TEFL forum

Hi...

I wondered if I could get some advice please! I am planning on moving to Spain for a few months, starting in March, as thats the soonest I can afford to leave the UK. I'll be coming with a friend and by then we will have both completed our 100 hour TEFL dioplomas.

We have read plenty about Madrid and found the reports to indicate that teaching there is often a struggle. We don't want to teach in Barcelona. Sevilla seems like a good option for us as fun loving 30 year olds who want to experience a bit of the Spanish culture while not financially crippling ourselves and gaining some valuable teaching experience to get us started teaching around the world. We were planning on initially coming for 3 months, from March to June, but are not sure how realistic this would be for two beginners with no experience, and only the one of us having a degree.

Basically we would like to know how realistic our expectations are, how financially viable it is to work in Sevilla at the moment - we want to be able to afford to live a little and experience the culture while we're there, but won't be bringing any major savings along! We want to stick together as much as possible, although if we're not likely to find work in the same school its not an issue as long as we're nearby. We need somewhere that has decent nightlife and lots going on, and are open minded about where we head to.

Any advice, bearing in mind these circumstances, would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks a lot.

Caroline

The amount of hours you will be able to secure in a school might not be enough to support your nightlife. It is unlikely that you will get many good offers considering that you don’t quite fulfil the standard requirements (Degree + TEFL Cert. + experience) and you are only available to stay for 3 mths.

You might end up having to work for more than one school to secure a decent salary. Having said that, Seville has many English language schools you could call on once you are there. However you should also bear in mind that Spain attracts many native English speakers who want to teach there to support themselves while abroad so you might find quite a bit of competition in popular places like Seville, Barcelona, Madrid and other major Spanish cities.

To sum up. If you want to have fun and do a bit of teaching on the side, save up and be prepared to use your savings!

I agree with Pete. The chances of you finding work for a 3 month period are slim. Schools in Seville, where I have been working for the past 5 years, begin the school term in October and end in June.

The only likely source of employment is going to be relief teaching for sickness. Try contacting some of the schools well in advance.

You also need to be aware of the need for a NIE - the national identification number - without which you will not be able to do any work. It can take hours of queueing and weeks of waiting before you get one of these.

Then there is the question of accommodation. If you arrive in Seville in March you arrive when the Semana Santa, the Feria, and various other festivals are starting. The availability of accommodation at these times is more problematic. In the past few years, Seville, like most European cities, has seen a huge rise in the cost of a room. Expect to pay 150-350 a month for a small room in a shared flat.

The only other alternative is to teach privately, but it takes time to advertise and find students. Without savings available you will soon run out of money.

As for Seville, it really is one of the most amazing and beautiful cities in Europe. It's forever warm and there is always plenty going on. It is a great place to teach, and many teacher who come here for "a year" end up staying forever. If you are serious about teaching in Seville, you need to start applying to schools in July-August, and plan to arrive in September to get the necessary accommodation and documentation sorted out before starting work.

Why don't you come over for a couple of weeks - you sound as if you could afford that - get a feel for the place and visit some of the many language schools?