Job Discussion Forums

[Buraimi]

Hi all -

I've read a lot on this board about entry-level jobs in Spain, but not too much about jobs for teachers who have degrees (+ CELTA) and quite a lot of experience.

Are there opportunities in universities or other "post-secondary" institutions, or are positions like these reserved for Spaniards?

Although I'm Canadian, my husband is British, so working isn't a big problem. Having said that, we were told by someone in a Spanish embassy in Canada that I would have to be offered a position and then apply for a working visa from outside the country. I'm not sure if this would hold true if one were already resident. Has anyone tried to do this?

Thanks very much!

[Gordon]

What is your Spanish like? You said degrees. Do you have a Masters or PhD?

[Buraimi]

Hi - I have a BA in English (language, not literature), an MEd in Administration, a CELTA, and an Advanced Cert. TESOL. I'm about halfway through a distance MA in Applied Linguistics/TESOL. No PhD, I'm afraid. My Spanish is rusty--I studied the language for two years at university, but haven't used it except on vacation in Cuba and Mexico.

[Phil_b]

Right,...

This seems to be all that's been posted on this topic.... and it was a bit of a while ago.... So I'll add some of my own questions to it....

This is mainly for a research point of view, because I'm not really in a position to go for this type of position yet, more that I'm trying to decode what I should be looking at,

Basically what qualifications will get you into better roles in Spain, I don't want to dispage the basic entry level stuff... just that I've done that and need something a bit more stable....

What do people think of how the following quals can help:

Academic study: Masters and PhD etc..... I guess this is for people who want to go down the university route - How practical is this?

EFL Quals: eg. DELTA - How can this help you? Can it get you into DoS positions - are they positions worth getting, or is it loads of extra responsability for an extra Euro an hour?

UK Teaching Quals - Either a PGCE with QTS or Further Education ESOL certification (PGCE PCET, CertEd with Level 4 ESOL specialism; CELTA module 2) - I'm guessing that QTS would get you a look-in at international schools offering IGCSEs etc, Would get you into the Spanish State School system - or is that totally unrealistic for non-spaniards? I don't know how relevant ESOL quals would be, but there is plenty of cross-over with the DELTA.

Any ideas? I guess I'd be most interested in Barcelona, then Madrid - I'm fluent in both Spanish and Catalan - but maybe there are better areas to work.

[Moore]

A UK teaching qualification in something useful would get you into an international school/private school here: much better money, year-round salary etc.

Wouldn't be a DOS here for any money: a lot of work for someone else's benefit- if you were to go down that route you might as well set up your own school here and keep the profits for yourself: it's a ton of work but very lucrative.

[darkside1]

For tenured state school teaching positions you must have passed the 'oposiciones' (civil service type) exams and there are lots of Spanish people who want into the system too (good pay and conditions).

You can also do these exams for the government run 'Escuela Oficial de Idiomas' which may be a bit easier to get into.

If you have QTS and get documentation checked out by the Spanish Education Ministery (MEC) you can IN THEORY work in state schools doing what we call supply in the UK (el interinaje). However, my experience, which was a few years ago, was that there were obstacles put up to getting full recognition of teaching subjects (this may have changed).

You can work in universities both public and private and here diplomas/ masters degrees will be handy- but it may come down to contacts and /or working part- time to get a foot in the door.

Another option is the British Council's bilingual schools project (check out their Madrid website), for which the qualifications are:

Candidates should:
a. be EU nationals and/or have a valid Spanish residence
b. have a native or near native command of both spoken and written English
c. have recognised European primary QTS (Qualified Teacher Status <http://www.dfes.gov.uk/index.htm>); Secondary PGCE or TEFL qualifications may count under certain circumstances
d. have classroom experience with children aged between three and eleven years.

Any other views would be appreciated.

[CMB]

That sounds about right to me. Teaching jobs in the public school system are notoriously hard to come across (due to the "oposiciones" mentioned before)., DOS work is available for people with experience, but doesn't pay much better (if at all better) than teaching a full time schedule, and there's quite a bit of stress. Lots of experienced teachers seem to go the way of starting up their own businesses. You could also try to get into teacher training or exam administrating (for Cambridge).