Teaching English in Spain
 

Hi,

I posted this in the wrong forum earlier but I am thinking about leaving the UK, hopefully for good. I am planning to do the CELTA teaching qualification in March, and then trying to teach English overseas. I already have a degree and postgrad degree, but not in teaching English. I would prefer somewhere nice and warm like Spain. Does anyone here live in Spain and make a reasonable wage teaching English? Unfortunately, I know very little Spanish although I took 3 semesters. I dont remember any of it though. Errr mucho gracias.

Re: Teaching English in Spain
 

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Re: Teaching English in Spain
 

Although you don't need Spanish to teach English to Spanish kids it helps for speaking to their parents! With a Celta or Tefl qualification you should be able to walk into an Academia if you're the right kind of person. Good English teachers are in demand.

Re: Teaching English in Spain
 

I must disagree. When I used to coach French secondary school pupils, they only cottoned on when I explained English Grammar in French grammatical terms. The main purpose being to help them get better marks and pass their exams. Adults are a different category and don't need to learn English Grammar in the same way, and the OP could concentrate firstly on teaching adults.

Re: Teaching English in Spain
 

Hi,

If you hope to get work after finishing your TEFL cert. in March, it is not the best time of year to find work in Spain. You'd have more chance of finding work in Sept/Oct or possibly January.

It certainly helps if you can speak at least some Spanish, but if not you can learn once there. If you get work in a language school (academia), your employer and colleagues will probably be able to help or advise you.

Check out Dave's ESL Cafe forum, TEFL.com and Loquo website. These sites may also give you an indication of what you would earn. If you are prepared to share a flat and live cheaply, you should be able to manage on a fairly low salary. Most language schools only take on teachers from Sept/Oct to June on 9 month contracts, so you'll need to find work elsewhere in summer.

You don't say whether you are EU national - you used the word "semester" which makes me think you may be from north America... If that's the case, you will find it much harder to get work in Spain than someone with a EU passport.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Re: Teaching English in Spain
 

Well, opinion is divided. My boss at the academia where I work has told me off for using *any* English in class. People better qualified than myself seem to be of the opinion that only the target language should be used in class. I too find it easier to use just a little for, as you say, explaining grammatical terms, or rather, specifically the differences between the way Spanish use Grammar and the way the English use it. On the other hand. The role of the native speaker is more about making the child feel comfortable using the target language than going deeply into grammar which they get at school and which often turns them off. I wasn't sure when I started if I'd be any good at teaching because I worried about my knowledge of Grammatical terms. I've now picked most of it up, but find that this is the least important part of a native speaker's role in English teaching. The most important being making sure the children, or indeed the adults find learning a new language fun. The OP should certainly not be put off taking a TEFL or Celta course and getting started if they find they enjoy teaching and the students enjoy learning from them.

Re: Teaching English in Spain
 

Hi, thanks for the replies. No, I am not American, just British, but I did attend uni in the US and thats where I learned a bit of Spanish. Like I said, I have forgotten it now. I did quite a lot of tutoring in the US also, which I can put on my CV. Life in the UK seems to be going nowhere, just low paid temp jobs. I want a change.

Re: Teaching English in Spain
 

So you think Spain is better.. with a much higher unemployment rate, overall generally much lower wages, and a huge reliance on the low paid temp jobs such as the hospitality industry, an ecconomy that is much worse than the UK, and with little hope of an upturn in the short to medium term.

Re: Teaching English in Spain
 

Thanks for the input. :goodpost:

Re: Teaching English in Spain
 

Well, I guess that's the whole point of teaching English abroad though. Speaking from personal experience of having done that for 9 years now as a freelancer in the Netherlands, I'm planning on doing the same as SJones76 - moving to Spain and teaching English to those who realise that these days, they need to work on their language skills to secure a better position in the increasingly competitive job market on a global scale.

It's not just the UK and Spain that have unemployment challenges, but when you strive to help people to feel comfortable and be themselves in a foreign language, the greatest rewards are much more than financial. Spain is a relatively cheap country to live in, though generally, people are paid less per hour there, but that can differ vastly depending on your experience, sector and choice of work rhythm and hours.

From the years of experience I have gained here, I soon intend to pursue the same line of work there, and I wish you, SJones76 the best of luck in pursuing your dreams, too! When I did my TEFL back in 2006, people told me I was mad to give up a permanent office job, there was no work, etc..but you know what...they were all wrong! I've carved a very successful career for myself here and am still in contact with a number of my corporate and private learners, who have been more than happy to recommend me to their friends, co-workers and associates over the years.

And yes, I do speak Dutch fluently and I must admit, it has helped me to teach the beginner levels somewhat more effectively when they need some technical grammatical explanations. I'm sure though, that by doing an intensive course when you get there, it will help you refresh what you've already learned in the past and you can use what you have learned in your lessons, in your lessons with your learners, making you a much more effective teacher. People will always want to learn English, so don't let the lack of language stop you - you can learn their language too, right?

So, to sum up, I think that it's all about each individuals perspective, actions and outlook...if you have a clear vision of what you want to do and achieve, and you pursue it in your actions, you will succeed! :thumbsup:

Best wishes for success and happiness to you and yours, SJones76! :thumbup:

Re: Teaching English in Spain
 

I remember Julie Burchill saying that working class girls should be encouraged to become a page 3 girl because it is better than working in a supermarket

I tend to think that for many Brits moving to Spain it is a similar situation

Yes it is very difficult build a life for oneself in Spain, way more difficult than in the UK, but at least that person isn´t still in the UK feeling sorry for themselves!

Re: Teaching English in Spain
 

Thanks for the encouragement guys.... it never hurts to give it a shot does it..... I will be going to Edinburgh hopefully to complete the month long CELTA course and then will start looking for jobs.... Thanks for the help.

Re: Teaching English in Spain
 

Well, good luck with your course Mr/Ms Jones...! And just wondering...why do the TEFL in the UK, when you could do that in Spain (or anywhere else for that matter) where you'll have daily practice with foreigners, either in or outside of lesson times?
Often, they can help you to get your first job or make local contacts, which is sooooo important for gaining first hand experience...and you get to suss out the employment situation whilst there. Had you considered that or have you already signed up for the Edinburgh one now?
Best of luck either way - hope you enjoy it to the fullest! :thumbsup:

Re: Teaching English in Spain
 

Thats a pretty good idea. I started looking into doing the Trinity Cert TESOL today and sent off an application to a school in Valencia. Cheers buddy.

Re: Teaching English in Spain
 

:thumbsup: Good for you!! I did mine in Prague years ago and it was a brilliant experience! It was 140 hours with a few downs and tons of ups, so was definitely worth doing. Best of luck with your application! Am sure you'll have a blast!! :thumbup: