Dylan Upstell, English Teacher & Head of Studies at i-Kids
For anyone living in Vilassar de Mar, Dylan Upstell will be both a familiar and friendly figure. Born in Bolton (Manchester), Dylan moved to Portsmouth in the South of England when he was two years old.
He first came to Spain from the UK in 2013 and soon found his niche as an English teacher working his way up to Head of Studies at i-Kids. i-Kids was founded in 2008 using methodology from Singapore and since become an established language academy in Maresme. Here is Dylan’s story.
Dylan Vilassar de Mar
Growing up in Portsmouth wasn’t a bad life, it had its ups and downs. One memory I have is being able to go to the beach with my friends in summer (all 2 weeks of it!) and jumping off all the super high piers into the sea (a stupid idea I know). But my main memory is always playing football in the park with my friends from the estate.
My parents were and are very hard working. They both worked for the National Health Service for 20 years. My mum, Sara, was a theatre nurse and my dad, Terry, was the head of the head and neck unit. They taught me a lot, but the main things were to always work hard for what you want, enjoy life and always be respectful.
I wasn’t the greatest student. I was in trouble quite a bit, on report cards and always in detention, which I have learned to regret. I didn’t enjoy school due to bullying, which made me “rebel”, act out and skip classes. But one thing I’m happy about is that 80% of the time I was always respectful to my teachers.
When I was 18 living back in Bolton I had some family issues and I was quite lost and stuck in a rut, doing nothing with my life. When one day my parents mentioned that they had become Aupairs at my age, I looked into it and ended up finding a family here in Vilassar de Mar. 11 years later I’m still here!
Living in Vilassar de Mar was like a dream. Living in a small Spanish beachside town is a lot of people’s dream and luckily enough for me, I was living it! Most people spoke English, so that made life a lot easier, as I didn’t speak any Spanish at the time. I met quite a few amazing people and lived so many amazing experiences and that is why I ended up staying!
One of the many things I love about my job is how well I connect with not only the students, but their families too. I have had the pleasure of meeting so many incredible people through my work. I get invited to students’ birthday parties, sports events and even to their houses for Christmas! But the biggest thing is when they come to me super happy and proud of themselves when they get a really good mark in their school or uni exams! I’m super proud of all my students.
I have matured so much in every way a person can. I came here as an 18-year-old ‘child’, with not a care in the world. I was just doing what I wanted, when I wanted, which worried quite a few people, especially my family back home, as they knew what I was like in England. But I’m so proud to see the man I have become today.
What I love most about my life in Maresme is the people. The people are amazing. They have welcomed me with open arms. It didn’t matter about the language barrier or anything, they saw a guiri sitting alone and accepted me into their lives. Having the beach two minutes from my house and the mountain just up the road is incredible too.
I do miss my friends and family in the UK, especially my sister, Daisy. I know it’s the typical answer, but I also miss going to watch football down the pub, popping over to my nan’s for some dinner or just a chat and having so many laughs with my family. Another thing I do miss are the music festivals. They are on another level back home! Also, I can’t forget a good Greggs Sausage Roll.
I was told once “you can count your friends on one hand”. I will always remember that as I always used to hang around with the wrong crowd, which always led me down a bad path. But since being told that and actually thinking about it, it has made me realise who around me genuinely loves me and wants me to do well. That has made me focus on my life more as I want to make them proud.
I have been stuck one too many times in life and one thing I always did was change routine. I would advise anyone looking to make a change in their life to separate themselves from everyone and everything for a while. Find out what you need to do to become ‘unstuck’, one thing at a time, don’t try to do it all at once, it won’t work!
I am looking forward to seeing where life takes me. I’m loving my work, I love my friends and life here in Vilassar de Mar. I try to live in the present as you never know what might come next! But one thing I do hope for in the future has to be owning my own English Academy to carry on doing the job I love!
Quick fire Questions
Fave restaurant in Maresme?
Favela Café in Vilassar is my go to for daily life, but Hostal de la Plaça in Cabrils is amazing, and great food!Best weekend activity in Maresme?
I’m quite active so for me it would be going for a run in the mountains or on the beach.Friendliest shop in Maresme?
I don’t do a lot of shopping here in Maresme, I normally do it all online or in Barcelona. But the staff in Traus (Vilassar der Mar) are always very helpful.What would surprise people the most when they come to Maresme?
The ‘nightlife’. You always see families out (with and without their kids) and people of all ages in the squares until 1 or 2am having dinner, a drink and just laughing and having fun!
Find out more about i-Kids for kids and adults via their website or Instagram.
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