Post-Grad Life: Living in Madrid

I am still close with a lot of younger friends who are still at college. I talk to some on an almost daily basis and now that it’s January, it seems the topic of discussion has been about what is coming next for them… or lack there of.

I remember how stressed out I was about this. I lost sleep, did endless google/ LinkedIn searches, met with school guidance councilors, therapists even. It almost seemed like my world of opportunities was too large, that I didn’t know where exactly I wanted to live or what exactly I’d be happy doing.

I was terrified of leaving the college bubble. I loved my schedule, the social aspect, constantly working on my brain/myself. There really wasn’t much I didn’t like about Tulane. Job searching was hard because I found it almost impossible to match my happiness levels I was getting from school. I had long talks with friends and family and all gave me amazing advice but at the end of the day I was so unsure and unsatisfied with what I was finding. Nothing seemed like a fit.

I had the privilege of going to India with my aunt who is one bad ass woman in charge. Given that she is the CCO of a huge ad agency I knew she would have the best advice to give to someone in my position. Her advice was simply along these lines, “You don’t have to feel the pressure to be in the perfect job right away. I waitressed after school. You can try something and if it doesn’t work, you are young enough to change paths until you find what you love doing.” Being in India, a country so far from home I was doing some real soul searching as to what my first job would be. At this point it was already March and I still had zero clue where my life was taking me.

One day we were in Rajasthan on a private tour of a beautiful fort. The tour guide was a 23-year-old American college grad who during the tour told us about how she was because universities were giving her a stipend to do reach it was for her to get paid by universities to study and learn about India. After this tour I felt almost certain that I would want to live abroad and do something similar. She gave me information about her stipend and program and I now had a somewhat clearer idea of what I wanted to do after graduation.

After my amazing trip to India I had a super long layover in JFK before flying back to New Orleans. I remembered that some sorority sisters I was friends with was currently living Abroad, one in Madrid and one in Tel Aviv. I reached out to both of them while waiting for my flight to see if they would have recommendations for similar english speaking programs. Luckily my friend in Madrid was able to talk for a little while I was waiting for my flight. It turned out, her program was for English speakers and I didn’t even need to know a word of Spanish. We scheduled a FaceTime and I made a long list of all the things I was looking for out of next year. The first on my list and most important was salary. I obviously need a way to support myself, eat, and you know… shop. I haven’t received financial support from family in years and it wasn’t an option post-grad. I also wanted a program that gave me ample free time to cook, workout, and travel. I wasn’t, and am still not, ready for a 9-5 job. Question after question asked it just seemed all the more perfect of a program for me to do after graduation. And now a year later I can happily tell you that it is perfect for me. Keep in mind that it is not always perfect but I know for a fact I am exactly where I should be and that’s an amazing feeling to have.

Common questions I get about what I am doing and general post college life…

Q: How do I afford living abroad?

A: My “main” job is working as a teacher at a school in Madrid Tuesday- Friday. It ends up being only 16 hours a week but we get 1000 euros a month. (Keep in mind that is plenty for Madrid, especially because we have so much free time to earn money other ways!) I also am lucky enough to have been introduced to an amazing real estate group. I had been working for them since the summer going into senior year, all of senior year remotly, and even now till this day! Now, I typically work 10-15 hours a week for them as their social media manager. I also make a little money off of my Instagram account. You can find that post here.

Q: Do you need to have gone to school for teaching?

A: Nope! I had ZERO training to be in a classroom. I had tutored high school aged kids in college and volunteered once for my cousins first grade class. That was all. I have found it super easy. We have a co-teacher who does all the planning. I usually just show up and am told what to do. I have caught on pretty quickly and most days I am leading the class. I also have formed such amazing bonds with my students.

Q: What grade do you teach?

A: 3rd and 4th. I got to pick and I am SOO happy with this age. They are young enough that they still cry, pick their nose, hug you every chance they get… but old enough to have real conversations with (even with their subpar english).

Q: What was the hardest thing to adjust to?

A: This is a great question because so much! I am not going to lie it wasn’t easy. Graduating college is a huge life change. For most it means moving, being away from friends and altogether having a totally different way of life. This scared me tremendously which is a huge reason I opted for living abroad. I miss my friends, family, Chicago and New Orleans greatly. I miss the parties, the local bars, how social it all was. However, being abroad has helped my transition because I have such an amazing, busy, social life here! It definitely took some adjusting though and I felt really lonely my first month or so in Madrid until I started making new friends, and finding what makes me happiest here.

Q: Do you like living in Madrid?

A: I have lived abroad two times before Madrid. I can honestly say Madrid is by far the easiest to transition into. The culture is so western and it is super easy to get around. It honestly doesn’t feel so far off from being in Chicago. I also love to shop and the shopping here is amazing and cheap. On top of all of this there is always something going on. People are always outside no matter the time of day just being around their community. I love this aspect. The night life is insane too. Typically people stay out until 4-6 am because there is so much to do.

Q: Advice you’d give to someone who doesn’t know what they are doing yet post-grad?

A: I’d go exactly along the lines of my Aunt. It is totally okay if you don’t love what you do your first year! It is important to get experience because you’ll learn what you like and don’t like. Even working as a waitress/ in retail is a great idea just something to stay busy until you figure out more what you want to do. It is so easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing but the fact of the matter is some of the people who know what they are doing are going to be so miserable their first year. It is not a race and eventually it will all work out. And if you really end up hating what you do, you can always quit and find something else. To help you narrow your options, I recommend making a list of what you’re looking for out of next year, talk to friends who have graduated and put yourself in a position you think you’d be happiest. We know ourselves better than we realize!

Q: Are you currently using your degree for your job?

A: Yes and no. I was a communication major with a business minor. Communications taught me how to be a good writer which I use for this and for my social media management job. Business classes helped me feel comfortable presenting in front of a group of people which helps me feel confident and comfortable teaching students. I think that the skills you use from college are not necessarily the main skills taught in class. While I don’t know what “typical” job I will have in the future I think school can only help you so much and you’ll learn a lot on the job from training or trial and error.

Q: Did you need to know Spanish to teach English there?

A: Nope! Technically the kids think I know zero Spanish. This encourages them to try their best and not rely on me translating for them. I have found that there are some students who really struggle with english and when I am working one-on-one with them I’ll use some Spanish words to help them get started.

Q: What program are you on?

A: I went to Madrid through CIEE Teach Abroad. I totally recommend this program as they made the process super seamless. I am always happy to answer any questions about this program and my experience just contact me through the website or insta DM!

Q: What are you doing next?

A: I honestly really dislike this question as I think it is the wrong perspective to focus on. I was even asked this during graduation after telling people I was going to be working in Spain. It almost feels as if this isn’t good enough or this isn’t my real path to them. I think it is quite the opposite as I am using this year to be happy, to focus on myself and growing. It is a part of my path as much as any other 9-5 job. Focusing on ourselves is something people forget to do as it is easier to follow in the typical life path that is expected of us. However… at this point I do know what I am doing next year, although that is still a surprise!

Good luck to any of you going through this or any other major life change! I am always happy to listen to what you’re dealing with and offer any advice. Just remember to stay in the present moment because the future is so unpredictable!