Job Discussion Forums

[melvaughn]

Does anyone have any info on this program? Is it feasible to expect a job upon completion? The job advertisement/description claims 'everyone' who completes this course is guaranteed a job whether you have a European passport or not. Even if you can't speak a word of Spanish, they guaranteed jobs for all who take the course. Is it a gimmick?

Thanks

[spiral78]

Job guarantees are always dodgy, as you seem to suspect, judging by the wording of your post. There's a fairly in-depth discussion of this on the general or newbie forum at the moment (can't remember which just now).

The fact that non-EU citizens aren't eligible for work permits in Spain is another red flag here. The school may be assuming that every North American training candidate is either naive or simply so " I don't care if I'm illegal because it's so cool here and everyone does it" that they are using the 'guarantee' to fill the (pricey) open seats in their (obviously dodgy) courses.

[CMB]

The job market in Madrid is fantastic for English teachers. Somewhere on this board there's a thread of new teachers discussing how they actually have TOO MANY job offers and don't know which one to pick. You don't need "guaranteed placement" there as this really limits your options to shop around and find the best employers. From what I understand, Canterbury does, in fact, guarantee job placement but at pay rates below the market average and with no guarantee that you'll be working in the area you choose.
The idea of a guaranteed job sounds like good security before you make the move, but if you do a little research you'll see that most teachers do much better looking for work independently.

[Moore]

CMB is right: the trick is to look around, you can get much better deals in terms of hours, location and pay. Although things have got a little trickier for non-EU people since the introduction of the FORCEM system (an EU subsidy for company which requires the ID card of both the students and the teacher) there is still plenty of work out there for everyone at decent rates of pay. There are 167 language schools in Madrid so don't take the first offer!

[mdk]

I taught in the boondocks in Russia for three years. The only instruction I had as an ESL teacher was to model my Russian and Spanish teachers. I copied what they did that I liked and avoided the things I didn't like. Come to think of it, I had good teachers so I mostly just asked my self, "How would Mr. Volkov or Ms. Moto do this and ... viola!"

Then I decided to try my hand in Moscow and to do this I was told it would be of great advantage to obtain a TEFL certificate. So I paid my money and did it.

I learned to teach the TESL way -which to me is like being in a straight jacket. There were some useful aspects to the course especially if you want to be one of their TESL clones, but there is a big world outside of Cambridge and some of us don't share their opinions on a number of issues.

Of my fellow students about 50 % got work immediately after the course. Of the rest two were serious alcoholics and one was a natural to play "Blanche" in streetcar named desire. They may have needed more than a month's time to get ready for a successful career in ESL.

So for your !000 you will get to sit at the feet of some experienced ESL teachers and learn how to make lesson plans and teach whichever students the school can drag in for your makee-learnee lessons in the approved TESL fashion.

Why don't you take some time and of over there. Enjoy Spain or the Czech republic or whatever and ask to observe a class and talk to the students (or better the alums) then you can decide if you want to put down the course fee.

P.S. If they offer to set you up with some roomates in an apartment, make sure they are sober people. If not, it gets ugly really fast.