Country info and advice - Spain
The following comments are from teachers who have taught, or are currently teaching, in Spain. If you are a teacher and have some advice to share, please add it here.
As a friend
of mine said once: "being an English teacher is like being a monkey."
Not only are we English teachers trying to
make a difference by helping people speak our language, but we are entertainers
for an hour to an hour and a half; therapists as we hear about their
problems in life; saints for the patience we have for their pronunciation and
correcting the same mistakes we hear over and over; babysitters for a group of 5
to 10 teenagers in a summer class; fortune tellers when we can finish their
sentences before they can because we know the mistake they're going to make and,
finally, cheerleaders when we see that they're either making progress or not,
and they just need a little encouragement to keep going. If you really look at
it, it's a real bargain for them because it's like one-stop shopping! So, who
could ask for more?
Spain is a great country with a lot to offer anyone, especially work for English
teachers. I've been living in Madrid for 4 1/2 years and have been teaching
English for most of this time. Anyhow, I hope the advice here will help you if
you're thinking about making a move and working in Madrid, or other places in
Spain.
YOU AND YOUR WORK
In comparison to other western European countries, Spain is behind in its level
of English, and it's trying to catch up. They know this and know that English is
extremely important to move ahead in the working world; therefore, the demand
for English teachers is high. Teachers can find work at
academies and/or have private one-to-one classes. The school term generally
begins in October and ends during the last half of June, although, private
classes will start up again in September. The pay, of course, is better from
private classes than from an academy, but you'll find that most teachers work
with both. However, if you plan to stay and work here in the summer, please note
that those private students may not want or need classes in July and August.
With that in mind, start thinking about summer work in April and May. English is
offered at many summer camps for kids, and academies will offer intensive
courses during this time, too (July-September). Working at an academy can be a
blessing or pain. They basically all work in the same way and pay, more or less,
the same. Hourly rates range from 9 to 15 euros. This, of course, depends on the
academy, your experience, when you teach (e.g. nights or weekends) and where you
teach (e.g. business English at a company, which may or may not be in the city
center).
YOU AND THE LANGUAGE
A good knowledge of Spanish will help you understand the mistakes your students
make, which are generally literal translations (e.g. the misuse of prepositions,
sentence structures, etc). If you work at an academy which offers free Spanish
classes for foreigners, take advantage of it. Whether you just want to brush up
on your high school Spanish and learn something other than "una cerveza, por
favor" or start from scratch, it will help you in the long run.
You will be surprised to find how many people don't speak English, or they speak
very little. Although, keep in mind, that a Spaniard will feel really
embarrassed to speak English and will doubt that they said something correctly.
I've even asked my students: "What would you say if someone came up to you on
the street and asked you: do you speak English?" Most responded by saying either
"no, I don't" or "I speak a little." Of course, I said to them that the person
probably just wants directions to the Puerta del Sol rather than discussing the
meaning of life on the corner of Gran Vía!
UFF! Just count down from 10: ten, nine, eight...Now, I feel better.
YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS
You will find that Spanish students are quite friendly and willing to learn, but
they'll want you to perform an overnight miracle. Unfortunately, we can't wave a
magic wand, like Harry Potter, and make them speak English. You will also find
that Spaniards are also shy. This seems the contrary to what you may think when
you see them in any social atmosphere. They will also be the first to put
themselves down when they talk about their level of English with you. You will
hear them say that they have a low level, their English isn't very good, and
they've forgotten what they had already learned...7 years ago. Although, jumping
into the deep end first (i.e. having an intermediate level and wanting to do a
First Certificate class) isn't uncommon to hear about either. Furthermore,
don't expect all of your students to study outside of class, unless, perhaps,
they're preparing for an English certification exam. Many will simply say that
they "don't have the time to study." I think this is a half-truth. I think if
you want to do something, you make time to do it. Although, contrary to popular
myth, Spaniards do work a lot. They work long hours during the day, which
generally begins between 8am and 9am and generally finishes between 6pm and 8pm.
So, if they don't do the homework you assign or review the last lesson and
vocabulary, just accept it. It's really up to them if they want to increase
their level or not.
YOU AND YOUR "HOME SWEET HOME"
Housing is a big issue in Spain. Rents are high, apartments/flats are small and
salaries are low. Don't be surprised to find a 30 sq. meter flat or studio for
over 600 euros a month. Word of mouth is your best-bet for finding a place. Of
course, you can go around the neighborhoods looking for "for rent"/"se alquila"
signs or look in the newspapers. Those newspaper ads can be dodgy too (i.e.
seems good when you read about it, then you see it and think better of it), or
they've rented the place that very same day the ad comes out. If you go out to
live on your own, keep in mind that owners may want a 3 month's deposit with the
contract; so, don't be surprised. Also remember, renters have more rights than
the owners when you have a contract. Even though your contract may be good for 2
years, it's actually good for 5, and the owner can only raise your rent each
year according to the rate of inflation (IPC). After 5 years, the owner may
raise it to whatever he/she wants to. If you go through an agency, keep in mind
that you'll lay out even more money for a flat.
YOU AND YOUR SCHEDULE
Students generally have class twice a week, and the majority want to have class
after work. So, most of your time in class can be spent between 4pm and 9pm
leaving you with chunks of the day free to do...whatever. Keep in mind that
Madrid is growing rapidly, so, be sure you're not travelling all over creation
just to give English classes. Madrid has an extensive transport system, but if
you have to do one class in the suburbs and then come back into the center for
another set of classes, you're going to quickly burn yourself out and drive
yourself crazy from racing from one class to another. Cities do have monthly
passes, which generally go up in price each January. The current rate for a pass
in Madrid is 37.15 euros (zone A).
Overall, Spain is a good place to live and teach. Getting useful advice by
speaking with other English teachers here will help you enjoy your experience
and understand the "Spanish way," which in itself can be mind-boggling,
frustrating and can drive you to drink, however, it can also be fun, exciting
and memorable. ĄBuena suerte!
If you would like to teach in
Spain, it is worth looking at interesting, cultural cities apart from Barcelona
and Madrid. Salaries tend to be more or less the same, but the cost of renting
is much more affordable. Socially, it takes a while to get started, so be
prepared for some lonely months until you find your feet. I teach twenty six
hours to earn the same kind of money I would have been earning in England. Wages
are getting better in Spain as good language schools want good quality teachers.
However, you may find yourself putting the hours in. Be prepared to work long
hours, but with none of the accompanying stress of teaching in Britain.
Coming from the States, it's
difficult to accept or adapt to some working conditions here. For example, most
teachers work split shifts, like 8 - 10am doing company classes, then 2 - 4pm at
another company, and rounding off the day with more classes from 5 - 9pm in the
evening. Add in some 3 hours for travel time per day and you'll soon start
wondering what was so great about Spain in the first place. If you're fortunate,
you land a job with a reputable academy, be offered a contract with benefits,
have some flexibility with schedules so that you're not teaching or travelling
24/7 and you'd have your own time to do things unrelated to work. However, you
would compromise income potential (which isn't great, but it's sufficient to get
by). It's amazing what a difference 200 Euros per month can make. So why do it?
Because despite all the drawbacks, it's a change from the routine trappings of
life in the States, and it's a joy to teach people who actually want to learn
and can have fun doing so. So, if you're proactive, organized, work hard, you
can eventually come to reap some non-monetary rewards. It's not for everyone,
but it's an invaluable learning experience in itself.
I left Northern Ireland 12
years ago to come and work in Spain for a nine month contract, and I'm still
here! I think it's a really great help if you've got at least some knowledge of
the
language before coming here. Try not to stick to a group of only English
speakers, that means it's extremely difficult to improve your Spanish and get to
know the locals.
Try to avoid the typical tourist areas which are more expensive and go for
smaller towns. There are a few projects in the pipeline now for bi-lingual
schools because the way English is taught in schools is quite bad, I mean the
education system, therefore so many academies exist for that special help.
Working in Spain can be difficult at the beginning, I've known people who came
here, stayed a few weeks and left, they thought it wasn't worth hanging in
there.
I've now worked for four different institutions. My first job was in a teacher
training college, the typical "language assistant" you've seen in secondary and
grammar schools at home. Then in private academies, where the money was quite
bad, but it's all experience and you'll know not to get taken in again. I must
admit it depends on the academy, the one I work in now pays quite well and it's
run by a lady from England, where we're all "native" speakers - what's most in
demand at the moment.
I began working with young adults and adults and also company classes. I have
some really nice memories from those students, the majority are interested in
learning and do listen, whereas you get the typical company crowd, some take
advantage of the classes, others simply pass their time. I'm now working with
children from 4 years old upwards and I must admit it's the most rewarding age
group - children are little sponges: they repeat and use everything you say, so
be careful! It's hard work because until they are 7+ we don't use textbooks as
such so there's a lot of preparation, but if you've got lots of ideas you should
do well.
I'd just say GO FOR IT! It's a change in routine, climate, eating habits but
that's what we explain to many of our students and what can make it such an
adventure, also it shows you how independent - or not - you can be. Give it a go
and see for yourself. Good luck!
I've read with interest the
experiences of other teachers in Spain, however this is such a big diverse
country that it's not possible to generalise. I've lived and worked on the north
Costa Blanca for almost four years. Having worked in England both as a general
and business English teacher I came to Spain with the expectation of finding
work without too much difficulty. I did eventually find a few hours working in a
language school but the pay was less than half of what I earned in the UK
and the resources and general working conditions abysmal. Speaking with other
teachers this seemed to be the norm in this part of Spain. After a few months I
decided to go it alone. Registered as a self-employed teacher and advertised.
Four years down the line I have as many students as I can manage (I even have to
turn some away now), a good, steady income and much more job satisfaction. The
downside? Long Spanish holidays and fiestas mean that there are periods when I
don't earn anything, but because I earn more the rest of the year I can cope
with this. Life in Spain is great! Bueno suerte!
The language centres in the
bigger cities of Spain are more demanding when it comes to
qualifications/experience. They usually request 2 years' experience, preferably
with children, and a university degree... look before you leap!
Don't do it! The wages are
bad, the Spanish are disorganized. Language Schools are awful places to work,
you do all the work and they get all the money. Spain is not cheap any more. I
can't wait to get home.
The working conditions in
language schools in Spain are not very good even for Spanish people who studied
English, this is my problem and to be honest if you don't teach in a private or
public school, the work (teaching world) is quite limited and normally bad. I'm
trying to find a school to finish with this horrible timetable and find at least
a stability in my working hours and my salary.
The wages are less than McDonalds!
Summer camps are hell. You
work 16 hours a day and do not get an hourly rate so you end up getting less
than the minimum wage. TEFL teachers should form a union to stop the explotation
of teachers. Please do not take jobs with poor wages. It makes them low for all
of us!
Well, I've been in Spain since
February and started working for a well known language school at the beginning
of March. Yes, it can be difficult here, but I've never heard anyone say that
teaching is easy. I gave up my job in a factory where I'd worked for 13 years to
become an English teacher and I don't have any regrets. I'm still struggling
with the Spanish language and with the hours and now the summer is upon us. But
it is a rewarding job and if you have passion and motivation, you can be
successful.
Yes, I would agree the that
the wages are less than McDonalds but you work longer! Nice country but teachers
put up with very poor work conditions because so many teachers are happy to work
for schools that give poor wages just to live in spain.
25 hours a week contract but you work 40+hours a week. This is so true.
The growth area is in
company classes, the so-called "Business English" classes. You can earn a
reasonable amount of money, especially if you work freelance (not so difficult,
really.) What I would say is that it takes time to build things up... contacts,
a sensible timetable, knowledge of the market, etc. Don't expect to come out
here and be earning enough from day one. I'd say make sure you have enough to
survive for a year to be on the safe side. You can find work quickly through
agencies and academies but that's where you'll tend do get ripped off (lots of
hours, not a lot of money.) I wrote quite a lengthy article just recently on
this topic, aimed at people wanting to teach Business English which means you
generally need some commercial experience as well as some teaching/training
experience. You can find it here http://www.axlan.com/node/586 - it covers
things like earnings potential, how to get started, working hours, etc. Based on
the situation in Madrid, but probably applicable to other centres such as
Barcelona, Bilbao and so on.
Teaching in Spain has been a
great experience. The border of Galicia and Asturias was the chosen location.
Very low rents of under 300 a month for a beautiful beachside apartment term
time. The friendliest people, although English is not spoken too much. A couple
of language schools to choose from in the surrounding areas but not up to much,
run as businesses by unqualified staff with not much attention to the students'
needs. Privates much better for a basic lifestyle. I found the area expensive
for food, clothes, alcohol (apart from wine and cava) everything apart from rent
and tobacco, shampoo, cosmetics... extortionate prices. I find the UK much
cheaper. Hope to be back to Spain though when I've been back to the UK to top up
my income for the summer. I'd recommend it, but have a little money in the bank
for a decent standard of living.
Hola, I have taught English in
Spain for many years working in language schools across the country. I found
myself working for 8.00 per hour on the Costas and 15.00 per hour in Toledo. A
few years ago I decided to work for my self so I set up a language school in
Spain. I now earn more than ever. I have written down all my tips and advice
about how to set up a school in Spain www.myscuola.co.uk be your own boss.
All the wonderful advice above
seems to have forgotten one thing: If u donīt have papers/residency, good luck
being able to make ends meet in Spain. To work as an illegal...hey didnīt you
always wonder what it was like to be a wet-back? u can find some, and now less
with the crisis, academies that have no option. If the phone rings and the
academy says they donīt have a teacher: LOST SALE! Canīt have that in these
tough economic times. It gets even better in January since a lot of teachers
have thrown in the towel or their allotment of free beer coupons has run out.
The truth is Spain is not serious about learning English. If they were, they
would open visas for North Americans to come work here if only for one or two
years. If you DO have papers, everybody wants you to be an Autonomo. This means
you have to pay the governement over 250 euros per month, depending on your age,
as tribute for your hard work. Best of all is the 20 some days you donīt work in
Xmas, the 10 or so days you donīt work in Holy Week, July-hardly any work,
August-NO WORK!-and the innumerable other St days u donīt work and u donīt get
paid for, you still have to pony up and pay the King his ransom..;he he If you
like teaching kids, you have UE residency or you have the one year Teacher
Certificate, you may be able to get a job that pays the in-year holidays but you
still will NOT get paid summer holidays. VIVA ESPANA Anybody know where Manolo
Escobar lives let me know. lol.
I adore Spain but one thing that really
gets up my nose is their lack of organization and the telling of fibs. I recently accepted
work here, in Seville, teaching english for an organization that was funded by the government.
Yet on closer inspection the contract I was given was not considered a real contract,
nor was I paid the promised amount for my efforts. My advice is not to let yourself be
pushed over by their relaxed attitude. Ask a lot of questions and donīt accept anything that you are really counting on.
Make sure you have money saved
for all the rainy days and always keep your options open regardless of having a contract.
What I have learnt from my experience working in Spain is that the rules are made up
as they go along. However, saying this, if you donīt have to worry about money,
life here is amazing and leaving to go back home is going to be hard.
I moved to Zaragoza from London
4 months ago and think its the best decision ever! I teach in a small friendly
school for about 28 hours per week! I take home around 1150 euros and my rent
in a flatshare is 250 euros including all bills! Do the maths!! I live like a
king here, travel wherever I want and even manage to save!!
I have to echo what Steven said.
I also moved from London 2 and half years ago and although my salary is less here, my
quality of life is much much better. Why?
Well, I work for a private language academy for 24 hours a week. My take home pay is around
1300 to 1400 euros a month. My commuting costs are zero. My workplace is a ten minute walk
away in a city. I have a great timetable where I only work afternoons and evenings meaning
there's plenty of time to go out to Spanish bars after work. I have a nice large flat where
if I choose to have a lodger to pay the bills my monthly accommodation costs are in total
including bills around 300 a month. This means I have plenty of spare money to spend on good wine and eating and drinking out.
Then there's the great weather, and the students are in the main lovely, my company look after me well.
There are opportunities to further my knowledge by more training that is offered.
Dont worry about the language I came to Spain knowing about 6 words. I soon picked it up
and can get by OK now. There really is no reason to leave!
The downsides? Well, working in a medium sized city saves me the high rental costs of Madrid
or Barcelona but it can mean a limited social life. Fortunately I get on well with my colleagues
who I mostly socialise with. It is difficult to get to know Spaniards well. They are very family
orientated and tend to go out in big groups and stay with life long friends and famiiles.
Although generally the cost of living is reasonable, some things are a lot more expensive than the UK,
the Internet for starters!
The weather is superb but it's actually too hot to stay here in the summer and I always go back to
the UK to work in a summer school.
But all things considered its a wonderful life... yes I think I'll stay!
Wow, mixed opionions. I moved to a small village
50km from Madrid 2 years ago. I started offering private classes 17 months ago. I have now just trained
up a new teacher and looking to take on a second teacher in the next few weeks. As someone said the
Spanish people really do want to learn English and the parents are understanding the importance of
their children learning. I'm now looking at opening an Educational centre for English but also for
other school subjects. The public educational system isn't great so parents want help with all subjects.
I have an awesome life, I'm a single mum who can plan lessons around my daughter, the sun is shining
and I'm independant. I'm not rich but my lifestyle is better than I could ever have living in the UK! Ps,
the cava really is cheap!!
Watch out for the famous "envelope".
Most EFL teachers in Spain will know what I'm on about, that is to say varying chunks of
your wage being handed to you cash in hand.
It may look fine at first, but that means your social security contributions are being dodged.
The concrete result? Less sick pay if you fall ill, even lower dole money if you're unemployed
(in Spain it's calculated proportionally to your contributions) and, of course, FA pension which
means all those years of hard work will contribute little or nothing when you're old and frail.
An alarming number of Spanish "Academies" do this, no matter the nationality of the owner.
"This is Spain", is the token answer, a reference to the fact that loads of small businesses
in Spain pay their staff cash in hand.
Spain is a beautiful country. The food is great, the drinks are amazing, the night life, the people,
etc, but a TEFL job in Spain is the closest to a dead end job you could possibly find. Sure, there
are exceptions, but the rule is casual contract after casual contract, zero career progression,
long and dysfunctional timetables, students who don't give a s*** (no coincidence the Spaniards
are officially at the bottom of European tables when it comes to languages).
The maximum you will earn as an autonomo
in the south of Spain is 1000e for only 8/9 months of the year. In fact 700-800 is probably
more like it because of the limited hours of work 5-9pmish.You need to have a reasonble
level of conversational Spainish. The usual problem with being autonomo is finding enough regular
work to make it possible to pay 250euros per month. For autonomo in the 3 summer months when
there is no money to be made for most people. It's a common problem i.e making enough to pay
the autonomo fees, southern spain.
I have worked for 10 years illegal, 15 hour a week contracts,
while actually working 13 hour days, 5 days a week, killing myself for the owners of the academies. I received a
letter from the government, that shows I have accumulated 4 years worked in 10 years. When you have no work in the
summer, and need to claim the dole, you get less, so it's hard to survive. Corruption is rife here. They think
nothing of lying and cheating, it's in their nature.
Apart from the terrible exploitation of foreigners here, you have to put up with racism, ignorance, and arrogance.
People here really love themselves, and they think they're the best!
Yesterday I went to look at a flat for rent, and the landlady said she didn't like foreigners! Another told me that
foreigners come here with no house, begging them to rent flats! Ha, us begging? They're the ones demanding too much money, for shity pokey flats.
They want you to teach them English, but you get nothing in return, apart from isolation, and exploitation, and
having to pay for overpriced shitty accommodation.
I was in Valencia, and now I'm in Galicia. I wouldn't recommend either to anyone, however, Galician people are more
backwards, considering the whole of Spain is at least 50 years behind the rest of Europe, and is considered to be the
worst country in Europe, verging on third world standards! What standards!
I haven't mentioned that they're very sexist, and women here are second class citizens, and that brothels are legal,
and if you have a Spanish boyfriend, beware, he may be paying for sex, and telling you he's busy working! For them it's
the norm to pay prostitutes, and some of them meet their girlfriends in brothels. They have no education about diseases!
What bothers me the most, is that the girls working in the brothels, are sometimes brought to Spain by the mafia,
and are misled. It's human trafficking, and to make things worse, the government claims tax from the brothel owners,
but the girls work with no contracts, and have no rights to dole, or pension! What double standards. But this is human
trafficking I'm talking about here! Hey why does the government claim tax and encourage this, and they know it's
happening, but they're only concerned about money. They have no shame. ÂĄSinverguenzas!
If foreigners like Spain, it's for the booze, sunshine, and cheap sex. There really is nothing else here to like.
The people are rude, and corrupt. They have psychopathic genes.
If you're a girl, don't expect a boy to commit to you. They're the worst boyfriends in the world. Very selfish,
and they usually want to live with mummy, sometimes until they're 40 years old.
I must mention, that my own mother is Spanish, but she left the country at 18 years old, like millions of others who
emigrated from Spain, to find a better life. When Spaniards leave Spain, they realise that their country, and people are not the best.
Another thing to bear in mind, is that Spain lived it's best years in history from 2001 to 2008, the industrial boom.
They built like madmen, and really badly, and now they have millions of empty, overpriced flats. Now the building
industry has gone for many years, they have to rely on turism, ha, they hate us foreigners, but they need our money!
Also the sex industry always does well here, because it's run by the mafia (and Spanish government), and is very cheap.
I should write a book, but I don't want to waste more time on this pitiful place, which is a shambles. So I will now
put my energy into getting the hell out of here.
DO NOT COME TO SPAIN.
This year will be my second year working as an Auxiliar de
conversacion in a small vilage outside of Malaga. Iīve loved the job despite the extreme lack of organization
of the Junta de Andalucia, our boss, per say. Itīs been fun, especially as a Sociology and Spanish major to learn
about my community and begin to create some english programs which mold to the needs of this particular community.
Iīm interested in becoming a public school teacher but, due to the fact that Iīm American and donīt have my
degree in the English language (I wouldnīt of course as a native speaker) it seems that I wonīt be allowed to
take the oposiciones. Iīve asked absolutely everwhere from the consolate, university, edificio negro etc etc but
no one seems to know. If any of you have an answer or know someone who might I would really appreciate your help.
Your qualifications don't matter, Katelyn. Unless you're a
Spanish citizen (with a Spanish passport, not just temporary legal residence) you're officially barred from
entering the public teaching sector.
"Nice polite English", you seem to have pretty high standards for yourself. Don't be such a bag of prejudices. Spain is a wonderful country.
If your advice is about a specific school, please post it in our forum
English Language Schools in Spain
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