Job Discussion Forums

[Flea]

Hi there,

Just wondering what�s the usual salary for approx. 20 hours/week in Spain?

Last year in Castilla La Mancha I was earning 700 euros a month-here in Valencia it seems to much lower.

Is it better or worse where you are?�?

Flea

[Moore]

Do you mean a salary as in paid Christmas / Easter thing (some don�t!)? Here in Madrid some jokers are offering that, but it�s usually around 900. I�m assuming that�s for academy work and not for traipsing around all over the place to businesses in which case that�d be rubbish money, even if you are in Valencia.
Ok, I know Madrid is probably a bit more expensive to live in, but it�s not that expensive: the hourly business class rate is between 13 and 15 net (with working papers) and privates go for 15 cash. Academy work is ten to twelve, if paid by the hour, or 900-1000 a month for 20-ish hours.
I�m shocked how low that is: is it always like that in the provinces? I�d imagine you can get some privates on the side down there to supplement your wage? When you first arrive in any city you usually have to start at the bottom of the food-chain, whatever work experience you might have. Good luck anyway!

[foss]

When I came to Madrid in 98, the going hourly rate was 2000pts gross with 15% deductions, which works out as just over 10� net. So the wages do seem to have mirrored inflation, but only if you discount the rocketing accommodation costs - I'd say rented housing costs have almost doubled.

Remember that keeping the commuting down is crucial. That's difficult as businesses are spreading out into the satellite towns and suburbs. All in all, in my opinion, I would recommend Madrid only if you really get involved in the way of life here and you feel you'll have the chance to enjoy yourself outside work. You might be lucky with the deal from your school but you can't count on it.

All the best,

[IanN]

That's low even for Valencia. Who do you work for? With low pay like that I would expect Berlitz.

E.

[Jenny Thomas]

I work in Madrid and I�m paid between 14 - 20 euros an hour, I work for 3 companies, for a total of 22 hours a week. The 20 euros an hour is with private students. Mostly kids . I go to their houses after school which is about 6:30 and we do an hour class, I have 2 private clients a week, but the rest are with language schools. One company pays 14/hour, one pays 15 and the other pays 16,85 an hour. Why they put the 0.85 , don�t ask me.

And I�m American by the way, and my roommate is Brit and she freelances as well, working for more than 1 company and we�re not paid differently , her academies pay more , meaning she gets 14 an hour then the academy pays 2 or 3 euros more (don�t know exactly how much) to social security but the money goes to the govt . She doesn�t see that social security payment. So with this school, we both net 14 euros an hour.



jenny

[Flea]

Thanks for the replies fellow educators,

It�s interesting to learn that 9 euros/hour is a bit lower than stardard wages. I�m not working for Berlitz-it�s not a chain of academies but rather a private venture so I don�t really want to mention names-yet I can tell you next week after I leave though!! That�s right I�m going to home to get paid decently for a change.

Thanks for your comments,

Flea.

[Moore]

As Foss says, "Remember that keeping the commuting down is crucial." Very true: I have managed to find work around where I live in Madrid (close to the business district of Nuevos Ministerios) and so now I can fit more private lessons and translations: this is the key - if you have to travel for that sort of money then that�s fairly rubbish money. Is it that bad in Valencia? (vested interest as I was thinking about heading that way myself!) Can I be rude and ask if you�re legal or not? As Jenny says, it doesn�t actually seem to make all that much difference in Madrid, but maybe over there the schools feel they can be more picky - is that the case there?

[IanN]

I am legal. I haven't heard of too many illegal teachers in Valencia. I suspect that they have enough legal teachers for the jobs. Either that or I am just out of touch.

In Valencia the money through acadamies is not as great as in Madrid but the accomodation costs are a lot lower. For example I pay 420? a month for a 3 bedroom flat without sharing. There are a couple of good possibilities for private students here from the university of the official languages school. The problem is that some Valencians are very tight and will tell you that they don't want to pay 12-15?/hr when they can get classes for 6?/hr. They don't realise that the cheap option is normally with one of their peers who has just passed that year of the course.

I have managed to get away from all anyway and have started my own business. I seemed to make more sense to do the same job and not have to give two thirds of the money to someone else.

[sciphoto]

since you say you have started your own business,,,any prospects for an american englihs teacher with a year expereince teaching abroad in the future?? let me know, thanks

[justin andersen]

Between 13 - 16 EUROS in Madrid. In other cities of Spain , can be lower, Madrid will have higher rates but you can check out Barcelona as well. Also sometimes they pay lower in other cities, like say in the South of Spain but then rents are cheaper. Don�t know, those wages quoted by the way are from first hand experiences speaking to different schools .

[sciphoto]

thanks for the reply, my friend is currently working in Granada ans she says she gets only 7 euros for private tutoring and that her spanish teacher at an academy is only making 6 euros per hour?? that sounds really low, but i guess the rent in the albaizin is still low as well, and living off of tapas will keep your budget low?? thanks, ben

[CharlesTESOL]

In Barcelona academies generally pay between 12 and 16 euros an hour. Regarding private students, I usually recommend that new teachers start off charging 15 euros an hour. I remember one new teacher in particular who was a well organized, hard working person who went on to teach nothing but privates in Barcelona and did quite well. She raised her prices within her first year to 18 euros for a conversation lesson and 20 euros for a grammar lesson.

[Jetgirly]

On my way out of Barcelona I interviewed for a job in a private language school that offered 9 euros an hour for sixteen hours each week... if that is the situation for new teachers in the city I don't know if I'll be going back.

[CharlesTESOL]

Dear Jetgirly,

Nine euros is ridiculous for Barcelona! If that is all the school pays, its turnover must be incredibly high. I do know of a school here that pays around 10 euros an hour -- last I heard it was paying something like 9.75. This school is based in Madrid and apparently pays the same rate to its teachers there! I have never been able to understand how it remains in business, although I suppose with pay that low the students must be getting a bargain on tuition. Would you mind sending me an email or a PM with the name of the school you interviewed with?

Thanks,

[Joan Mitchell]

The pay scales normally range between 12 - 16 euros an hour. I�d say that would go for the big cities like Madrid, Barcelona , I don�t know maybe even Seville? I�m quite sure about Madrid and Barcelona but they say some schools in Seville are paying better nowadays.

I�m Brit and the school I work for in Madrid pays social security on top of the hourly rate but of course I don�t get that, it goes straight to my social security payments.

�Suerte!