This is my second year as an auxiliar de conversación. While it’s still a bit early to make a complete comparison of Seville, the city I’m currently living in, and Madrid, my placement last year, I’m big on first impressions. And maybe, just maybe this will help those torn between the two regions make a decision because unfortunately, you can only choose one as your first choice on the Profex application. 

(For those trying to hack the Profex system, I wrote on my renewal application that I wanted to be placed in either Seville, Malaga, or Cadiz in addition to selecting “big city” with no preference for grade-level.  My inscrita was 299.  For Madrid, my inscrita was 590 and I did not have a preference for grade-level.)

Here are the four major deciding factors you should consider when selecting your regions of preference.

Location

Besides Madrid and Barcelona, all of the relevant Spanish cities are in Andalusia. Seville, Granada, and all of the costal cities from Huelva to Almeria are places you’re going to want to visit while taking advantage of Spain’s beautifully sunny weather. Living in Seville, I’m two and a half hours to one of my favorite Andalusian cities, Malaga, and one hour from kitesurfing, carnival capital, Cadiz. I’m a beach bitch, and any opportunity to see the ocean on the weekend is a major plus. Traveling around Andalusia is super fast and super cheap by bus, with most tickets costing you no more than 15 euros round-trip. Not to mention all of the cheap plane tickets to Morocco and Portugal— countries you’ll most likely end up visiting a few times during your year in Spain. In Madrid, despite being in the middle of the country and having routes that lead to everywhere, the surrounding cities are kind of blah for a first-year aux hoping to hit up the main Spanish cities. The nearest beach is Valencia and it takes four hours to get there. Luckily Madrid has the better airport so you’re not stuck there completely, but for a quick weekend trip sans plane, the capital truly lacks effortless and spontaneous travel opportunities.

Winner: Andalusia

If your goal is to travel every weekend, Andalusia is the clear winner.

Cost

Madrid pays 1,000 euros a month while Andalusia pays 700. It is a fact that everything in Andalusia is cheaper than the capital, but as an auxiliar your lifestyle and spending habits may or may not agree with the amount you’re getting paid. My rent in Madrid was 350 euros a month including utilities and internet. With only four hours of private lessons a week I had about 800 euros left over each month to fuck around with. In Seville rent and utilities cost me about 215 euros a month. And let’s also factor in that Andalusia has the tendency to pay assistants late the first 1-2 months. At the moment I do not have private lessons, so I’m forced to take a break from the constant partying and mindless spending on clothes and food. As mentioned, if you’re planning on traveling every other weekend, Andalusia is the better choice because everywhere in the area is easily accessible by bus, whereas in Madrid you will most likely be flying, which can cost you more money with baggage and transportation in the long-run. However, the 100 euro difference in rent between the two regions cannot compete with the 300 extra euros you’ll make in Madrid for only four additional working hours.

Winner: Madrid

But ONLY if you have private lessons and live slightly outside of the center.

Weather

Madrid has annoyingly cold weather. I’m from Las Vegas and I don’t do cold. That’s why I decided to switch to Andalusia my second year (apart from forgetting to do the MOOC project in order to remain in Madrid). I arrived to Madrid late-September, and I had about two weeks of jacket-less weather. After that it was constant cold, rain, grey, and wind until May. If you’re used to living in colder climates, Madrid’s weather is probably nothing to you. But if you don’t fuck with the cold whatsoever and you have S.A.D., living in Madrid can be draining. Andalusia’s weather will be dependent on whether you’re placed inland or on the coast, but regardless there are more sunny days and higher temperatures. Madrid and Seville summers are almost the same: really, really, really hot, but this is irrelevant if you’re arriving in the fall and leaving once the program ends. Whenever I start to miss Madrid, I look up at the sunny Sevilliano sky and say GRACIAS.

Winner: Andalusia

CLEARLY.

Social Life

I like clubbing every weekend. I like meeting new people. I like the ability to easily avoid some of the new people I meet. I like discovering new restaurants and finding new events to fill my Saturdays. I don’t speak Spanish. Madrid can be overwhelming for someone who is not used to “big” city living (it’s really not that big, but to me it is), but what I miss most about Madrid is the ability to befriend a variety of different people, even if they’re just visiting. In Madrid I mainly spent my weekends hanging out in the center with all of the other foreigners. While most of these people were “fast food friends”, I can’t remember one weekend I spent sitting alone in my room. The people you meet in Madrid your first two weeks in Spain you will probably never see again until May, but I’m an Aquarius and I’m secretly antisocial, so this doesn’t really bother me. In Seville the lifestyle is more relaxed and it’s a lot smaller, so all of the auxiliares know each other. You’re kind of forced to be friends with them even if you don’t really vibe. I barely hung out with the other auxes in Madrid either– most of the people I chilled with were foreigners from other countries, but I was still trapped in the “English bubble”. As far as befriending Spaniards, there’s the stereotype that Spanish people in Andalusia are friendlier while the ones in Madrid are “stuck up”, but in my experience, Madrid locals are more open to hanging out with foreigners as opposed to the Andalusians, who have all had the same friend group since the womb. Of course there are more English-speakers in Madrid, so having a genuine conversation is easier for those who don’t speak Spanish. And regarding the Andalusian “fakeness”– I haven’t experienced this concept first-hand because I’m super burnt out and have barely left my room since moving to Seville, but I can definitely sense the vibe of them not wanting to fuck with n00bs. 

Winner: Madrid

There’s more to do and more to see in Madrid, so it’s easier to meet people you actually want to hang out with.

And the winner… MADRID.

First, let’s just say that I lucked out getting placed in Seville because I really could have ended up in the middle of nowhere, Andalusia. But, I say this from the bottom of my heart… as much as I wanted to love Seville as much as I did Madrid… it’s just dry. Yes, I’m biased because I have a special attachment to Madrid and I probably feel this way because I lived in Madrid first, but just knowing my needs and the type of person I am… I realize now that I’m either a no-shoe-wearing beach bum who likes to chill by the sea, take long afternoon naps, and have a late, seafoody dinner with a lemon squeeze, or a #teamnosleep, instigating, getting-all-dressed-up-just-to-fuck-up-my-lipstick, standing-in-line-for-three-hours-to-enter-a-nightclub hot girl headass. While Seville is prettier, more relaxed, has better weather, less annoying people, and is the essence of a truly beautiful Spanish-Andalusian experience, there’s no beach, and I find myself doing the same shit every weekend. Every single day I find myself saying, “If I were in Madrid…”. So with that being said, I’m going to have to go with Madrid. If I renew for a third year (more on that later because right now I have no idea what I’m doing with my life, if I want to stay in Spain, if I want to go to Asia…) I will be choosing Madrid as my first choice again. Stay tuned!!!!