Job Discussion Forums

RoisinDubh · Joined: 23 Apr 2011 Posts: 43

I have been teaching for around 3 years now and have been thinking about moving to Spain for a long time. The fact that they finally banned smoking in bars this year (I'm asthmatic) has led to me seriously considering looking for a job there. I'm getting really tired of London. I'm just a bit worried about the conditions. Stories of terrible pay, split shifts and teaching children most of the time have put me off. I was wondering if someone working in Madrid could let me know a bit about their working conditions and lifestyle?

I'd also like to know if I'd have a good chance of finding a decent job? I'm female, a native English speaker, have a BA and MA, a TEFL certificate and around 3 years experience. I also speak Spanish fluently. Thanks in advance for any advice.

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

I'd say your summary of what you have gleaned from the forums is just about right, at least for a new arrival, even with good solid qualifications like yours.

If you want to make cash here, split shifts, kids and spartan working conditions are indeed the order of the day, at least until you get yourself established after a year or so.

This is most definitely not a good place to come to for a great teaching experience, at least in terms of conditions.

That said, it is easily one of the best places to come to in terms of great people (students and people in general), lovely weather, useful language, and places to visit.

Some people luck out and get a university post after a few years, but many very experienced and qualified teachers I know prefer to carry on with the kids and running around as it pays them more money.

The reality is that the good money here is in private classes and private classes involve a certain amount of kids and metro rides.

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RoisinDubh · Joined: 23 Apr 2011 Posts: 43

When you say split shifts, what would typical hours be? I suppose my biggest concern is working late at night - I'm a woman and I'd be there on my own and I'd rather not have to come home from work late. Why are the conditions so bad (apart from the hours)? Is it easy to get privates and what's the going rate for them?

I suppose my biggest worry about Spain is the summer - it seems like all the work dries up then? So if I go in late Jan/early Feb, I'd only get a few months of work before the summer period. I definitely don't want to spend my summer broke and living off savings. Confused

Wish I'd had this idea sooner and was already there but oh well.

What would a realistic amount earned per month be, if I were willing to do privates as well as work in an academy? My main aim is to brush up on my spoken Spanish, but I'm also trying to save each month so I can eventually go to Latin America. Thanks for the advice!

Grimace420 · Joined: 24 Sep 2011 Posts: 88 Location: Madriz

Hi. I've been in Madrid for going on 5 years now, so I'll try to give you my point of view.

Firstly, yeah, it's great now that they've banned smoking in bars and restaurants.

Split shifts are pretty much a fact of life because there are three peak times for classes during the day (pretty much 8-10, 1-3 and 5-10), which can make for a long day. You could always just opt for 2 of those to give yourself a more compact working day, but it would be sacrificing a substantial part of your potential income. Madrid has a very safe feel to it almost everywhere and being out late at night any day of the week is actually socially acceptable here. Perhaps you don't like working late, but concerns about being alone and female while out at night shouldn't affect your decisions.

Do you really hate the idea of teaching children that much? I'm pretty average at controlling kids myself, but there are plenty of lovely ones out there who will make your job a breeze and don't need constant reprimanding or refocusing. Consider it, because they're easily the biggest market for English teaching in Spain. While there are also a lot of adults who learn English for economic purposes (NB: very few if any care about your language as a cultural pursuit or hobby), most have written themselves off with lame excuses like "my generation studied French at school" and "I'm too old to start learning a language now."

Private classes are good because there are plenty of them, you can charge what you want, select the areas you want (choosing wealthier areas is generally better for money and location) and work the hours you want. I'm personally happy with 20 euros an hour based on my expenses, but you can easily get more. Just think that home tuition academies charge people 25 euros or more per hour and have plenty of clients, so there's no reason you can't charge the same. However, the problem with private students is that you're never really guaranteed an income. You may get classes that never or rarely cancel on you or even those that still pay you when they do, but there are others who might annoy you with their fickleness. Contrary to popular belief, there are private classes all year round in Madrid. For the first time since coming to Spain I worked all summer (including August) this year giving private classes and found no shortage of clients. In fact, I've barely ever lifted a finger to find students -- they've all come from friends or clients that have recommended me to other people.

Make friends with people who work in English teaching (whether expats or Spaniards) quickly to improve your possibilities. If you want work get a network.

Working for academies is another option, but I've got no real personal experience here as I've always avoided them. Since there are a lot of companies trying to take advantage of the English boom, you have to be careful, but with your qualifications you could get a good job in a good academy. Finding work in early January in an academy is doable, but from February onwards it'll be tough.

Yes, you can make enough money to save for things. I had one year of making around 2000 euros a month (only 9 or 10 months of the year admittedly) when I actually worked something close to full-time. I've had others times where I took it easy and just survived on less than 800. You decide how hard you want to work and you'll be remunerated correspondingly. Personally I'm in Spain for the lifestyle, language and country (ah, and the missus), not for money, but there is definitely money to be made if you're halfway enterprising about it.

pr455 · Joined: 08 May 2011 Posts: 135 Location: MADRID, SPAIN

Great post Grimace420.

I would also add that working with kids is not that bad. I think that many people envision working with an entire group of kids in a classroom, which just won't happen, unless you are a Language Assistant and even then, you have someone in the classroom to help you manage the children.

I worked with a 7 year old who was lovely and really learned a lot through games and coloring to see if she understood what I told her. it was loads of fun.

You have to move your behind to earn money as well. Don't expect classes to fall into your lap if you are a newbie in Madrid. Grimace420 said it well when he said that you have to network and befriend expats because we are a wealth of information. I have been teaching English in Madrid for more than 8 years and I have to turn down classes because my schedule is full.

I am going to add that starting out with an academy is a great way to get your foot in the door. Do that for about a year or two, but also have some private classes to supplement your income. Never put all of your eggs in one basket.

Give it a go and stay in contact through this board and let us know how it goes.

Suerte,

Shawn

jonniboy · Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 10:49 pm Post subject:

Roisin, I worked in Spain 2003-2005, left for the snowy north (Latvia) for girlfriend reasons and often had thoughts of a second go here but I was worried about the kiddie thing as well as the overall economic situation. Finally this year I bit the bullet and returned and it's gone very well. The kids are by and large fine and I do have two large groups of fifteen 5 year olds but it's been okay, it's simply a matter of finding suitable songs, games and activities to hold their attention.

Also, why Madrid? I know it's the capital and all but you shouldn't rule out other parts of Spain. I looked in Madrid first but ended up in Valencia. The climate is much better, it's cheaper, has a beach and while being a reasonable sized city (800k) is more compact and therefore I don't have to mess about spending valuable time and money on the metro.

pr455 · Joined: 08 May 2011 Posts: 135 Location: MADRID, SPAIN

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

"The fact that they finally banned smoking in bars this year (I'm asthmatic) has led to me seriously considering looking for a job there."

...oh dear, in todays paper, it looks like Rajoy (very likely the next prime minister) wants to bring back smoking in "certain" bars: thought it was too good to last...

http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/11/09/actualidad/1320876067_636881.html

_________________________________________________________________________
...Jobs and language exchanges in Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Paris, Milan, Rome, Lisbon, Porto and Buenos Aires... www.lingobongo.com

...send your c.v. around ALL the schools in Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Paris, Milan, Rome, Lisbon, Porto and Buenos Aires... www.lingobongo.com/cvsender/

jonniboy · Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 2:43 pm Post subject:

A very good idea from Rajoy. Nothing wrong with freedom of choice, you don't like smoking, don't go to the bars where people can smoke.

pr455 · Joined: 08 May 2011 Posts: 135 Location: MADRID, SPAIN

Moore,

what you have posted should be no surprise to anyone. Rajoy has been against the smoking ban since day one. I doubt that he will have it overturned since this was an EU regulation (I believe).

Cheers,

Shawn

jonniboy · Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:44 pm Post subject:

Reading the interview he seems to be saying that he'd like to have smoking bars rather than that he plans to introduce them as PP leader. Shawn is right, if it is an EU regulation then I wouldn't worry about it.

RoisinDubh · Joined: 23 Apr 2011 Posts: 43

I've been thinking about this for the last few days and the more I think about it, the more I go off the idea of Madrid. I've lived in a big, polluted, inland city for the last few years and I'd like a change of scenery now. I think, ideally, I'd like to try Granada or Salamanca, but as they're so small, I'm worried about finding work there. I've been told that there is actually plenty of English teaching work in Granada, but not sure how accurate that is. The cheap rent in Granada is really appealing - if it didn't work out and I had to come home, I wouldn't have spent too much on setting myself up. A month's rent is less than a week's rent here in London. Does anyone know anything about Salamanca?

jonniboy, I started looking into Valencia today. Had a quick look at Loquo and it seems like you can rent a room for around 170 euro/month, does that sound accurate? If so, that's great. The idea of being on the coast really appeals to me as well.

jonniboy · Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 3:00 pm Post subject:

RoisinDubh · Joined: 23 Apr 2011 Posts: 43

RoisinDubh · Joined: 23 Apr 2011 Posts: 43

jonniboy, I just saw on another thread that you earn around 1500 a month for teaching 24 hours a week. Is that typical? I've been told over and over not to expect more than around 1100 a month for TEFL in Spain, which is what put me off considering it sooner. Would there be any chance of finding work from mid- late January/early February? It would be very difficult for me to make it over right after Christmas, as I need to wrap things up here in the UK in the New Year.