Hi all! We’re t-minus 6 days away from the start of the auxiliar school year now… and I’ll be arriving back in Madrid on Monday! First, I’m going to a wedding in New Hampshire this weekend, which is going to be a great reunion with a bunch of friends I don’t get to see enough. And I’ll head straight to Madrid (via London) from Boston, and straight to work the next day 😉
I’ve had an amazing couple of months at home, but part of me is itching to get back to my constant jet-setting life and the stability of my daily life. Also, I’ve missed the kids A TON. I can’t wait to see how much they’ve grown!
This is the last post I’m going to have for this series. Most first-years are probably settled by now, so we’ve gotten the most important things out of the way. Housing and finding a bank account. Establishing legal status (TIE and Empadronamiento). And today, we’ll cover the Madrid Transport Card (abono), and health insurance.
Madrid Transport Card (abono)
If you’re in Madrid – and you haven’t already – you’ll want to sign up for a transport card. They also sell a 10-use pass, which is what you’ll probably want to use for your first few weeks before you get your card. For €12.20 (plus a €2 new card fee the first time), you can get 10 trips within Zone A. And you can reload it as many times as you want or need!
But for the long term, you’ll want to get an abono, which is an unlimited metro pass for a set price. If you’re 25 or under, you qualify for the abono joven, which means you’re basically one of the luckiest people alive. For €20 per month, you get unlimited travel between all zones in Madrid. As someone who takes the metro sometimes 3x a day, this is a crazy good deal.
If you’re 26 or older, there are different abonos available, depending on which zones you travel to frequently. The cheapest ticket – staying within Zone A only – is €54. See the full chart here.
You can apply for an abono online or in-person at one of the offices, at larger stations marked on the map with a red rectangle and “Public Transport Card Office.” I believe if you apply in person, you get your card immediately (though you must make an appointment); if you apply online, it takes about 2 weeks to receive your card in the mail.
Learn more about applying in person and scheduling an appointment here or apply online here.
Health Insurance
A couple years ago, I was toying with the idea of becoming an auxiliar for the first time. And if your parents are anything like mine, health care coverage was one of the first things they asked about when I told them.
Lucky for us, full health insurance is provided by the Ministry program (and BEDA, and probably others as well). This is listed on your carta de nombramiento, though it doesn’t really mention any details.
After I arrived in September, it was the end of November before I needed to put my health insurance to the test. I knew that I had “Generali” as the insurer, but I didn’t have a card or anything. So when I made my appointment at a Generali-approved clinic, I brought a printout of my “temporary insurance number” that had been emailed to me on September 28. That seemed to be fine, and it worked when I went back to the doctor in December, January, and February. Finally, in March – yes, more than halfway through the program’s duration – I finally received my physical card in the mail. Actually, it was delivered to my school.
So, what did my health insurance cover? Everything. Two Emergency Room (urgencias) visits, lab tests, and multiple doctor’s appointments. I never paid anything. However, it didn’t cover any prescriptions that I needed filled. These were never more than €20 anyway, so I didn’t mind.
This year’s insurance provider for the Ministry is Cigna, which already seems to have it together better than Generali did. On September 12 this year, Cigna sent out insurance plan documents via email. It was awesome to have all the details of coverage in English, spelled out fully – this is way more than Generali ever did last year. Our coverage this year began on September 15 and ends on August 31, 2020. This is really nice because it provides coverage prior to the school year… and for more than 2 months after!
According to an email that came out last week, first-year auxiliares can pick up their health insurance cards at the orientations taking place today, tomorrow, and Friday. Last year, there was only one orientation, so I’m not sure how this one is organized. Anyway, I’m not sure how or when I’ll get my insurance card since I don’t have to attend the orientation.
But honestly, that’s the auxiliares program in a nutshell. Lots of confusion, ambiguity, and hoping for the best. 🙂
Best of luck to all auxiliares this year – whether you’re a first year or a fifth year, here’s to a great school year in Spain!
-Cathy
Originally Published on September 24, 2019.
Leave a Reply