Job Discussion Forums

not_too_shabby · Joined: 14 Jun 2006 Posts: 21

Hi,

My boyfriend and I are planning to move to Spain at the beginning of the school year. We are both English teachers and are looking to find a teaching job.
My question is... how difficult will it be for us to find something decent considering the fact that neither of us are native English speakers? I am Romanian and my boyfriend is Dutch. However, we are both qualified with a CELTA,TEFL, IHCYL, we have plenty of years' experience and speak Spanish (just me). Another plus is that we don't really have a foreign accent since we've been living abroad for ages.
Right now we are teaching in the Czech Republic and doing quite well financially but we prefer better weather and an easier local language Smile

.

I look forward to your replies!

Grimace420 · Joined: 24 Sep 2011 Posts: 88 Location: Madriz

The English teaching market in Spain is definitely geared towards employing native speakers. My partner is Spanish and lost her job as an English teacher in the Madrid public secondary school system last year. Of course, Spain being Spain they didn't let her know explicitly that she'd be losing her job, rather they simply stopped handing out positions for the school year around November. After sending her CV absolutely everywhere and applying for anything going, she now has about 6 hours in one academy and does 3 private classes. However, it's true that any time past October is a difficult time to look for work and a lot of non-native speakers are able to get work if they look early enough. Just accept that you'll probably be discriminated against in favour of less qualified and less experienced people with a UK/Irish or US passport, give yourselves a month max to find work (mid September to mid October for example) and give up sooner rather than dragging the search on.

Best of luck. I hope you do find something. Spain could learn a lot about teaching English from both the Netherlands and Romania.

not_too_shabby · Joined: 14 Jun 2006 Posts: 21

Thank you for the reply. I am well aware of the preference for native speakers but I hope that starting early enough and trying hard enough will pay off eventually. We signed up for the spainwise job fair in May and we'll see what comes out of that.
Thanks again for your message and if there are any non-natives out there working in Spain, please let me know of your experiences finding jobs.

Cheers!

leretif9 · Joined: 24 Mar 2013 Posts: 152

Hi all,

I'm from the US with a BA in English, and no previous ESL experience.

How near-impossible do the knowledgable among you think it will be to wing it, and get under the table work tutoring people in Barcelona? I know that Spain is second only to Greece in its parlous economic situation.

Thanks in advance.

Le Retif

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Not only illegal to work without a work permit (which you can't get as a US citizen) but also illegal to even be in the country at all for more than 90 days. Google 'schengen zone' if you're not familiar.

leretif9 · Joined: 24 Mar 2013 Posts: 152

Okay, sure, so, what about taking the boat to Morocco for a few days, and then coming back. And at the next 88 day point, repeat the procedure.

Also, what about getting a one year visa as a US citizen before going over?

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Border run loophole closed. It's 90 days in, then 90 days out. Google Schengen zone.
On what basis would anyone get a one year visa? It doesn't exist so far as I've ever heard, unless it's some sort of work/study deal which requires one to be enrolled in a proper university full time.

Sashadroogie · Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2013 3:17 am Post subject:

Might be possible to get under-the-table work, sure. But you would be taking a huge risk if caught be the authorities. Deportation, banned from returning to anywhere in the EU for x number of years, a nice remark stamped on your 'observations' page in your passport. All this for trying to earn, illegally, less money than you'll need for bare subsistence. A serious re-think may be in order. Is this really what you want? Is it worth it? Apart from any considerations about respecting the law of the land, of course - a minor detail. More out on a wing, than winging it...

Get a Celta, and come to Russia! Life is so much easier, as are visa applications for US citizens, this side of the Iron Curtain.

leretif9 · Joined: 24 Mar 2013 Posts: 152

So, this means 90 days at a time for all EU countries together? Or, 90 days for Spain, and then move on for another 90 days to another EU country?

Do they assume all tourists are the typical US type who flit from city to city and country to country spending a few days in each, getting their pictures taken, and then have to go see the Pyramids in a great hurry, too?

Xie Lin · Joined: 21 Oct 2011 Posts: 731

leretif9 · Joined: 24 Mar 2013 Posts: 152

90 days -- and then how long am I obligated to stay away from the Schengen Zone before they will let me back in for another 90 days?

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2013 4:35 am Post subject:

90 days in the Schengen Zone, 90 days out, per 180 day period. Note the UK and Ireland, EU countries, are not in the Zone, and Switzerland basically is, though not an EU member.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

RoisinDubh · Joined: 23 Apr 2011 Posts: 43

Sashadroogie · Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 6:15 pm Post subject:

'Tis a little harsh, all right, Roisin. It is a valid point, but might do with a bit of softening...