Job Discussion Forums

[laura1d]

Hi,

I have applied for a job ewith the L'escola d'Angles in Torello. Can anyone tell me either about the school or the town (I know it is in the Catalan region, 80km north of Barcelona).

Also I don't know if the pay is reasonable. They are offering (for a 24 hour week) 940 Euros net per month (plus paid holiday at Christmas and Easter). Take from this the rent for an apartment (apparently 260 Euros) I would be left with 680 Euros (plus bills to pay). How does this equate to the average wage? Is it possibly to live comfortably on this. By 'comfortably' I mean not drinking every night but being able to go out at weekends and live a little!

Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
Laura

[preston]

The pay works out at about �10 an hour, which is appalling. And where did you manage to find a flat for �260? I presume this is for a room in a shared flat. I don't know anything about Torrello though- I imagine it's very quiet.

[erzebet]

Hi, Laura!

I live in a village not so far from Torell�. I don't know that much about Torell� itself, but I can tell you about the area where its located (and I'll check further information about it for you).

As you said, its located in the Catalan region, which it means that Catalan language (which is close to spanish, french and italian at the same time)is spoken more than Spanish, however, people won't usually hesitate to speak in spanish with you.

The area has quite beautiful and paceful landscapes, and its really close in its north side to the beautiful Pyrinees, where you can ski in winter or hike in summer.
The coast its also only about 70 km. so you will be able to go to the beach by train many weekends.

The main city near Torell�, is Vic, which is a lovely town, with a lot of cultural resources, popular activities pubs and bars since the university students keep the nigth alive!

However, catalans we migth not be as friendly at first sigth as other spanish people are. So you migth feel like you have to gain our confidence (which is not at all that hard). But once the ice is broken, you'll have a life lasting catalan friends, always ready to give you a hand in everything we can.

About the job. I think that what they are paying to you for a 24h week is more than fair (this is what people usually get for a 40h week working in an office!).
It is true that rents have became crazily expensive lately, but I'm sure that for 260� you can get a pretty big and nice flat for your self or you could share one for much less than that.

Besides, you will have plenty of free time to give private lessons by your own and get some extra cash.

Salaries in Spain are not as high as in other european countries, but life isn't either so expensive as there. And still our standard of living its much more than acceptable.

I hope this information gave you a little more interest to keep on with this application.

So, hey, if you want to find out more about catalans or Torell�, don't hesitate to e-mail me! I'll be glad to help you! [email protected]

All the best,

Elisabet

PS: By the way, I know that in Carnival time(around February) there's the Young Ladies nigth, when all men in Torell� dress up like women and you can see hundreds of women dancing and parting in the street. It is actually a pretty cool celebration.

[jd110]

Hi, I have only just joined the forum, hence the late response to your question. I worked in the nearby city of Vic for a number of years. I knew a 3 teachers who worked in L'Escola d'Angles in Torell� and who vowed "never again"!

The boss, is not the easiest person in the world to get on with, a bit of a control freak with extereme Catalan nationalis views. This will tie in with how the locals think. You will see extremist graffiti and flags everywhere.

Torell� is not a friendly place to outsiders in general. It is a smallish market town up in the mountains and the people there have great difficulty in accepting anyone whose people haven't lived there for 700 years (they have a special hostility for people who live in the next town 1.5km away).

The accommodation prodvided by the school is quite poor. I visited on a number of occasions. It is in a very old run down flat, the only heating comes from a wood burning stove and some portable gas or electric heaters. While is it very warm in the summer, in the winter it gets very, very cold - so trying to stay warm will be a big issue. Bring your thermals also, the flat is up four flights of stairs and that is a long way to haul wood and carry gas bottles.

I disagree with the previous comments about how local people will readily accept Spanish speakers. They don't. From a very young age the kids in the schools are taught to hate everything to do with Spanish cultrue and language. I had students as young as five telling me that Spanish was an ugly, hateful language. If you speak Spanish, be prepared for some of the local shop keepers and even state officials to try the "I don't understand Spanish, you must speak Catalan" routine with you.

So far, my comments have been negative, on the positive side, I have to agree with the previous comments about the countryside around Torell�. It is very beautiful and if you like mountain activites or running it is a great place to live. If you like to ski, then the best place to go is Val Ter2000 which is about an hour's drive north of you. However, don't forget that Torell� is in the middle of Osona, a county where pig production is one of the main industries and for most of the year, the place stinks of pig manure.

I would suggest that you stay away from Torell�, there are three or four schools there and none of them have a good reputation with the EFL community. If you want to try living in the Catalan region of Spain, I would suggest that you go try somewhere closer to Barcelona city, for example, the coastal town of Castelldefels, (see http://www.castelldefels.com/). The natives are friendlier and much more cosmopolitan. It is also much, much warmer in the winter. Of course jobs are much more difficult to find closer to the city but believe me, it is worth the effort.

Good luck with job hunting.

JD

[laura1d]

Hi,

Thanks for the information! I have actually taken another job now, in Andalucia. I am living in Martos (near Jaen).

Thanks again for your advice though. It is good to know that people out there can help with info if needed!

Take care
Laura