Job Discussion Forums

[MisterB]

Hey everyone, what are your thoughts on the teaching market in spain come september ? I`m under contract till july in Japan teaching as part of JET program, but we must decide this month if we are to renew for another year.

I have wanted to teach in Spain OR latin america for a long time, 18 months exp, EU passport etc, but have read its a pretty tough time for teachers combined with the state of the Spanish economy, so perhaps would be better waiting till Sept 2011. What do you think? Earn good money here, easy life etc but know it`s not for me in the long term.

Any advice welcome! Will things pick up or should I just go for it regardless? I also have a couple of medium term injuries too which don`t help the situaiton.

Cheers

[Moore]

There's a lot of doom and gloom being talked about, but it's really not that bad here, especially if you have papers. Basically the season seems to be starting later and finishing sooner, but the work is there and most companies that were going to cancel teaching contracts already have, so it's more or less stabilised now.

The real problem is that it's always been difficult surviving the year here, due to the fact that teachers are not paid over summer and usually not at Christmas or Easter either. Most teachers I know still earn 1500 a month, but when you spread that over 8 months of real full schedule working then it works out at 1000 a month which is considerably worse (especially if you're not a great saver, like myself).

If you're keen on Spain then come, but do so with a bunch of cash saved up to get you through the lean times and to sort your flat deposit out and you'll be fine.

I don't really understand what you mean by medium-term injuries, but if you have EU papers you are entitled to free medical treatment here (once you start work), and even non-EU people get emergency treatment.

As always, Spain is a teaching destination that is much more about the experience than making any sort of savings: as a place to learn Spanish, eat great food, meet people, enjoy the sun and generally experience the Mediterranean lifestlye then it's great, but make sure you come with a wedge of cash.





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[Mrguay84]

So what you're basically saying is that unless you have a wedge of cash one shouldn't go there, right?

I'm totally skint.

[Moore]

To break it down a bit...

350 a month rent (small room), one month deposit: 350, total 700.
Month 1: very low hours (paid at end of month): 500 living costs.
Month 2: full hours if lucky (paid at end of that month): 500 living costs.
Month 3: stable.

...I'm a pretty optimistic person, but that's really the bog-standard minimum, there's no real getting away from it, sadly.

Essentially you need AT LEAST 1500 euros to set up here, and that's without a safety cushion in case the unexpected happens. I think most regular posters here would go higher with their estimate of "walking-around" money.

You can live very cheaply here if you try hard: there are cheap supermarkets, the metro's pretty economical, and there's a lot of free stuff on outside in spring and summer, but you do need some initial cash.

Hope this doesn't put you off, but it's never a good idea to arrive in a new country skint if you can possibly avoid it.





_________________________________________________________________________
...Jobs and language exchanges in Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Paris, Milan, Rome, Lisbon, Porto and Buenos Aires... www.lingobongo.com

...send your c.v. around ALL the schools in Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Paris, Milan, Rome, Lisbon, Porto and Buenos Aires... www.lingobongo.com/cvsender/