Job Discussion Forums

[BritishEnglish]

As it seems from most of these threads that the Madrid job market is very open and there are plenty of jobs. However I have a few questions
Is January an easier or more difficult time for trying to secure a job?
Also is it better to try and land a job before I arrive in Madrid which looks as though it will be mid January?
If not what methods of job searches in Madrid are recommended?

Cheers
BE

[shorain]

for job searches try www.loquo.com
it also has apartment and accomodation listintg, very helpful!

[Moore]

January is the second best time after September, but there's work here all year round except in August.

Best thing is to apply just after you arrive, or just a few days before then call when you arrive: if you apply months ahead of when you plan to come it's not much use to the schools.

Loquo is a good place to look for jobs, as is InMadrid, and Segundamano.

My website does a service where we send your cv round every school in Madrid in one hit, but that you have to pay 10� for, so it depends how tight your budget is...

There's plenty of work here in Madrid, and quite a few teachers go back for Christmas and simply don't come back, and also some companies run courses which start and end at Christmas, for some odd reason.

[BritishEnglish]

Cheers guys for the advice.
With regard lingobongo.com obviously your offer online sounds interesting but how succesful is this method. And how many schools is that sent to? From what I hear there are many. I'm not trying to be skeptical because I am interested but you've got to test the water before you dive in a wise man with no teeth once said.
I'll be leaving Mexico at Christmas and back in the UK for 3-4 weeks and then Madrid here I come. Any advice would be much appreciated
BE

[Moore]

It does work very well (in all modesty, ahem...): it sends the c.v. to well over 100 schools, and everyone I've talked to who's used it tells me their in box and voice mail filled up immediately with offers: this includes a non-native teacher from Belgium who was stunned by the response.

I won't lie though: there is a definite shortage of teachers in Madrid, so if you want to save 10� you just have to trawl through the yellow pages and you'll be fine. Our thing just saves you having to spend time doing so: I wasted a couple of days sending out emails once I'd got here (there's not all that much point doing it in advance as they want you to be in Madrid), so that's 2 days of hostel, food, internet cafe fees. Also, you can be sure of getting the best offers: if you have twenty or thirty good offers, then you can ask for better money, or closer classes etc. Bottom line: it saves you time and effort and you cover every school.

Anyway, enough plugging: you'll be fine for work here however you choose to look for classes.

[MO39]

Moore,

If I want to use your service to get my resume to lots of schools in Madrid, should it be in Spanish? Is there a certain format that's preferred? I should arrive in Madrid the middle of January and will start looking for work shortly after that. Luckily I will be arriving a with a nice nest egg, so I can afford your reasonable fee.

Marsha

[tim hortons man]

I suggest applying to several schools so you have a choice of hours, I went only with Training Express and ended waiting almost 4 weeks before I started teaching because the client keep canceling. This also increase your chances of block hours.

One important while Training Express pays competitive rates (around 15 in the hand) they pay very little for travel 15 a month vs 100 to 200 at other schools. I'm going to be making the other teachers aware of this and tell them that if they want to keep any of us they need pay market rates

[Moore]

As far as I know, your cv is fine if it's in English: anyone with a language school should at least be able to read it, even if their spoken English is not so good - sending a cv in another language just leaves you open to making spelling/grammar mistakes. Also, a lot of the people who are the Directors of Studies and so responsible for recruiting are native English speakers anyway. If you speak a bit of Spanish then you could put that under a "Languages spoken" heading. It is a definite plus if you speak a bit of Spanish, but not essential by any means. A Microsoft Word document is the best format.

The thing about schools lining up teachers with hours and then making them wait around is quite common, and sometimes the hours don't materialise at all: businesses often put out a bid for tender for classes and then look at three or more schools to see what terms they offer: the schools line up teachers for the hours, but don't get the contract. That means the poor teacher has been turning down other hours thinking their schedule is full, only to find it isn't. This is why TimHortonsMan is right to recommend applying to as many schools as you can, so you have a decent bunch of other options to fall back on.

[MO39]

[BritishEnglish]

Cheers guys for the advice. I may well come knocking on your door when I arrive in Madrid for you to whisk my CV off. I also have a query.. I did put a general thread up about this but I will also ask on here. I have been in touch already with International House Madrid and have been sent information and been invited for an intervierw in January but how does IH compare to smaller instituions. Not too sure if I want to be a drone amongst 150+ other students although it does give me opportunities for growth within the company but do the pros outweigh the cons.
Basically on advice on what I should be wary about? Any offers other than those mentioned in this thread that I should take with a grain of salt?
Cheers again
BE