The school we attended was called 'The Montessori School' which was made up of three different sites. One of the sites followed the Spanish system, where as the other school was private and followed the British curriculum. The third site was located fifteen minutes away which we never visited. The schools are located in a small village called Alpedrete. The head teacher was really friendly and helpful who allowed us to compare the Spanish and British system, by visiting both sites. In the private school, most staff speak English which is useful but at the other school, we realised there was less staff speaking English. Visiting both of their sites is better because its easier to make a comparison between the two. All of the staff is really helpful and allowed us to sit in lessons to make observations and ask questions. Some of the teachers also allowed us the opportunity to teach short classes, and join in with classroom activities. Overall our experience at the placement was brilliant and the children were all lovely too!!!
This is the school we stayed next door to...
Award winning classroom displays (year one)...
One of the sites El Enebral located in Collado Villalba followed the British National Curriculum and one of the other schools La Florida located just outside of Madrid which is new follows the Spanish system but is very Montessori Orientated. The headteacher of the Collado Villalba was really friend and helpful. All the staff spoke English and was understand on what our task was. They were all willing to answer question and help us for our comparison and also telling us where we should go when visiting the city of Madrid. The La Florida staff spoke English were as some didn't. All of the staff is really helpful and let us sit in all their lessons and even help the children with activities like reading. They also allowed us the opportunity to teach a one hour lesson. Overall our experience at the placement was amazing! All the staff are so welcome and all the children are absolutely lovely
The schools website: http://www.montessorischool.es/en
The accommodation was provided by the school, which was a three bedroom flat. The advantage of staying at this flat was, the school following the Spanish system was right next door and the other school was a five to ten minutes walk. First impressions of the flat were not great as we had a few damages but after a while we became used to it. The bedrooms were spacious and the bathrooms were a decent size too. But overall, as an alternative I would suggest looking for an apartment before you arrive there as there are not many hotels near by. Next door to us, the caretaker and his wife lived in the other apartment, who was very friendly too and would be more then happy to help with anything. Also, he spoke English which was easier. He also allowed us to use his WIFI connection, allowing us to have internet for the two weeks we were there!
Due to the head teacher and our mentor Gabriela not realising what our accommodation was like, they allowed us to stay there for no charge as they said it was unfair for us to pay. Gabriela also offered us a place to stay at her house (which was very kind of her), therefore they were very helpful! They said that if anyone else was to visit they would find them alternative accommodation. Therefore if you were interested in this placement I would recommend speaking to them directly.
Our last weekend in Spain, was spent more closer to Central Madrid, in an area called Prosperidad. We booked a two bed apartment which cost us roughly 40 euros each, for two nights. The apartment was nice and clean, located close by to food shops and an underground station too. Also the staff working at the reception desk spoke good English. The apartment was called 'Apartmentos Internacionale'.
If you choose to do a placement at a different site such as "El Enebral' which is located in Collado Villalba , there are some motels as well as a hotel "Galaico" available. The rooms at the hotel Galaico are air conditioned and come with Satellite TV ,Wi-Fi and a private bathroom. The hotels reception desk is open for 24-hours, which is flexible, although the receptionists do not speak English, they are very keen to help. Near the accommodation there is a " Centro Comercial Planetocio" a shopping centre with diverse restaurants that often provide English menus.
Nearby to hotel "Galaico", there is also a shopping centre which includes a big supermarket, where you can buy snacks, fruit and bottled water, which you might need for the duration that you stay in Collado Villalba for. There are also cafes in this shopping centre where you can eat. There is a nice place to eat on the second floor of the supermarket, where they had hot sandwiches and fresh juice. The people who worked here were very friendly and translated the items on the menu in English which was very helpful.
Useful websites for accommodation in Madrid were:
http://www.lastminute.com/
http://www.expedia.co.uk/Madrid-Hotels.d178281.Travel-Guide-Hotels
http://www.cheaperthanhotels.co.uk/Spain/Madrid/
Transport in Spain was really good however taxis can be expensive depending on how long your journey is. As our flight reached into Spain quite late at night, we had no other option but to get a taxi from the airport. This cost us roughly 80 euros which is expensive. Opposite the school, the local train station was located which was used often by teachers and students too as they travelled from different villages. We never used the train service but everyone that spoke to us said it was useful and easy to use. A train ticket to Central Madrid would cost you roughly 4-5 euros. When travelling to Central Madrid on the weekends, we used the bus service. The bus journey to Central Madrid was roughly 35-40 minutes.The bus stop was within walking distance and ran every hour in the village too. But be careful when planning visits to Central Madrid or any other places because the bus service does vary on weekends, especially Sundays and bank holidays. The Metro is also handy when travelling around Spain, which is similar to the Underground in London. As long as you have a map, you cannot go wrong. The Metro also has direct links to the airport, therefore if you are staying in Madrid this is the cheapest form of transport.
If you are planning to travel often by the bus, you can purchase a 10 journey ticket called "un bonno de billete de 10 viajes". The ticket can be bought from local shops called "tabacos". This ticket works out cheaper and can be shared between people.
We flew to Madrid with Ryanair, which was a very cheap airline but got us there safe and sound. To found our flights we used a website called: http://www.skyscanner.net/
This website finds you the cheapest flight to any country using lots of different travel companies. The process was very straight forward and we paid under £150 for a return flight to Madrid!
We stopped in an area of Madrid called Alpedrete. In Alpedrete itself there were very little things to do. Although there was a couple of shops, bars, a supermarket and restaurants, meaning that all the essential things were there. We stopped in on weekdays, as there wasn't much to do in the village. At the weekends we made the most of our time in Madrid and stayed with some friends in the city centre one weekend and booked a cheap apartment the next. In Madrid city centre there is plenty to see and do; shops, bars, nightclubs, restaurants, parks, markets, museums, city tours, the palace and the football stadium (all of which we managed to cram into two weekends). The tickets for the football stadium tour were available from the stadium itself, and for the city tours etc you could buy tickets from little kiosks around the city. I would highly recommend using the open top tour bus, as we managed to see all of the city's top attractions within the space of a couple of hours.
There is plenty of shopping to be done in Madrid,for all you shopaholics out there! The shops ranged from womens clothing shops such as Zara, Mango and Topshop, to football/sport shops, make up, jewellery, electrical stores, duty free, small Spanish branded shops, Large department stores and lots of designer boutiques. Everything for everyone, so be sure to take some extra money with you for your days off!
If you are wanting to go somewhere with a nightlife and a little more atmosphere I would recommend trying to get a placement nearer to the city centre...
Things to do, things not to do
I would strongly recommend visiting the city centre, especially if your into shopping and partying. We were told by some local residents that the nightclubs in Madrid stay open until very late into the night, not ending until 6/7am! Great for the party animals in you! The football stadium was also a great place to visit, although the prices of the souvenirs in the shop there were very expensive; I would recommend you using local sports shops and markets for cheap football clothing and memorabilia!
Another thing I strongly recommend you doing, as silly as it sounds is to check the weather forecast before traveling. As we went expecting some sunshine, and it rained most days and even snowed while we were there. So always be prepared for whatever the weather!
If you like tea, like us, be sure to take your own tea bags with you as tea in Spain is very weak and not every nice!
In Madrid centre when using the metro (late at night especially) keep hold of your bags and purses very tightly as there is lots of pic pockets. One of our friends had their purse stolen from her handbag from one stop to another without even realising! We were informed though that in general Madrid is meant to be a very safe area, with little physical crimes just lots of pic pockets! So be alert at all times!
When it comes to the airline and airport check-in ensure that you check your luggage weight and do not exceed it, otherwise you will face a high fee! It may be a good idea to take a small travel scales with you to avoid having to pay the charge!
Be sure to check your flight times, the weather, currency, school dress code and transport. It is essential that you buy some travel insurance before you go, as you never know what might happen. We bought ours from our local travel agents (co-op), as we left it very last minute. We would however recommend looking online for it though as I believe it is cheaper, although most of the online companies post it out to you and it may take a few days, so don't leave it last minute if so.
I would also recommend buying a guide book, so that you don't miss anything out in the lovely city!!!
It would also be a good idea to brush up on your Spanish skills before you go, as most of the Spanish (especially in the village of Alpedrete) speak very little English!!
Useful Spanish phrases:
- Good morning: Buenos dias
- Good evening: Buenas noches
- Hello: Hola
- Goodbye: Adios
- Please: Por favour
- Thank you: Gracias
- Yes: Si
- No: No
-Excuse me: Perdon
- Sorry: Siento
- The bill: La cuenta
- I don't speak Spanish: No hablo espanol
- I don't understand: No entiendo
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/ This is a good website to use to become familiar with the Spanish language!
Also if you are vegetarian (including no fish) beware as in some part of Madrid don't provide much food for vegetarians!
The cost of eating dinner in Spain is reasonable and is roughly $10-$15 per meal. Bus tickets are also cheap if a 10-journey ticket and shared between a group of people. This saves money and works out cheaper than buying single or return bus tickets every day to your placement setting or to the City.
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.