Guest Author - Jill Browne

Have you seen the advertisements for a free week in Spain, teaching English, no teaching experience required?

In November 2005, two friends and I did just that.

The website vaughantown.com belongs to Vaughan Systems, a Madrid-based English language school which offers English courses to Spanish speakers. Many of their courses are delivered in Madrid by staff who have been trained in the Vaughan method. The founder is Richard Vaughan, originally from Texas.

Spanish people pronounce the name "Voe-gan".

Vaughan offers its clients a total immersion week at one of the "Englishtowns" owned by Vaughan. Since I went to what was then called Englishtown, Vaughan has reorganized its operations. "Englishtown" is now called "VaughanTown". Otherwise, it appears to be the same place and program I was on.

What happens at VaughanTown is pretty much exactly as described on the company's website and in the emails they sent me as a prospective and then an accepted participant.

If you wish to go to VaughanTown, you first apply to be one of the "Anglos". Your role is not to be a teacher, but to be a good conversational partner for Vaughan's Spanish clients. One reason I wanted to go was to meet some of these clients, and I was very happy with how that turned out. The mix of about 22 people from Spain included men and women who were typically high
achievers in their fields. Some were from government, some from the private sector. All were bright, interesting people from a variety of professions and occupations. Talking to any one of them was a real pleasure.

We began one morning at Vaughan's office where all of the Anglos and the Spanish people got on board a bus to take us to Vaughan Town. The Vaughan staff made sure the Spaniards understood it was "English only" from then on.

We stayed in a resort near the village of Gredos, which in turn is near the historic city of Avila. The setting was beautiful, a former farm whose various buildings had been converted to guest rooms and a central lodge. My own room was massive, on the ground level of the old stable I believe. It was quite romantic to throw open the door in the morning and see the mist rising from the still-green fields, and the mountains beyond.

Every day we had a program to follow. We ate breakfast, lunch and dinner as one large group, always mixing up our tables to provide an equal number of English and Spanish speakers. In the mornings we would spend time in one-on-one conversation with an assigned Spanish partner. The weather was crisp but pleasant for walking, and typically that's how these conversations were conducted, strolling around the area and taking in the natural beauty of the place. After lunch we had a break, even though most Spanish people these days no longer get a siesta. Then there would be a program before dinner, which varied daily. A lot of the time we were preparing skits or coaching our Spanish friends on the mandatory presentations they had to give.

Following dinner there would be some entertainment, often prepared by people in the group. Then free time. The hardier ones would converse in the bar, while others would retire.

Is it a budget vacation? It depends. From the moment we boarded the bus in Madrid until we returned a week later, we did not have to spend any money, as all the meals and our rooms were paid for us. We contributed a week of our lives and tried to be interesting 24/7. If I lived in the UK and could catch a flight to Madrid for under a hundred dollars, I'd be back to Vaughan
sooner, but that's because I enjoy meeting people and (to my chagrin), I can talk a lot. If that's you, I'd encourage you to give it a go.

Vaughan Town is not a bargain vacation unless you truly enjoy the conversational activity I described. It can be a good fit if you are an English speaker already in Spain (maybe you've been travelling Europe for a while and blown your budget) and can make yourself presentable with whatever's left in your backpack. I liked the conversation and the setting, so for me it was well worth it.

Vaughan sometimes has programs for teenagers and for families, although their core groups are more oriented to professionals who attend for work-related reasons.

Vaughan Systems is a for-profit enterprise. You contribute your own transport to and from Madrid, and your time. They provide the room and board during the program, and take you to and from the program location. You will not be supporting a humanitarian cause, nor will you meet Spanish people outside of the program.

I'd go back if I could get to Madrid cheaply.

A note from the Budget Travel editor about the advertising here:

The advertising associated with this article has been carefully selected to support the content of the article. Just below this paragraph is an advertisement for a DK Eyewitness Travel Guidebook. I personally have used the book and believe that it was useful.

Don't hesitate to email me if you have any concerns about the ad.