Job Discussion Forums

[steedizzie]

Hi everyone. I have some unique questions regarding moving to Spain to teach, mostly pertaining to my girlfriend.

I am currently an ESL teacher in Guadalajara, Mexico, and have been for the last 3 years. I have worked in companies such as Hewlett Packard, so I have some good experience, but I never actually received any training in teaching. Therefore, I would like to use this lack of training to get into a CELTA program in Madrid or maybe Barcelona and find a job thereafter. I am an American.

I am planning to go with my girlfriend. The problem is, she is Mexican. Therefore, language teaching jobs are not really an option for her. She studied international business in school, and currently works in the buying department for a company here. I know that getting her into Spain is going to be difficult, especially with the current economy there. What can we do? Please, I am not a person to take a simple 'no' easily, and will often put my mind to a problem for as long as it takes to come up with a creative solution.

To anyone in Spain or with experience in Spain: what can we do? Suggestions, information, all are welcome. We're just at a starting point gathering information right now, and we would greatly appreciate anything you can offer. Thanks so much.

[spiral78]

Unfortunately, neither you or your girlfriend have the key credential required to teach in Spain: UK (or other EU member state) citizenship. There are nearly zero routes for non-EU member citizen teachers in Spain - those that do exist involve enrolling in an actual programme of study at a Spanish university and working part time on your student visa.

Please, I am not a person to take a simple 'no' easily, and will often put my mind to a problem for as long as it takes to come up with a creative solution.

I realise that you, like many other North American newbies, would really like to hear some positive news about getting legal work in Spain. Your question is not actually unique - many, many newbies have asked in the past - you can usefully read through earlier posts about non-EU member citizens and options in Spain.

The reality is that it's highly unlikely that you will find any legal route to working in Spain.

In the past, it was a viable option to work under the table - teachers were
rarely caught and penalties essentially non-existent. However, as of Jan 2009, the new Schengen zone requirements mean that you are indeed likely to be caught if you overstay your 90 days in the zone (google Schengen zone for details - this is important stuff).

Sorry to be so negative, but it's not a matter of being creative (unless you get creative in terms of marrying a local very quickly). It's simply that the laws stipulate that UK citizens have an automatic right-to-work - and others don't. As so many qualified British teachers are in Spain (and aim to go there this season) there's really just no chance for a non-EU teacher for whom a school has to jump through considerable legal and financial hoops.

[mozzar]

I would echo the thoughts and maybe it add it might be easier for your girlfriend to work in Spain than you. If she works in a big company she might be able to get transferred.

[steedizzie]

Hi, and thanks so much for the rapid response. So, if I apply to a CELTA certification program in Spain, I probably won't be accepted?

[spiral78]

Sure, the CELTA course will be happy to get your money.

But they won't be able to get you a work permit to teach in Spain after the course.

[steedizzie]

Hmm, thanks again. I was going to email some of them with those questions. I guess it won't hurt to still do so.

I've been hard at research. What about student Visas? Can I get a student Visa (I would use it to legitimately go back to uni)? Then maybe do a master's in Spain and over the course of a year or two make enough contacts to figure something out. Also, I've seen posted somewhere that after two or three years living in Spain on a student Visa you can apply for residency. This sounds too good to be true (fishy) to me, so I'm going to keep researching it, but I thought I would toss that out here for the time being.

[mozzar]

A student visa would be possible but you'd also have to be studying in a proper university (not a CELTA course) and could only work a certain amount of hours per week. But it doesn't count towards residency status. You would spend four years here as a student but still be no closer to achieving residency status so would have to leave as soon as the course was over.

[wiganer]

I was going to say, the problem is you being American rather than your girlfriend being Mexican! She'll be allright, I promise you.

If you aren't going to take no for an answer. What I suggest is save enough money (I am talking a nice big amount) and go for a year or two or until the money runs out - that could happen as long as you don't leave the country. As Spiral78 has just said - it is not a matter of leaving every 90 days and coming back. You can only spend 90 days out of every 180 days inside the country, which makes it all impractical. If you want to do it illegally - seeing the rest of Europe is out.

By the time you leave you'll have a nice big stamp on your passport and probably banned from returning for a time. But you will have experienced Spain. I worked illegally (where it is accepted) in Argentina and I would never do it again. Anywhere loses it's charm working in those circumstances.

[Perilla]

[steedizzie]

Hi. Yes, I have seen that, and it's a consideration. The big problem with it though is that you can't choose where to go, and the girlfriend thing would make that really difficult. If the only way for both of us to get in is on student visas, we're going to have to choose programs or colleges in the same city.

[JonnyBBad]

[spiral78]

Actually, there are sometimes checkpoints at train stations, at highway borders, and even on busses, plus random checks on trains in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.

I've seen all three travelling in Benelux over the past three years. Yeah, you might get lucky, or you might get unlucky.

Airports are a given checkpoint, obviously.