Job Discussion Forums

[decgallen]

i have just graduated as a civil engineer in Ireland and suddenly realised that it is not the profession for me. i need a change of scenery and i feel that teaching english in a foreign country would be an exciting experience. having spent a few weeks in different locations in spain like malaga and barcelona in holidays i grew to love the relaxed atmosphere. i have a number of questions however.

how much of an effect will having absolutely no spanish effect meeting people or basically surviving in cities such as Valencia or San Sebastian?

is the language hard to pick up

are jobs easy to find in these places and if so are they of a decent standard?

is finding accomadtion as daunting as it is at home in Ireland?

[mdk]

[spiral78]

To add just a bit to mdk's very useful comments -

You can teach without any knowledge of the local language, but daily life can be a bit daunting. You'll need at least enough Spanish to do your shopping and get around daily travels and etc.

Spanish is one of the easier languages for native English speakers to learn.

'Decent standard' of living depends on you. English teaching jobs in Europe for those with basic newbie qualifications pay enough to live ok, but not to save up or to fund major travels outside the country. Most newbies teach for a year or two, then get more qualifications or get out of the profession, or relocate to a better-paying region such as Asia.

You don't mention training, but if you expect to compete as a newbie on the job market in Spain, you will need the basic teaching qualification that most newbie teachers in the region have.
This means a 120-hour on-site training course that includes supervised teaching practice and feedback from experienced teacher trainers. CELTA is the name brand but there are some generic certs out there as well - just be sure it meets the above standard.

The most common way to get started is to sign up for a one-month training course in the country where you want to work. This gives you a chance to get your feet wet in the country/culture while you still have a support system. Training centres will arrange for your housing during the course, airport pickup, and local orientation. They can also give you invaluable advice about reputable employers in the area.

So far as housing, English teachers often share flats, but that's more due to the economics of the thing than a housing shortage.

[sheikh radlinrol]

I agree with what Spiral says. The fact that you speak no Spanish isn't an obstacle to being a teacher. The language is relatively easy and you'll be speaking it from day one. As a TEFL teacher, expect to earn peanuts and share accommodation. If I were you, I'd come here, teach, learn Spanish and then work as a civil engineer.
Good Luck
SR

[mdk]

(Sigh!) Another person coming to teach in a country who is totally innocent of the language. (The God's of the copybook headings have given up, left the field, and I only remain to ask unpleasant questions)

How much will your students respect you if you are unable (or unwilling) to learn their language, but feel yourself qualified to teach yours to them? At the very least you will gain insight into what they are having to deal with in learning English.

I am sure there are excellent libraries in Ireland which will give you a basic understanding of the country. I know there are free language courses in Catalan in Barcelona and you can probably find one�s in Spanish which are very cheap if not free. Why would you not want to learn Spanish. The ability to speak passable Spanish ensures that I can find a job in California within 3 days. It once took me a week, but I went fishing on Wednesday.

[spiral78]

However, mdk, you've advocated people going to teach in many regions where EVEN YOU don't know the local language in the past, such as Croatia. Do I have to run a search to prove this to you??

Give the OP a break. He/she is a newbie.

Local language knowledge is not a prerequisite for teaching.

You are not communicating with a person who has been living in Spain for some time without bothering to pick up the language.

I personally know people who have lived in Prague for years and can barely speak a word of Czech. THAT, I think, is reprehensible.

But it is NOT the case here.

[sheikh radlinrol]

MDK
The point has been made before that knowledge of the local language is NOT necessary in order to teach the natives English. You may disagree and I respect your right to do so but I feel you are in a minority of one.
The poster who is interested in coming to Spain to live, teach and work should not be put off by the erroneous notion that a command of Spanish is vital.
Regards SR

[SirKirby]

I agree with everything spiral78 and sheikh have to say...

Command of Spanish isn't vital, though it is helpful... (It also helps once you get into the classroom, as you'll see where the students' errors are coming from).

And I don't imagine for a moment that the original poster is suggesting zero interest in learning Spanish; only that they don't currently have any...

You could pick up a little first (do!). Try the BBC's language section:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/

Taking a TEFL course here in Spain is more expensive than doing it "at home", but it does give you time to look around, make contacts, friends, etc, learn just a little Spanish to set you on your feet... A good centre should also be providing help finding you your first job...

[decgallen]

one of the reasons i want to go through with EFL is to learn foreign lanauges! i presume the best way to do this is to live and work in other countries.

another reason is that the weather in this country is starting to really piss me off. this global warming is gone beyond a joke at this stage.

would it be better to do the course in Spain (or the country im going to teach in) or to do it all at home before leave?

[SirKirby]

Like I said, it's cheaper at home in Ireland but you'd then have to come out to Spain anyway to find the work...

Do it here in Spain, and it'll work out more expensive (esp. the accommodation) but you're then on the spot, in the country, making contacts, hopefully getting local job ads thru the centre you do your course at...

[mdk]

[gotaqua]

i'm confused by the string of posts here...the OP speaks english...and is wanting to teach english.....what is the issue

how is this like a cello teacher who doesn't play cello? even then at the least the student can be taught how to read music.

for example, i don't speak chinese...so should i not go to china and teach english? thats closing a lot of doors.

[spiral78]

I think everyone agrees that all language teachers should have the experience of being language learners.

But it's not necessary to have a command of the students native language to teach a second one. It may be helpful, but it's not necessary.

Knowledge of the local language is very helpful outside of the classroom, but there are many, many newbie teachers who pick up what they need starting when they arrive. Beginning some language study for your target country before leaving is a great idea - but suggesting that prospective teachers should have reached some particular level of fluency before they consider going off is just not realistic or necessary.

[mdk]

I speak from the experience of teaching 4 years in Russia where I was able to observe perhaps a dozen ESL teachers who were resolutely either unable or unwilling to even attempt to learn Russian. These people could not even say "hello" and "Good-bye" throughout the time they were there. What is more, they were generally proud of the fact.

Of that dozen or so I can think of only one who ( while no ball of fire ) was not a loser who had come to Russia to get away from the consequences of some serious character defect. Some of them were able to stay on because either (A) the university used them as a sort of exhibit for the students to have contact with native speakers or (B) they were employed by a large Moscow diploma mill which was mostly interested in pulling down large fees from rich Russians who didn�t know the difference between a good teacher and an entertaining clown.

I have also taken a TEFL course in Spain where it was held to be a virtue not to speak Spanish (or "L1" ) In that experience only about 50% were either hopeless alcoholics or some other type of neurotic misfit.

I don�t mean to be argumentative. Perhaps there ARE people who can be effective teachers in a foreign culture without at least some preparation in dealing with that culture. I have just never encountered them in four years of teaching ESL. All the scholastic papers in the world speaking to the contrary will not change that.

The best way I know to get that cultural knowledge is to spend some time studying the language. Full stop.

Conversely, anybody who thinks they can drop into Spain (or Russia) on a wish and a prayer to escape whatever jam they are in back home is seriously nuts. Some of them may succeed after a fashion, but that doesn�t change the fact that they are nuts in the first place. There is a reason that people don�t want to take six months to a year to make such a momentous change in their life - and usually that reason has ominous consequences for both them and their students.

[wildchild]