The Spain Forums

antant

Hi everyone, im thinking of moving to Spain-fairly obviously. However, im looking for advice.

Its an ambition of mine to teach Engl;ish in Spain-and i would hope to be in Spain by the ned of next year.

What i would like to know is

1-did anyone else move to Spain to teach English.

2-What qualifications did you require to teach English as a foreign langauge.

3-how did you go about acquiring these qualifications

4-What was the actual procedure in getting yourself recognised and permitted to teach in Spain by the Spanish authorities

5-If you still teach English-how do you do it-in a school or as a private teacher

6-What are the best places to teach English-which parts of Spain-im aware that its a cheaper cost of living in southern Spain, but ideally id love to live and work in or near Madrid or Barcelona,and not too near the beach resorts of the south.

7-Were you fluent in Spanish before you arrived in Spain, and are you now-how did any difficulties speaking Spanish affect your job.

sofiagrace

Hi

I'd strongly advise you to get the TEFL certificate ( teaching English as a foreign language ). I got mine at Oxford House College in Barcelona, although I don't know if it's still there. It was a five week course and at that time ( five years ago ) cost about £600, although it's money well spent. There are also lots of TEFL websites where people in the same position as you share advice and experiences. I was in a situation where myself and another lady were both applying for a job to teach English at a local college. She'd been teaching English for years and had a degree, I was fresh out of Oxford House with my TEFL. I was offered the job as they prefer TEFL trained staff. It also shows you how to teach without actually knowing their language, although I would strongly recommend that you make the effort to adapt to your new life by learning Spanish. Some councils give free lessons once you are on the electoral roll.

International House usually have vacancies for TEFL qualified staff...try looking at their site.

Good luck...leaving the UK to teach English was one of the best decidions of my life!