Teaching in Spain
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 1
Teaching in Spain
Hello. I am considering relocating to Spain to teach science. I have applied for jobs at British schools in Barcelona and Madrid. I have searched the Internet and I cannot find information on current teacher salaries. The only information or threads I can find indicate that the pay in British schools can be lower than Spanish schools and that teachers sometimes get second jobs to supplement their living. Is this true? In addition - what are the working hours for teachers if you include the time you put in for planning/ marking/ prep? I am currently doing 70 + hour weeks. I have heardthat some British schools have high turnovers so wonder if those teachers face similar pressures relating to workload. Any advice would be appreciated.
#2
Re: Teaching 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
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
#3
Re: Teaching in Spain
Hi missmillie
I taught in spain for 8 ytears, in three different schools. Salaries and conditions vary enormously which is why you won't find any definitive info online but yes, in general, they are not as good as for those teachers in state schools who have passed opposiciones.
My teaching load was heavy ish (the maximum allowed under spanish law), but I didn't find I had to dedicate long hours to paperwork and could easily keep on top of marking and preparation.
You won't get rich in spain, but if you don't need to save or to send money home, it's a great place to live and work. A word of warning however, there are some schools who play it fast and loose with employment law and assume that their staff, being foreigners, will just assume that's how things are in spain. There are other schools however who do things properly, you must be careful when choosing.
I taught in spain for 8 ytears, in three different schools. Salaries and conditions vary enormously which is why you won't find any definitive info online but yes, in general, they are not as good as for those teachers in state schools who have passed opposiciones.
My teaching load was heavy ish (the maximum allowed under spanish law), but I didn't find I had to dedicate long hours to paperwork and could easily keep on top of marking and preparation.
You won't get rich in spain, but if you don't need to save or to send money home, it's a great place to live and work. A word of warning however, there are some schools who play it fast and loose with employment law and assume that their staff, being foreigners, will just assume that's how things are in spain. There are other schools however who do things properly, you must be careful when choosing.
Last edited by rachelk; May 8th 2016 at 8:17 am.
#4
Re: Teaching in Spain
Hello. I am considering relocating to Spain to teach science. I have applied for jobs at British schools in Barcelona and Madrid. I have searched the Internet and I cannot find information on current teacher salaries. The only information or threads I can find indicate that the pay in British schools can be lower than Spanish schools and that teachers sometimes get second jobs to supplement their living. Is this true? In addition - what are the working hours for teachers if you include the time you put in for planning/ marking/ prep? I am currently doing 70 + hour weeks. I have heardthat some British schools have high turnovers so wonder if those teachers face similar pressures relating to workload. Any advice would be appreciated.
The workload is the same in any school so that is no different.
The best thing is to enjoy the experience as teaching is a passport to see the world and if you want to put up with the boredom of Dubai the Emirates is the only place to make money. I have worked in Europe, Far East and Africa and loved it. I only made any money though when I left teaching. Good luck.
#5
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 41
Re: Teaching in Spain
Hi i am currently in Madrid and working in a private British school in central Madrid.
Pay varies from school to school, but the "general salary" in a private school is around €25,000 a year gross.
This is more than enough to live off in Madrid even though its a capital city.
Working hours are around 8.30am until 5pm and workload can be heavy in private schools although more than manageable if you plan ahead.
Remember that private school are a business and are there to make profit and to put on a show for the parents and as such resources can be very limited, but this depends on the school and how it is run.
High turnover is mainly due to people coming over thinking its just going to be a Spanish party the whole time and of course a lot of younger people come over an get homesick very quickly.
I know most the British schools well in Madrid so if you need some advice on them or if you need advice on costs or bills in Madrid let me know and ill help you out.
Also please note that Barcelona is slightly more expensive to live in than Madrid too.
Pay varies from school to school, but the "general salary" in a private school is around €25,000 a year gross.
This is more than enough to live off in Madrid even though its a capital city.
Working hours are around 8.30am until 5pm and workload can be heavy in private schools although more than manageable if you plan ahead.
Remember that private school are a business and are there to make profit and to put on a show for the parents and as such resources can be very limited, but this depends on the school and how it is run.
High turnover is mainly due to people coming over thinking its just going to be a Spanish party the whole time and of course a lot of younger people come over an get homesick very quickly.
I know most the British schools well in Madrid so if you need some advice on them or if you need advice on costs or bills in Madrid let me know and ill help you out.
Also please note that Barcelona is slightly more expensive to live in than Madrid too.
#6
BE Enthusiast
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 613
Re: Teaching in Spain
€25k pa seems pretty poor for a teacher with a PGCE, QTS and some experience (which is what I assume the good schools require). I believe you can earn a similar amount "just" teaching business English in Madrid?
#7
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 41
Re: Teaching in Spain
If you are planning to work for a non private school here, expect a pay that is a lot less than 25k, you'd be lucky to get 22k in a state school.
Teaching is not a well paid job in the uk and it is not here in Spain either, you do it for the love not the pay!
Teaching is not a well paid job in the uk and it is not here in Spain either, you do it for the love not the pay!
#8
Re: Teaching in Spain
Salaries in state schools in spain vary both by region and by grade, ie they pay their secondary teachers more than their primary ones.
If you're interested, there's a table here http://www.feteugt.es/Data/UPLOAD/GA...-ccaa-2015.pdf
Remember that the monthly salary is paid 14 times, so a gross monthly salary of 2250€ in Madrid equates to an annual salary of 31500€.
If you're interested, there's a table here http://www.feteugt.es/Data/UPLOAD/GA...-ccaa-2015.pdf
Remember that the monthly salary is paid 14 times, so a gross monthly salary of 2250€ in Madrid equates to an annual salary of 31500€.
#9
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Dec 2013
Location: Consolacion,Cebu
Posts: 1,931
Re: Teaching in Spain
Don't come and teach here in Philippines! State school salaries are around £300 a month for a good teacher. No idea what the private schools pay. Mind you, you can just about survive on this if you live with family. You do get a 13th month pay and if you work as an official at elections, you get the massive sum of £25!
#10
BE Enthusiast
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 613
Re: Teaching in Spain
Salaries in state schools in spain vary both by region and by grade, ie they pay their secondary teachers more than their primary ones.
If you're interested, there's a table here http://www.feteugt.es/Data/UPLOAD/GA...-ccaa-2015.pdf
Remember that the monthly salary is paid 14 times, so a gross monthly salary of 2250€ in Madrid equates to an annual salary of 31500€.
If you're interested, there's a table here http://www.feteugt.es/Data/UPLOAD/GA...-ccaa-2015.pdf
Remember that the monthly salary is paid 14 times, so a gross monthly salary of 2250€ in Madrid equates to an annual salary of 31500€.
#11
Re: Teaching in Spain
To an extent I sympathise with international schools in spain - they simply can't compete with what schools in other parts of the world can offer to their teachers because the market in spain means fees are much lower - and much more affordable.
On the other hand, if you're working legally in Spain you're paying into a good social security system and contributing to what at the moment is a very good state pension. Looking at Greece, however, and the continued pressure on spain from the IMF, it's hard to have faith in that still being the case when I retire.
Last edited by rachelk; May 9th 2016 at 8:44 am.