Job Discussion Forums

monstamunch · Joined: 10 Mar 2009 Posts: 7

Hi everyone,

I've just gained a CELTA qualification and am now planning to look for work for a year in Barcelona- i'm a 23 year old British citizen.

I was planning to head to Barcelona in early September for a couple of days to visit schools, hand out CVs and get my face known- is it likely that I would be offered work straight away, or are schools more likely to want to wait until mid-September before offering concrete work? If that is the case i'd be happy to fly home then return in mid-September with all my stuff, ready to stay for the year.

Any precise (ish) recommendations for dates would be great, i'm looking to plan the next few weeks out if possible!

Thanks
alfie

jonniboy · Posted: Fri Aug 14, 2009 2:23 pm Post subject:

Your plan seems fine. Most courses would start the end of September, the first week in October so you're unlikely to get much until then.

monstamunch · Joined: 10 Mar 2009 Posts: 7

Thanks for the reply Jonni,

I'm planning to head out on the 1st/2nd September to visit schools and hand out CVs. Is it advisable to email a decent number in advance, let them know i'm coming and try and set up interviews- or would it be better to turn up unannounced and try to set up interviews for the following couple of days?

I'd probably prefer the first option as it's less of a leap into the unknown- but i'd like to hear other's thoughts.

cheers
alfie

champeen2 · Joined: 24 Aug 2009 Posts: 1

I'd just grab the yellow pages, look under idiomas ,etc. and mass-email everyone with your resume and a short cover letter in the body of your email. Worked for me, ended up working at various schools (albeit illegally) over 4 years.

monstamunch · Joined: 10 Mar 2009 Posts: 7

Hi guys,

I'm heading to Barcelona on Monday for five days to visit schools. If anyone is in a similar boat and fancies meeting up to share stories of success/abject failure, give me a shout on here!

alfie

Pauleddy · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 295 Location: The Big Mango

Remember a couple of things-

Barcelona is a great place but is notoriously dear. A nice central apartment could be a couple of thousand quid a month. As a young bloke starting out there, many years ago, I could only afford a pokey bedroom in a shared flat out of the centre. Friends tell me it's the same or worse now. Basically, it's a pretty trendy town and folk will pay to live there. It's as bad as, or worse than, Madrid. They are the top 2 places for expensive-ness. I also lived in Valencia, smaller city but a great place---and the rents were half of Barca's.

Barcelona can get pretty cold in winter. All of Northern Spain can (and even Valencia, more south, gets cold) It's surprising, because we all think of sun sun sun. A girl I know taught in Barca last winter, and she was surprised at the size of her heating bills. Three years ago I had a quick holiday in Sitges (30 miles from Barc) during March, and some nights were freezing.

TEFL teaching is not well-paid generally speaking...and the last thing you want is to waste large chunks of your salary on the gas bill or the electricity (and leccy is not cheap in Spain either). Take at least one or two winter woolies.

Eddy

Pigeon_85 · Joined: 28 Aug 2009 Posts: 23

Hi all,

I am currently looking for work in Barcelona from the UK but I'm thinking about travelling over there if nothing comes up soon. I would be very keen to know how your trip goes monstamunch?

Any other advice you guys could recommend in getting jobs in Barca?

Cheers!

Moore · Joined: 25 Aug 2004 Posts: 730 Location: Madrid

Schools are hiring later and later in both Madrid and Barcelona: a few years ago mid September was when you started working, now the beginning of October is much more common.

I don't know if this is to do with the crisis, but Directors of Studies are going mental as companies aren't confirming classes until the last minute, and so they can't hire the teachers they want. Many teachers are finding that there's almost no work in July any more, crumbs in August, and dribs and drabs in September, so that makes 3 months with no income, with their first decent paycheque arriving at the end of October.

Whatever you do, as the old hands on this forum have been saying forever, come armed with a bunch of cash and/or functioning credit cards.

(on the plus side I've noticed that rents have actually been falling in Madrid, so that's a bonus!)

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