Vaughan Town - A fun week volunteering in Spain

I love Spain and decided to join the Vaughan Town program for the third time in my life. This time I went to Aranjuez, about an hour away from Madrid.

The aim of Vaughan Town is to teach English to Spaniards, and this week focuses on building fluency in English. There is a group of Spanish students and a group of ‘Anglos’ who are the English speakers. The only rule is to speak English the whole time. Accommodation and meals are covered for all of the English speakers. It also gives the Anglos the opportunity to spend time with Spanish people in a different part of Spain, as well as meet people from around the world. The week is fun and light hearted, with plenty of conversation at meal times and evening entertainment.

I joined the new ‘Fifty Fifty program’ where students have classes for part of the day as well as one-to-one conversation time. The English speakers don’t need any teaching experience, our part is to allow the students to speak English and increase their fluency as well as hone their listening skills. One benefit for the English speakers is more free time compared to the regular program.

Aranjuez is a beautiful place and popular with Spanish people. The palace was right opposite our fabulous hotel, and the gardens and nearby town were perfect for conversational practice. The one-to-ones are low key and informal – some of mine were accompanied with beer or gelato!

Having done the program before, in Gredos and Valdelavilla, I’m still a fan and would certainly consider it again for the future.

Link to Vaughan Town for volunteers: https://volunteers.grupovaughan.com/programs/vaughantown/