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THE AMITY EXPERIENCE: BENEFITS OF TEACHER TRAINING ABROAD

The current demand for teachers of English in Primary and Secondary schools in Spain is staggering due to the implementation of a bilingual curriculum in the various autonomous communities. Recent graduates with Education degrees are not only looking for alternatives to improve their foreign language skills, but also to learn about new and innovative teaching methodologies to enhance their job prospects. As such, the opportunity to receive professional teacher training through an educational internship in a different country is an experience that, for these recent graduates, can lead to both personal and professional development. This article discusses the challenges and opportunities encountered by eighty Spanish university students from Centro Universitario Villanueva who have participated in a teacher training internship programme in the United States, through Amity Institute, during a full academic year, as volunteer Spanish teaching assistants. Based in San Diego, California, Amity is a non-profit institution which offers students from 29 different countries, who have a career goal in education, the opportunity to become volunteer foreign language teaching assistants in American classrooms and perform as “cultural ambassadors”. The benefits are numerous: the interns gain essential new teaching skills and practical hands-on knowledge, improve their English while living with a native host family and learn how to adjust to a different culture. Consequently, the main purpose of this article is to demonstrate how this eye-opening experience has been a primary ingredient for success in the students’ professional career, and a turning point in their lives.