days at Eas¬ter and national and local
holidays.
• The base stipend is 845 €uros per
month gross but this figure may vary, for
example if benefits in kind are provided
and depending on the living costs of the
school’s location. The precise figure will be confirmed at interview stage.
• While not working in school, the teaching assistant are allowed to hold jobs
that do not require a official qualification, such as giving private English classes or
teaching in a private academy.

Advantages for the participant

• Complete their teacher training in order to become a teacher and gain expe-
rience by working in a school.
• Gain confidence and self-esteem as a teacher, along with improving team-
work skills, class management, problem-solving, and working within deadlines.
• Gain a greater awareness of the problems and needs of language learners.
• Obtain a postgraduate diploma in CLIL or TESL methodologies and teaching
practice.
• Experience living in another country and getting to know its culture and
customs.
• Learn and improve Spanish language skills.
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 • Receive a stipend to cover accommodation and living expenses with regis-
tration fees and training covered by the school.

Spanish education system

Education in Spain is divided into three basic stages: infant, primary and se-
condary.

The number of students per class varies based on the school and the subject,
although the maximum permitted are 25 students in primary and 30 in secondary.

Classes usually last from 50 to 60 minutes.

The school day begins around 9 in the morning and lasts until 5 in the afterno-
on, though this can depend on the stage of schooling and the educational centres.
In Spain there are two types of educational centres: state, managed by the
Department of Education of each region in Spain, and private, managed by other
parties. Private centres may or may not receive economic support from the govern-
ment for their classes.
Up’s program is aimed at private schools, which in Spain are frequently run by
religious orders.

Catholic religion in Spanish schools

Religion, normally of the Catholic church, is an important aspect of education

in Spanish private schools. In most cases, this does not mean that teachers must be
of the same religion in order to work in these schools. It is essential, however, to res-
pect and accept the values that the religion professes, as part of the education and
daily activities in the centre based on these values.

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Bilingualism

There is currently great concern in Spain regarding the average level of

knowledge of the English language. To remedy this situation, schools are changing
the way they teach English. To this end, schools have put various methods in place.
The main methods are:
• An increase in the number of hours of English classes
• Linguistic immersion: teaching some subjects in English, usually science,
arts, or physical education.
• Bilingualism: teaching the majority of subjects in English.

This situation makes Spain an attractive destination for teaching English in

schools, as the demand is enormous. It is, however, very
difficult to standardize degrees received
in other countries and therefore com-
plicated for native English speakers to
access classroom teaching positions in
Spain. This process requires time and ex-
perience, and NET program is a first step
to assist those interested in continuing to
work in Spain as a classroom teacher.

Life in Spain

Spain is a country that offers many pos-

sibilities for those who spend time here.
The climate, along with the idiosyncrasies
of the Spanish people, allow for a more
‘open’ way of life, with more time spent
enjoying social life outside the home
than is possible in the rest of Europe.

There is a large cultural and social offering in Spain, though this does not take
away from the time dedicated to work.

The visitor can therefore usually find an exhibition, a course, activity or works-
hop that they can enjoy in their free time.

In addition, the great demand for native speaking teachers, combined with
the convenient school hours make feasible complementing the stipend with inco-
me from private classes.

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 It is essential to remember that fulfilling the required hours and responsibility
of the internship is fundamental to the program. This is the teaching assistant’s most
important work and the remainder of his or her activities must adapt to the schedu-
le required by the educational centre.

How to apply

www.upteachinspain.com
www.upinternatioaleducation.com

If NET program interests you, plea-

se go to: http://www.upteachinspain.
com/ and fill out the questionnaire avai-
lable. We will contact you to continue the
process.

If you have any questions, you can

also go to: upteach@upinternationale-
ducation.com

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 Documentation necessary

Documentation necessary for participation in the program, and that we will ask for
as it becomes necessary:

For EU citizens:

• Valid passport
• Current CV with date of birth
and current photo. Although this is not
the norm in English-speaking countries,
this is customary for all CVs in Spain.
• University degree
• Certificate of criminal record
issued by the appropriate authorities,
dating from at least six months before
beginning the internship.

For non-EU citizens:

• Valid student visa issued by the

Embassy of Spain.
• Valid passport
• Current CV with date of birth and current photo. Although this is not the
norm in English-speaking countries, this is customary for all CVs in Spain.
• University degree
• Certificate of criminal record issued by the appropriate authorities, dating
from at least six months before beginning the placement.

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