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TEFL SPAIN /TESOL SPAIN
TEFL jobs Spain and a guide to teaching English in Spain
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| At a Glance - teaching English in Spain |
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Spain is hot. Both the temperature and the opportunities for EFL qualified teachers are high, as the demand for English seems to grow and grow. Although the days are gone when a native English speaker could walk into a language school and expect to be employed immediately, if you have a TESOL qualification you are in with a great chance of finding work.
Spain is the third-largest country in Western Europe and is famous for being a nation of diversity. There is a wealth of private teaching institutions and it is not just English for young learners any more – Spain has achieved dynamic growth over the past few years and there is a growing demand for Business English. So while it is still the place to go if you want to teach young learners and teenagers, you’ll also find increasing opportunities for adult and ESP classes as well.
Classes of young groups can be most rewarding, as they are quick to learn and less inhibited about practising English. On the negative side, unwilling children are often forced into taking private lessons to help them through school exams. Tired and bored Spanish teenagers can be very disruptive, as many a careworn EFL teacher will testify. To help you keep control we suggest that you learn some basic Spanish and brush up on your disciplinary techniques (or see the Global English Level 2 TESOL Module 2 on Classroom Management!)
The beauty, warmth and history of Spain make it a popular destination for the new EFL teacher. You can expect to find many British people even outside the big cities and it can be very comfortable to slip into the ‘Expat’ community. However you will need to make a conscious effort to learn the language and to socialise outside this cosy environment if you wish to experience the ‘real Spain’.
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Although EFL positions in Spain do still appear from time to time in the Guardian on Tuesdays, the Times Educational Supplement on Fridays and the EL Gazette (all UK), most Spanish ‘academias’ will hire the majority of their teaching staff from ‘walk-ins’. This obviously favours the teacher who is prepared to travel and apply for jobs on spec. But if you are looking in advance, try the Spanish Yellow Pages for a location by location list of language schools: www.paginas-amarillas.es (academias de idiomas). You’ll find that some schools are well organised and try to hire their new teachers from April onwards, although this does not necessarily mean you will miss out if you haven’t got your CV in by then. Most contracts start at the beginning of the academic term in October, so several of our graduates have gone to Spain in September and been successful in finding work for an October start. There are also opportunities for picking up work in January when the new terms begin.
The quickest way of fixing up a job is to take the ‘door-to-door’ approach. Also see the advice of one of our former students in the Student Comments section below and have a look at one of our staffroom pages on finding work overseas for more general information and tips on your CV.
Once you are established and have proved yourself (after around a year of teaching) you should find it easier to gain a second contract, or you will be able to pick and choose your next position more easily. By then you may have gained enough contacts to freelance (teaching English to private students), which is more financially lucrative.
Again, you’ll probably find that Spain is a country where you will earn more money if you decide to freelance. Contacts and a good knowledge of the language will be important, especially getting started. But as with Portugal, expect late hours. It is not uncommon to bid farewell to your students at around 10pm when the lesson ends (although the hospitable nature of the Spanish will mean you’ll be invited out for ‘tapas’, which could go on well into the night!) However, unlike the Portuguese, Spanish students do not seem to have the good ear for the language and some teachers find it frustrating that student progress isn’t faster.
The cities are cosmopolitan and high-paced, so more and more teachers are looking for smaller towns where the cost of living isn’t so high. You’ll be teaching anywhere from 25 – 30 hours a week on a standard contract at an ‘academia’, but if you freelance then you can set your own timetable and teach as much or as little as you want to (or can afford).
In addition to your Global English TESOL certificate you will often need a degree and any teaching practice or teaching experience you have should be highlighted on your CV. When you apply for a job, ensure you highlight any commercial (business) experience or any contact with children.
For EU nationals it can be a slow process to obtain the necessary paperwork to live and work here. Although you can often start work quite quickly after receiving a job contract, the hoops to jump through are numerous, so it helps if you can find an employer who is prepared to assist you (and the better ones will). For non-EU teachers, the bureaucracy involved in hiring makes it difficult to secure a contract unless you have lot of experience. But it is possible and we know of some non-EU passport holders who are working successfully there.
Flights and accommodation are rarely included in first year contracts, but sometimes you will be able to negotiate these in to your deal if you stay on with the same school.
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30 year old German national Karin Raffa, took our Level 2 TESOL and started teaching English in Germany before moving to Spain. She says:
I like living in Spain very much. The weather, the people, the life style... I think there are a lot of opportunities as there a many private language schools constantly looking for teachers. They like to employ native speakers as it is always demanded in job advertisements. I’m not native English but I’m foreign. Obviously that was enough to give me a try. Furthermore, I think that it is much easier to find a job in Spain than in Germany. I sent some applications via internet and some schools I just called to leave a message and I received answers from all schools I called. Sometimes they offer you just a few lessons a week, so you normally work for more than one school. At the moment I’m teaching English and German.
I’m very glad that I took the course. Actually it was fun and a good preparation for classroom teaching. If anyone wants to start teaching, I strongly recommend a TESOL course. It gives you a solid knowledge of how to lead a class successfully through a planned lesson and offers you
plenty of job opportunities around the world.
Jennifer Cross completed her Global English Level 2 TESOL with business and then went to Barcelona, Spain – here she writes about her experiences...
If you are considering moving to Barcelona to teach English then you are not alone.
Barcelona is a city flooded with native English speakers - English, American, Irish, Scottish and Australian alike are here to enjoy the year-long sun, costal beaches, and excessive work-life balance that Barcelona is so renowned for through teaching English to its citizens.
But not to fret. One can find work in Barcelona through the use of persistence, patience and a little bit of good luck. This is my experience -- maybe it will help you as well.
Networking and a Nest -- Networking is important and having money saved is important as well. I arrived in Barcelona with almost $10,000 to help me get started. It is an expensive city and you need to be prepared for the possibility that you may be looking for work for a while. As soon as I arrived I began trying to find other teachers to ask them what their experiences have been like. How much money are they making? Where are they teaching? Are they freelance? Is it hard to teach English?
I met with an American teacher for coffee and she told me her school is looking for a teacher -- that afternoon. Within 2 hours I was teaching my first English class. I was terribly under-prepared and I was so nervous. The school liked me enough as they gave me a few additional classes. Now, nearly a year later I work about 20 hours a week at this school (during the evening) and they are sponsoring my work visa.
Business English -- If you can manage to get a solid job teaching Business English it will be mighty helpful. These classes are usually in the morning and lunchtime. They expect a lot of you and you but the pay is usually higher than academy work and the students usually have at least an intermediate level. I teach every day at lunch at General Electric and last year I was teaching mornings at Accenture. It helps if you have a background in business, but even if not it is possible to get these prized positions. The best bet for this is to make a list of all the business English schools (from the yellow pages) and hand-deliver your CV.
Private Classes -- I teach 6 hours of private classes every week and it helps out a lot at the end of the month. These classes are fun because you are your own boss and you don't need to fill out any reports or follow a book. The best way to get these lined up is through networking. Everyone knows someone who knows someone who needs to improve their English for some reason or another.
Preparation -- I know some teachers who are total wingers. They wing their classes. 5 minutes before they decide what they will do and they go to class and just let it unfold. This unpredictability scares me. I prefer to plan my classes down to the minute so that there are no surprises. I am probably an excessive example to follow but preparation is important. If you are under-prepared for class -- your students will feel it.
To the Bank -- a lot of considering teachers are curious as to how much money they can expect to make in a month. I work around 29 hours a week and I make roughly 1,500 euros every month. This is once again, excessive. Teaching 29 hours is a lot. Unless you have outstanding debts to pay I wouldn't recommend working this many hours.
Global English Graduate Lynne Curtis is also teaching in Spain:
I am living and working in Spain on the Costa del Sol, but I live in the campo (mountains) above the coast - away from the tourists!! I help a couple of local children with their English and I enjoy it. When I have more time and I can speak a bit more Spanish, I hope to do more private teaching.
I love working abroad, everything about Spain is great.
Global English Tutor Martin Connole has considerable experience teaching in Spain:
I went to teach in Spain for one year in 1978 and then spent the next nine years trying to leave. I think I am still trying to leave, but one day I might just give in, and go back. There can be no higher recommendation for a country to teach in.
Have you taught in Spain? Could you share your experiences with others on this webpage? If so, please email us at info@global-english.com.
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British Council http://www.britishcouncil.org/
British Council in Spain: http://www.britishcouncil.org/spain.htm
Spanish Embassy UK: http://spain.embassyhomepage.com/
Spanish Embassy USA: http://www.spainemb.org/ingles/indexing.htm
Spanish National Tourist Office: http://www.spain.info/
Need more info? Go here: Teaching English Abroad
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DISCLAIMER
These pages are for general information only and whilst every effort has been made to ensure information is correct, it is up to the individual to thoroughly investigate the conditions of entry to countries and the legal working regulations. If offered a job, please carefully vet all terms and conditions. Inclusion of potential employment opportunities does not in any way represent a guarantee of employment.
When travelling overseas, please refer to your government’s own advice on current conditions in each country. The British Foreign Office website is a good resource for travel advice. Please follow the link: http://www.fco.gov.uk/
If you find a broken link or if you have an experience you would like to share with others about working in a particular country, please email us.
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