Job Discussion Forums

[DZNZ]

Hello,

I have noticed that the majority of opportunites in Spain require an EU passport. Since I am an American, this is not, of course, a possibility.

How do I go about working in Spain?

Thanks,

DZNZ

[DZNZ]

Would appreciate any input -- any input at all.

Thanks again,
DZNZ

[SEndrigo]

[Moore]

You'll probably be able to get a bit of work, but sadly you'll pretty much have to accept whatever is offered to you, so this may well involve teaching for lower wages in far off suburbs - it's hard enough to survive here with a European passport on the sparse hours available here. You can always teach privates too, but of course they're not very reliable and during holidays no cash.
If you're desperate to come here then you can survive as an American, but frankly why make life so hard for yourself? As I've said before, if you're American then go to Asia where you're on an even footing with EU teachers and save up and come here to Spain for a nice long holiday instead!
On a more practical note, if you want info about Madrid from a more American viewpoint then look on multimadrid.com on Jer's multimadrid forum - loads of relevant info for people like yourself.

[Whitney Davies]

Hi there!

I�m American and I�ve been in Spain coming on for 18 months. I took a 4 week TEFL intensive course in Madrid because I wanted to train to be an English teacher and pay for my dream to see Europe, learn Spanish and take some time off from the usual 9-5 job back home. Well, with my teaching hourse I�ve done pretty much what I�ve set out to do. I�ve been to a lot of European cities (London, Paris, Rome, Milan, Amsterdam, and some outside of the EU) and Im still here teaching away in Madrid.

I got a lot of job search support from my TEFL school so I was working straight off. There are many "academias" that hire non EU citizens and what a lot of us do is go out of Spain, every 90 days, sometimes they don�t even check your passport.

I�ve stayed in Spain longer than 90 days , went to London for a long weekend and flew back into Barajas Airport with no problems.

I�ve been asked once what I�ve been doing all these months in Spain and I said, touring. Also a lot of Spanish people do not have a good level of English so they don�t want to hassle with you, asking all these questions especially if they think you can�t speak a word of Espa�ol!

They seem to turn a blind eye and American passports do not get the third degree that maybe other non - EU countries might get.

There is such a big demand for English teachers especially in Madrid that I think there will always be teaching hours for EU�s and non EU�s. Also it is a myth that non EU�s are on lower pay scales, I get paid as well as my EU friends. I get paid between 14 - 18 euros an hour depending on the language school. My private clients pay as high as 20 - 25 euros an hour.

If you need any information about the good language schools, the ones that are professional, pay well, reliable (at least in my experience) feel free to email me.


whitney

[OzBurn]

Whitney -- sounds very encouraging. Glad to hear it.

I can only add what I was told last year by a CELTA program in Spain (I had the same question as yours). They said that their graduates did seem to have trouble getting jobs in Madrid and Barcelona, but that they had had few problems in the smaller cities.

I suppose if they had told me "no problem, you'll get a job anyway," I would have doubted what they said, but given that they acknowledged problem in the bigger cities, what they said is probably fairly reliable. You might want to contact some of the training programs in Spain directly. Perhaps they could put you in touch with non-EU graduates of theirs who are working in Spain.

On the other hand, Whitney is saying that it's no problem even in Madrid. I hope that's true, as I might try Spain myself once my SE Asia contract is up in December. Still trying to figure out where to go, with a world to choose from.

[Moore]

Whitney is right to warn against doomsayers like myself: I have been working and travelling outside my native UK for the last ten years and I have have always found that if you really want to live somewhere you can always find some sort of work and usually leave richer than you arrived.
I do want to stress to you that her positive experience appears to be an exception: I have had many American and Ozzy mates here and they have all found it MUCH harder here than EU passport holders, the majority leaving with a much bigger credit card debt than when they arrived.
I realize that with application and hard work it is possible for anyone to make it anywhere, you must understand that Spain is a VERY hard place to survive on TEFL teaching money due to the lack of block hours available, even with the right paperwork.
For all that, it is a very enriching place on the non-financial level, but do understand this: it is almost impossible to save money here over a year, you can get by, but that�s about all - if you come with any sort of pressing existing debt then you will have problems.
As I said, don�t listen to too many negative people like me, I am very happy for Whitney, and by all means come here and try your luck, but dont be under any illusions about this place either - it�s tough to get by here and the wrong paperwork does not help one bit.

[Whitney Davies]

Thanks guys for the kind words. I guess I�ve been kinda lucky but again the schools I work for are always looking for teachers. They seem to have a lot of clients and so far no one has told me point blank I was wasn�t getting hired because I was American! So far I�ve been ok and I hope it stays that way. I think Madrid is great and yes, you gotta come to Spain (or any other country outside one�s home turf) with an open mind!


Hasta luego,


whitney

[OzBurn]

Whitney, kudos to you for having the guts to live your dream.

I suppose I've been put off by all those irritating Euro-stars on the tefl.com site, but then again, I know from experience that the more likely a place is to advertise on the Net, the more likely it is to want to go the official qualifications route. As Moore says, it seems you can make enough to get by just about anywhere.

Can I ask what you're paying in rent and what you're getting for it? I was in Madrid this past winter and was surprised at how reasonable the hotels were (and they seem to exist in abundance). But apartments?

Happy trails.

[Whitney Davies]

No probs. There are three of us sharing, it�s a big apartment (Spanish standards!), the closest metro to us is Tribunal. I pay 350 a month, around 20/25 euros more for utilities. Light bill depends on how many parties my roommates decide to have a month!

We have our own rooms, there are 2 bathrooms, one with a bath, one with just a shower. There is a small kitchen, comes with the usual, cooker, oven, fridge, there is a microwave (that is quirky to say the least!), a washing machine/dryer.

The apartment is kinda old but it�s quite convenient, nice area for young people and for what I need, it�s not bad. Definitely not your 5 star hotel but what do you expect from a travelling teacher�s salary? Maybe I should cut down on these long weekends (puentes) out of Spain and just hang out in Madrid!

Well, that�s the thing, one day I will have to go back to the "US rat race", you know, the steady job, car, maybe live in the suburbs, ok, more money maybe but at this moment I�m not about to give up this life I have in Madrid.


hasta pronto!


whitney

[maggs187]

I am new to all of this.

Here is what I have: Bachelors of Science in Nutrition and a minor in Spanish. I have lived in Mexico and Argentina for some time...so I am quite fluent for being a non-latina American. I have a United States passport and an Irish passport (b/c of the citizenship of my father).

I want the opportunity to teach in a Spanish speaking country. I have a substitute teaching certificate that I use to substitute...but no education degree..and no teaching cert.

How do I go abroad!!!???
Can I go with my degree and take a TEFL/TESL class and become a teacher abroad? Do I need to do some ESL classes and obtain a certain certificate?

Any help would be SO SO SO LOVED!!!

[Whitney Davies]

Well you�re one lucky lady, you have the best of both worlds, wanna work back int he good ol USA, no probs, with your Irish citizenship, youve got the right to work in the 25 EU nations.

So go for it, Spain, Madrid in particular is great for EU�s and non EU�s (I�m on the non-EU bracket!)

Email if you need info. And yes, I would advice getting a TEFL certificate, mainly because the schools "academias" in Spain are now getting selective and they prefer to hire already trained TEFL teachers.

Good luck y hasta pronto!

whitney

[maggs187]

Thanks for the response.

I have another question. How does one determine the best/reliable TEFL certification course. I do not want to use an online one...I do not trust it.

I have found one called global TEFL that will be at a Univesity near me...do you know anything about it?

Also, should I get the certificate in the US or in the country that I plan to teach in?

Gracias a todos

[Whitney Davies]

I�d do it in the country where you plan to teach. I did mine in Madrid coz I wanted to teach in Spain, so I went with EBC Madrid.

Good luck,



Whitney