Last year I wrote a post comparing the regions of Madrid and Galicia for participants of the Auxiliar de Conversación program. For my third and final year, I’ve chosen to spend my time in the beautiful Galicia. I’ve said a number of times if I had to choose, I would be in Madrid because no city in Spain compares to the capital.  Unfortunately, Madrid is not only competitive for applicants who don’t apply the minute Profex opens, but also has a two-year limit for those already in the program.

So to be fair, here is a comparison of Andalusia and Galicia. My opinion is a bit biased because COVID-19 made me spend half of my year in Sevilla indoors. 🙁  But, nearing the end of my three-year stay in Spain, I can definitely see the differences in both regions.

(My inscrita this year was 579. I actually listed Madrid as my first choice again on Profex to see if I could finesse my way back to Madrid, but I ended up emailing them to switch Galicia as my first choice. I wrote on the informe that I wanted to be placed in Vigo, in addition to emailing them after accepting my placement in Galicia. I was placed in O Porrino, a city twenty minutes outside of Vigo by car (this placement sucks by the way)).

Location

It’s cool being an hour bus ride from Portugal, but Porto is probably the only relevant city in the area worth visiting. Trips to other Galician cities are cheap and frequent, but the sites worth seeing, like the secluded beaches and thermal baths, are difficult to reach with public transportation. You are also far away from the rest of (fun) Spain, so Madrid, Barcelona, Andalusia, and even Basque Country are pricy by flight if you decide to go last minute, or extremely long if taking public transportation. Also, your placement in Galicia will probably be in the middle of nowhere, meaning you’ll have to rely on teachers for rides since the transportation sucks, which is actually annoying in itself (in Vigo there is no monthly bus card, so commuting to my school is very expensive for me). 

Andalusia has so much to explore quickly and cheaply, including the rest of Spain, Portugal, and even Morocco. Galicia is better for nature trips with friends that have cars.

Winner: Andalusia

For traveling every weekend and better airports, Andalusia wins this round.

Cost

Even though I was always curious about Galicia, I honestly only listed the region as my first choice because I had planned to quit in December to go backpack Thailand (R.I.P.) and I wanted that extra pay. But, I’m lucky I ended up here because of the 935 euro stipend and lower cost of living in Galicia last a lot longer than the 700 euros you get in Andalusia. Surprisingly, Vigo’s average rent for a room close-ish to the center isn’t as cheap as I thought it would be. I’m paying 245 euros a month (internet and utilities included) for a room in a 3-bedroom apartment in the middle of the center. I’m sure I could have found a cheaper flat if I chose to look myself instead of going through an agency.

However, it still does not come close to my financial STRUGGLE in Sevilla. I thank COVID-19 for allowing me to save money this school year by not traveling, but with only 700 euros, living in the average shared apartment in the center of any big Andalusian city without private lessons, you might find yourself penny pitching the entire year. It’s definitely doable if you don’t travel or eat out every weekend (and live slightly outside of the center), but that will literally defeat the purpose of living in Andalusia.

Winner: Galicia

If you add on private lessons or teach online, you can make BANK (for an aux).

Weather

Sevilla had near-perfect weather my entire time there. The coldest days aren’t that cold, and I can only remember rain a handful of times. The worst part of the year was actually June, where my roommates and I spent the remainder of quarantine sweating in our non-air-conditioned apartment and killing mosquitos at 2 AM. Other than that, as a Las Vegas native, I had no real complaints.

Galicia on the other hand… LOL. To be fair, Vigo is the warmer and less rainy part of Galicia (and temperatures do not get as low as more inland cities such as Madrid), but it still rains more than I would like. I arrived in Vigo in August, so I was lucky enough to have warm (but not too hot) weather for about a month before it started raining more frequently. Luckily, the rain is not super obnoxious, meaning it rains for about an hour or two, stops, and then continues the cycle for the remainder of the day– so at least you’re able to get a few hours of sunlight in. But nonetheless, I am simply not built for Galicia’s weather at all (even though I appreciate how green everything is!!), so if you have Seasonal Affective Disorder, Galicia will probably make it worse.

Winner: Andalusia (OBVIOUSLY)

Social Life

Galicia outside of the bigger cities is not foreigner-friendly, meaning you will not find pub crawls, hostels, and language exchanges that allow you to meet up with other English speakers. Andalusia has a better tourist infrastructure, so even if you’re placed in a pueblo, you’ll be able to quickly and cheaply travel to a nearby, bigger city where you’re able to connect with other language assistants and internationals.

If you’re a more independent person with a higher level of Spanish, Galicia seems to be the easier place to meet locals if you don’t quickly vibe with the other language assistants. So many Andalusians have reiterated that people in the north are “cold”, which I don’t find to be true in my experience in Vigo. My Spanish level was still trash while in Sevilla, so I blame my lack of Spanish friends due to the language barrier; but even though it improved tremendously in the past year, I find Galician people quicker to get to know you and invite you out than those in Andalusia. The trade-off is going to the same places every… weekend.

Winner: Andalusia

If you want a mix of international and Spanish friends, with more interesting things to do on the weekends, Andalusia is the clear choice.

And the winner… ANDALUSIA (for first-time auxes) and GALICIA (for renewals).

I can’t choose an obvious winner because for me, Galicia is exactly where I needed to be at this stage of my life (and the world). After a very fun, but very toxic year in Madrid, and a quarantined and broke year in Sevilla, Galicia’s natural beauty, calmness, and increased pay made it the perfect transitional place to figure out the next chapter of my life. I am finally leaving Spain in June, but my only regret is not choosing Galicia my second year instead of Andalusia, because I definitely would have felt more financially secure and mentally healthy.

For a first-time aux, or an aux that was stuck in a shitty pueblo, Andalusia, in my opinion, is a better choice if you want a bigger city (or at least one in proximity) and a more “Spanish” experience. Knowing me, I probably would have disliked Galicia if I had gone there my first year because the comfort of an international presence is almost non-existent.

But as an old lady approaching 25, I find Galicia and its one of a kind culture charming and welcoming, and I’ve been so happy to learn about this part of Spain that seems to be ignored. Andalusia is definitely the better choice for first-timers in Spain; and those that are a bit younger will find the abundance of parties and travel opportunities a key factor in having a great time in Spain. Really, you cannot go wrong with either choice!