Native English Speakers in Madrid’s Classrooms: Difficulties Reported by Assistants / Hablantes nativos de inglés en las aulas de Madrid: Dificultades señaladas por auxiliares

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This article examines difficulties encountered by 40 native English-speaking language assistants working in classrooms in the Madrid region, as reported in their teaching portfolios, a requirement of the Master’s degree programs they completed during the same period. The 187 comments obtained were analyzed by sorting them according to theme; the findings confirm those of prior studies while bringing to light challenges not mentioned to date in research. Some aspects discussed by the native English speakers were differences in classroom methodology and discipline, the need for increased communication with local teachers, the policy to use only English at the schools, an inability to help students with special needs effectively, and responsibilities that go beyond those of a language assistant. Abstract This article examines difficulties encountered by 40 native English-speaking language assistants working in classrooms in the Madrid region, as reported in their teaching portfolios, a requirement of the Master’s degree programs they completed during the same period. The 187 comments obtained were analyzed by sorting them according to theme; the findings confirm those of prior studies while bringing to light challenges not mentioned to date in research. Some aspects discussed by the native English speakers were differences in classroom methodology and discipline, the need for increased communication with local teachers, the policy to use only English at the schools, an inability to help students with special needs effectively, and responsibilities that go beyond those of a language assistant. Keywords: Bilingual Education; Teacher Aides; English (Foreign Language); Native Speakers.