Month 5 of ex-pat living in Spain - Friends and foes, that’s how life goes

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So, our initial excitement, relief and gratitude at finding work rather quickly when we first arrived in Spain has now turned to regret, dread and slight anger. Did we start work in haste without really fully considering the terms and conditions? It’s kind of like when you have been house hunting for a long time in search of your ideal home, and then you spot something with promise and you want it so badly you are blind to the cracks on the walls and the damp patches on the ceiling. Did I miss the warning signs? Why was I so taken in by false promises and expectations? Things certainly weren’t going right at work.

It all started about a month ago. Up until then I was still dazzled by my boss’s painted on smile, air kisses and endless promises about support, training and extra work being sent our way. Flattery most certainly gets you everywhere and I was definitely taken in by the oohs and aaahs of my teaching ability and how I would fit in perfectly with the rest of the teaching family. Greg wasn’t quite so convinced but I put this down to the fact our boss was most definitely a girly girl drawn to fellow female colleagues as opposed to male ones. Anyway, I did indeed seem to fit in well in the small team of mainly female teachers working in the first academy. This consisted of me, another fellow Scottish lass, a Welsh lady, a true English pommie and 2 Spanish senoritas (one old, one young). In fact, we got on so well that we started arranging a weekly wine session to have a bit of a gossip and giggle after a hard day at work. It only took about 2 sessions of these for a few home truths to start emerging from the other teachers who seemed reluctant to ever mention any problems to the boss, and who seemed under her total control. Around this time an email was sent out to all staff about an informal staff meeting + lunch due to take place the following Saturday (which of course no one wanted to go to as it is the weekend and we have better things to do with our time) and although I had already drafted an email with my apologies at not being able to make it, as I was about to press send I received another group email from staff to say “NO ONE REPLY YET. Let’s talk about this”. Unsure of what was wrong, I went to discuss the situation and soon witnessed how everyone was on edge at the thought of saying no to her. A discussion ensued with one brave member of staff offering to send an email on behalf of everyone else to say we could not attend. This is surely ludicrous? I thought in my head, but then one of the Spanish teachers warned me – “this is not a woman to be crossed. Just be careful”. What does that mean?? She was still being lovely to me and couldn’t have been more supportive so I wasn’t sure what their problem was. Perhaps they had been too long in the tooth and had lost all their enthusiasm for the job, or perhaps they had done something in the past to warrant being disciplined and therefore held a grudge?

After 2 months of working in the academy we had finally moved into our flat in Alicante (woop, woop) and so now felt we were ready to embrace working full time hours. I knew we hadn’t been offered as many teaching classes up until then as they understood we had long commutes to get there and back, plus our hours had to be synchronised for that reason. So I arranged to meet with the boss and tell her I was now ready and willing to do as many hours as possible. I was rather taken aback when out of the blue she hummed and hawed and told me that perhaps I needed more training and should therefore spend my next 2 weeks shadowing other teachers classes!! (without pay I may add). Only a few weeks ago she was singing my praises and telling me how I was one of the best teachers she had ever had, and that she had big plans for me. I was so gobsmacked I didn’t even argue my case, I simply nodded and smiled and said it was a great idea (doh).

At the next winesday session I spilled all about my little meeting and one by one everyone started to nod in recognition. It seems everyone had been given the exact same speech when they started about how they were the best teacher she had ever employed blah blah blah. So it was all a load of bull then! Just to appease her (and still with the hope of getting the hours I was hoping for and had been promised) I completed my ‘training’ classes (which was rather embarrassing and demoralising as it was in classes taught by my fellow teachers). Around the same time and with extremely bad timing, one of my one to one students asked to change teacher to someone who spoke a bit more Spanish. It was a fair enough request, but I took it harder seeing as I had already been told I needed more training so it didn’t make me feel any better about myself. And to pour salt in the wound, they offered the class to Greg instead! Anyway, he felt uncomfortable about it as it was going to be a little awkward so he spoke to our boss to explain he’d have to turn it down. Her reaction would make you think he had just proclaimed he’d shit in her coffee or something as suddenly her face turned into a snear and she snapped at him that he was to do it or else. Or else what? Greg never one to back away from a challenge asked exactly what she meant and she in no uncertain terms told him he could be sacked if he refused. He asked if it was in his contract to do it and when she replied no, he refused. Go greg! But this meant any chances of us progressing in the company were now pretty much slim to none. Probably as likely as Take That reforming (oh wait, they have haven’t they?). Greg also realised that he was only being paid for 1 hour of teaching when his classes were 1 hour and 15 minutes long. So every week he was being done out of an hour’s worth of teaching, which meant over a month he was losing 4 hour’s wages. When he asked about this discrepancy, he was basically told it is what it is and he wouldn’t get paid for it, and none of the other teachers do either (what a way to make some extra money eh).

At the same time, we noticed she had employed another 3 new teachers to start in the new academy where we were meant to be working, so it had all but confirmed what we already knew. The honeymoon period was well and truly over. At least we have seen her true colours and realised that working in such a false and unstable environment with little support (and don’t get me started on advice or guidance) is not the best of options. And we thought working for an alcoholic and money driven boss in China was bad! (it’s bad when you start looking at those days through rose tinted specs….).

We end up handing in our notice at the end of the month (before we are pushed), and when we tell her we are leaving she couldn’t have been more happy - She practically holds the door open for us on the way out. But we are the happier ones as we no longer work in an environment where you have to walk on eggshells, are constantly getting things thrown at you last minute and never really know what you are meant to be teaching. Luckily our colleagues follow suit and within 2 months every single one of my British friends have left too. (We later find out that all us Brits who left have been nicknamed “the clique” - apparently initiated by Greg and I, who forced everyone else to leave. Nothing to do with the fact these people also have a brain and won’t put up with being treated like rubbish…). I have no idea how and why companies like this operate and why they feel they can take advantage because we are not natives.

So the next few weeks are pretty hard for us financially as we no longer have our teaching wage (all of 5 classes a week for me lol) to rely on. No more luxury items like Heinz beans or Tetley teabags. Oh no. We’re onto the supermarket’s own brand. In fact, one week we manage to do our weekly shop on 20 euros- now that’s what I call budgeting and that’s how much Greg has changed me!!!

It’s not all doom and gloom though and we won’t be defeated by one little setback! Those who know us know that we are resilient people and you have to make your own luck. We make a breakthough halfway through May when I randomly see an advert for a job in a bar in Gran Alicant. I’m not overly sure about it as it’s an ex-pat bar and not exactly on the same level as some of the beautiful and busy places I’ve worked in before, but one of my friends goes there regularly and assures me it’s a nice place to work and the owners are lovely. It turns out the majority of staff are also Scottish and the owner does indeed seem really nice. And with the promise of work all year round, I really can’t complain. It’s exactly what I need- a job without stress or responsibility that I can leave behind at the end of my shift. From that leads onto a job for Greg as a chef at one of their sister units. It’s a lovely bistro style place with nice staff so we’ve both landed on our feet once more. Yay!

Finally, a big hello to our lovely friends Nikki and Gordon and baby Lewis for their wee visit at the end of the month. It was lovely to catch up, although you weren’t lying when you said at 3am we’d be woken up again at 6am by Lewis! But it was worth it J

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