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TEFL teacher working conditions in Spain
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RustyShackleford



Joined: 13 May 2013
Posts: 449

PostPosted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 5:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

My (recently completed) studies were near there so didn't have much of a say in the matter.
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Shakey



Joined: 29 Aug 2014
Posts: 199

PostPosted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 6:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

RustyShackleford wrote:
I can't say I'll miss Spain very much


Why don't you like Spain?
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RustyShackleford



Joined: 13 May 2013
Posts: 449

PostPosted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 8:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Read the past two pages, I don't hate (as much as I used to) but I got accustomed to life in Asian countries and, after dealing with Westerners constantly moan about those countries then coming to Europe to see the same shite throughout, became deeply cynical.

Things are much better now.
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Sashadroogie



Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise

PostPosted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 9:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Madrid is a fine city. For a holiday break. Dunno about working.
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johncoan



Joined: 02 Jul 2010
Posts: 115

PostPosted: Sat Jun 20, 2015 4:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I lived in Madrid for six months and couldn't wait to leave.

There's always that gap between tourist perception and expat experience. In Madrid the gap is perhaps greater than in most other European cities.
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Sashadroogie



Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise

PostPosted: Sat Jun 20, 2015 5:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fair enough. Just the comments about the food and wine etc. were baffling...
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grahamb



Joined: 30 Apr 2003
Posts: 1945

PostPosted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 11:15 am    Post subject: Madrid Reply with quote

In the three years I spent in Madrid my main grievance was the Spanish dedication to the ingestion of nicotine; even bank staff were at it. On the plus side, Madrid has an extensive and efficient public transport system and the beer and wine are good. Work-wise, it's easy to find private students and thereby supplement the meagre wages paid by language schools.
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Nicky_McG



Joined: 24 Apr 2006
Posts: 190

PostPosted: Fri Jul 10, 2015 8:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I left Madrid in 2008 after two years.

I did like Spain but I don't think I could live my whole life in Madrid. It's a great city when you're in your twenties but to settle down and start a family? Not for me.

Accommodation: What maybe doesn't get brought up enough is that outside the central districts it's kind of ugly. Huge housing estates with no character really dominate. I knew some people who bought flats there but I just couldn't live like that. Rents have come down now in the centre, though.

Work and Pay: The wages can be quite low if you only work for an academy (IH has low pay I seem to remember), but if you go autonomo, you can make a fair bit. I was able to save quite a lot in order to do a Master's back in Scotland. Therefore, I feel the 'low-pay' comments aren't fully justified.

Nightlife: Really great but now that I'm in my mid thirties it's not so important for me.

Service in shops and restaurants: you just have to learn not to take it personally. It can be rude, but not very often. You will have experience of being spoken to in a way that you'd never be spoken to in the UK or North America. I have also had this in France (but not nearly as often)


Spanish people: I think someone posted about it being difficult to get to know Spanish people and I'd agree with that. In the UK, a lot of friendships tend to be more transient whereas, sometimes, in Spain if you haven't known someone since school, you feel a bit left out. I do have Spanish friends, but not as many as I thought I'd make.

One last negative: boasting about Spain is like a national sport. This can get tiresome when you hear about how Spain has the best food (good but not the best); the friendliest people (sure...) etc.
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reddevil79



Joined: 19 Jul 2004
Posts: 234
Location: Neither here nor there

PostPosted: Tue Jul 14, 2015 6:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I loved Spanish food during the two years that I lived in the north...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELXO6ze8sVY&index=3&list=PLBC2AC3FC382FCB6F
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DosEquisX



Joined: 09 Dec 2010
Posts: 361

PostPosted: Sun Jul 26, 2015 1:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've had difficulty really finding a suitable social circle for myself. I figured after learning Spanish (though I'm hardly fluent in it), it would be easier but it really hasn't been.

I'm a really shy and introverted person. Given how extroverted Spanish people are, they seem to classify introverted people as unfriendly. Unlike America, there's still a really strong stigma attached to people who have nerdy hobbies or interests. Hard for me to loosen up and be my nerdy self without alienating the vast majority of people I run into.
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