Job Discussion Forums

[TheRick79]

Hey Ya'll,
I�m a 24 year old soon-to-be (December) University of Mississippi grad with degrees in Spanish (4 years of Spanish in high school) and Political Science and an English Minor. I took a 2 year break from college to work for my father�s publishing company (3.6 GPA in English Minor) in Nashville, TN and Los Angeles. I�d like to teach English in Spain, Mexico, or another Spanish speaking country. I come from a long line of teachers on my Mom�s side and lawyers on my father�s side, and teaching English in Spain sounds like a dream come true. Recently, I returned from a 2 week trip to an orphanage in Mexico where I was offered a non-paying position as an English teacher.

Right now I�m planning on applying to law school in 12 months, possibly attending 24 months from now (giving me at least 2 years to teach English). If I do decide to attend law school I�d like to practice Immigration Law, give legal help to Spanish speakers in the US, or work for a firm with an office in a Spanish speaking country. I have no resources to turn to other than a few books I�ve found on Amazon.com and a few message boards. I would really appreciate any answers, tips, or bits of advice you can give.

1) If I take a TESOL certification course (either in Spain or the US) with my Spanish Degree and an English Minor, do you think I�ll be qualified enough to find a teaching position in Spain? Is there anything I can do to raise my marketability as a teacher?
2) What is the hourly pay range for most English speaking English teachers who start working in Spain? Does it differ by region of the country? Is there any region of Spain where it is easier to find a position?
3) Do you think my resume will look better with at least 6 months teaching English teaching in Mexico?
4) Is it very hard to find cheap housing? I'm not picky. Maybe I could find a place where I'd only be splitting the rent?

Again, any other advice you can give me would be very helpful.

Thankyou,
Robert McFarland
[email protected]

[moonraven]

If you are not a citizen of the European Union you cannot work legally in Spain.

[thelmadatter]

I dont know if there is a complete prohibition on non-EU citizens, but I also have heard that it is very very difficult. Im sure those on the Spain board can give better answer.

However, if your later goal is to be an immigration lawyer, wouldn't Mexico be a better experience for you? Not too many immigrants to the US from Spain as far as I know.

[goeastyoung(ish)man!]

As far as teaching in Spain is concerned, you might be able to work legally, if you found a school to sponsor you for a work visa, and you or the school (you) pay a lawyer to help you with the paperwork, and you make an extra trip back home to apply and reenter under the visa. I think your chances are very low, but not impossible. Probably not worth it for 1 or 2 years, however, unless you want a primer in immigration law.

I taught in Spain after taking a Tefl course in Barcelona (1 month course). I was illegal but was NEVER questioned about my status. As someone not particularly good at self promotion, I ended up underemployed and drained my savings. It was worth it. Barcelona is a great city where Castellano is the second language. By reputation, Madrid is much easier when it comes to to finding work. In Barcelona, it is easy to find shared housing (expect at least 400 euros plus expenses for rent). My friends in Madrid also seemed to find housing. Madrid has a friendlier reputation but I made many friends with the Catalanes.

As far as working: beware the big name schools, as many have closed and others are rumored to be on the way. Never accept less than 12 euros per hour unless you get lots of hours in return. Not worth your time. For privates, make it clear you want to be paid for last minute cancellations. Expect lots of cancellations otherwise.

So much for my first posting in the MEXICO forum. I am curious though to read from people who have taught in both countries since I am considering Mexico for the future.

[lozwich]

I've replied to this on the Spain forum, as the questions seemed more Spain-oriented than about Mexico. FYI young(ish) man, I'm doing it the other way round: Mexico, then Spain!

Have a good day,
Lozwich.