THE Spanish Labour Inspectorate has imposed a €5million sanction on the Andalucian Junta for failing to register foreign language assistants in the Social Security system, leaving hundreds of participants of the popular Language Assistant Programme in limbo.
The penalty comes after investigators ruled that assistants, who tend to travel from the UK, US, France, and Germany, were working without valid employment status. The sanction includes €4million for immigration irregularities and nearly €1million for unpaid Social Security contributions.
Many assistants preparing to start their placements this autumn have had their plans abruptly cancelled, creating frustration and financial uncertainty.
Ben Johns, 27, who had secured a placement in April, had quit his job, and turned down other opportunities with the plan of moving to Spain later this year.
Ben told the Olive Press: “I always wanted to move out to Spain and immerse myself in the culture and I thought the programme would’ve allowed me to do this while helping people in the community.
“I have given up work and travel opportunities this summer, as I would’ve needed to send off my passport to get a work visa, so it feels like many things have been snatched away from me.”
Despite his disappointment, Ben expressed that students who had planned to teach in Andalucia as a part of their year abroad to complete their qualifications have been left in an ‘extremely tricky and stressful situation’.
The programme, coordinated nationally by Spain’s Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, and Sports, assigns language assistants to each autonomous region in the country.
According to the Labour Inspectorate, the Junta has received the sanction as the assistants are carrying out functions that are considered employment, and therefore, should be added to the Social Security system.
The Junta has disputed the sanction, stating assistants are expected to support classroom activities and are not required to grade, plan lessons, or evaluate students, meaning the sum paid to the assistants is a grant rather than a salary.
The regional government has also stated that it is not responsible for the legal status or employment classification of the assistants.
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