Teaching English in Spain
Posted by Manuel - 11:06 on 10 September 2009
Spain
Spain – The second largest country in Western Europe. To the North and West, the Atlantic Ocean, to the South the Mediterranean. The country has been a very important influence to much of the world during its history and especially in the Modern Era. Its global empire has left a legacy of over 400 million Spanish speakers to this day. The Spanish culture is absolutely fascinating. It boasts a number of famous artists such as El Greco, Goya, Dali and Picasso. The traditional music and dancing is renowned all over the world. They are hugely successful in sports such as football and tennis. Its delicious and varied food is famed across the globe and its generally lovely weather and climate attracts 10s of millions of tourists every year. Pretty good going!
If you are wanting a taste of this incredible country and are planning on making some money whislt doing so, you could do a lot worse than having a shot at English teaching.
TEFL
Before heading out, you should get yourself on a TEFL course. This is great for a first time teacher as you will then get an idea of what its like to teach. Schools and institutes usually require you to have this qualification. They do not normally hire just anyone. If you actually have some teaching experience you will be well on your way. Employers look out for this as many who hire first time teachers find them to be terrible at their job!
Job hunting can be very rewarding in larger cities such as Madrid and Barcelona. There are hundreds of English institutes and schools to send your CV to. The only time you of year not to begin with your job hunt is the summer. Most of the institutes are closed.
Work
The three main types of ESL work you will find are – language school, agencies or private classes.
Language schools
The students you will find in language schools can range from children to teenagers to adults. These schools are good if you’re just looking to make some pocket money as the hours can vary and you may only get a few hours a week depending on demand. This is not the best way if you need to support yourself as you’re not likely to make much money. The schools will pay you around €10-€12 per hour.
If you work for an agency, you will be involved with different businesses. These jobs are generally in the large cities. With this type of job, you will be moving about a lot and will need to have a keen knowledge of the transport system. The companies obviously do not want to interrupt their workdays so you will be teaching during the time when your students are not working. This can really break up the day but you will be earning more than in a language school. Around €15 per hour.
Private lessons
You can also teach private lessons which can either be in your home or at the students’ home. This way you can make up your own schedule and negotiate pay. You need to be clued up on lesson planning and have your own material to do this. It is worth advertising around your area – you can put out flyers or adveritise in local newspapers. In Madrid there is newspaper called Segundomano where you can place free ads offering classes.
You can have a great experience teaching in Spain. It can be quite hard work to get started and you need to be serious about it. There are many job opportunities and with a little effort, you can be out there, getting to know this amazing country and its people.
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