Job Discussion Forums

[rafaella]

Try internet searches such as tefl resources or esl materials. Lots of sites will come up. Some of them require payment (I haven't tried using those) and not all of them offer great materials but, if you are patient, you'll find worthwhile activities - warmers, ice-breakers, debates, etc

There are also books of photocopiable materials available but I doubt you'd want to buy those as you'd then have to get them over to Spain and most schools will have such resources. It might be worth looking through some though, to get an idea of the types of activities they include.

As you get more experience, you'll get a feel for what is likely to make a good activity. Of course, that will also depend on the age group and level you are teaching.

Hope this helps and pleased to hear you're feeling more positive about Madrid!

[melanissa]

Thanks I'll have a look to get some ideas and familiarise myself!

After all my ridiculous stressing about 'only having 2 grand' to start myself off... and decidjng to stop being a worry wart, I've had a rotter of a week resulting in that amount probably not even being the case any more! Apparently I've been overpaid in my current job, not enough for me to have notice month by month...but now they've realised (18 months later, so amounts to a hefty sum!)...I need to repay it so having it taken out of my salary over the next 5 months...which has basically accounted for all I had planned to bring to Madrid!

Oddly, even though it might mean being completely INSANE by having no real money (just an overdraft!!) behind me, because of all the great advice I've been given on here, which made me forget the worries and decide to go for what I wanted, I have still got my heart set on staying on after the course...am I mad?! I suppose at least now I REALLY do know what I want...the heart still pulls to do it and take the risk...now this has happened and put a spanner in the works, it's just confirmed how much I actually don't want to put it off a year!

Maybe a lottery win will occur in the next few months eh!

Mel x

[rafaella]

Ouch! Sorry to hear that. If you don't have any money, how will you survive in Madrid until your first month's salary comes through? I really don't want to put you off after all the soul searching you went through to get to this point, but make sure you will be able to survive and get back home if needs be. Good luck with that lottery win![/i]

[melanissa]

Well I'm yet to see the 'actual' effect on my payslip (end of the month should enlighten a little!) - but at the minute it's looking like I MAY be able to scrape together around �500 max...and I have a pretty big overdraft, which I didn't want to use unless absolutely necessary, but could dip into that provided I do land a job, to cover rent deposits etc...not what I want to do, start off in the red, but it's more appealing to maybe have a frugal couple of months to pay it off than to not go. So I suppose 'debt' is my back-up! :s

[rafaella]

Well, I hope it all works out for you whatever you decide to do. It would be interesting to hear how you get on so I hope you'll come back in the autumn to give us an update. Good luck!

[DMcK]

If you came for January you'd need more than 2K as you would be living off the dregs in terms of teaching hours. It would probably put you off and make you want to go home. Not many people can handle it.

On the bright side:

After your CELTA, you'll have a much better chance to get yourself about 20+ hours which is enough to get you going. Once you've been here a while you'll soon see that there is money to be made. Don't believe the negative "you can only scrape by" kind of comments. In my two years here I've found them to be very far from the truth.

Madrid can be a relative gold mine. In my experience the economic crisis has strengthened the desire to learn English. The Spanish people seem to value it highly for their CV.

[mozzar]

I agree. Once you get set up in Spain there is plenty of money to be made. As long as you're not going out every night (and in what work can you go out every night and still be professional?).

[rafaella]

[quote="mozzar"]Once you get set up in Spain there is plenty of money to be made.[/quote]

Do you think that that only applies to Madrid, though? I've never found working in Spain to be particularly lucrative.

If I can be nosy - How many hours a week do you usually work? Do you work for a language school, do private classes or a mixture of both?

[mozzar]

I imagine it probably does apply mainly for the bigger cities (but then you have to factor in cost of living as well).

I�m sure I�ve posted my income/expenses in other threads so I fear no harm repeating it here.

It�s generally �15 an hour for 25 hours work per week (4 and a half days): �1500. I take on some extra classes every now and then so I�ll be earning close to �2000 this month.

Rent: �350 - 400.
Transport: �48 (gotta love the metro pass).
Food: �200.

That leaves a lot left over. I�ve managed to pay for an MA working here. And as soon as I�ve finished writing my dissertation it�s an Xbox 360 and widescreen TV.

I work for two private language schools. Both are friendly, professional and pay on time. I know others have had bad experiences from some schools but I guess I�ve been lucky. I used to do private classes (�20 an hour) but haven�t had any need/time this year. I�ve got friends earning almost �800 a month cash in hand. There�s always demand that spreads through word of mouth.

At the end of the day it becomes easier once you�re set up. Arrive in September with an onsite cert, work in a company for a year. The next year the same company will give you better hours, better locations so travelling time is less so you can do more classes for more money (you might even get a raise). Never accept the first classes the academies give you if you�re not entirely happy - last year I spent a good three/four hours a day on and off public transport. These days it�s an hour.

Just treat the job professionally and have an aim of where you want to be. I�ve also been told of the government jobs that pay a lot more per hour for those teachers that are qualified or have experience. Normally training Spanish teachers that can be �80+ an hour. You won�t get that as a newbie but after a few years it�ll start to pay.

The only people I�ve met who are strapped for cash are those who are saving for other costly things. For the average newbie, it�s not a bad job.

Hmm, that was quite a long post. Just hope there aren�t too many newbies going to make their way over here now to take all the jobs.

[rafaella]

Thanks, mozzar. Interesting post and with more information than I expected. I would never have presumed to ask you how much you were actually earning!

I'm not a newbie either in terms of teaching EFL or teaching in Spain but I have never made anything close to the sort of figures you quoted. Then again I don't live in a big city. I've even been thinking of moving to Asia just so I can earn a decent wage. I'd rather move to Madrid, though!

[p�l]

[melanissa]

Not been on the site for a while...reading the latest few posts has thrown an interesting possibility into the mix - hadn't thought of coming out in Jan time as thought from info I've gathered it would be pretty bleak on the employment side. Turns out I am definitely unable to stay after my course - won't bore ppl with the details but effectively what money I will have saved post debt clearing (which is 99% complete now, yay!) is tied up elsewhere meaning I won't start 'saving' until Oct's pay from current school in positive thinking I decided maybe it was a sign that I'm meant to be UK bound for a yr longer...not completely devastated by it as I've been trying to think about how to use it positively in terms of future in ESL - figured I'd continue giving up a few free periods a week to work in my school's EAL department, and one of the staff does an adult course in the evenings which I believe puts people through the English qualifications, so thought I'd also help at those and try to use all that as an advantage of being familiar with them/experience to justify the year gap between gaining CELTA and pursuing it as a full time job! Interesting to hear of work going in Jan/Feb though - I could potentially come back out then as would (assuming nothing else puts a spanner in the works!) be debt free and have a couple of grand to start me off.

Would anyone recommend that or am I best holding out til the following Sep to move? I'm aware that there are other places in the world with Jan/Feb starts and I had considered this previously, but I'm drawn to Spain for starters since a) I'm doing the CELTA there and b) I'm learning Spanish (well, I say learning, am trying to but current stress and prep for GCSE exams is holding priority til end of May!) x

[rafaella]

Hi melanissa,

As you are aware, the main hiring wave for Europe takes place around September but there is a second, albeit smaller, hiring season for January starts.

In my opinion, searching in February is leaving it a little late. I would imagine that if you came over in early January*, you could find work but you would probably have to search a little harder than you would in September and perhaps work for two or more schools to get sufficient hours together.

*Bear in mind that 6th January is a public holiday in Spain and schools are likely to be closed from around Christmas Eve until the first working day after the 6th.

[melanissa]

Hi all

Just thought I would quickly post on here as an update since you were all kind enough to shae advice etc with me! I am currently in Madrid, doing the CELTA which I am really enjoying! Due to onw thing and another, I didn't hand my notice in at my school, so am destined to return to the UK in September BUT... I am DEFINITELY coming back! Luckily I have a job teaching English to a variety of Eastern European students when I return, just one evening class a week alongside my job, but figured that will give me some experience to go with the qual and hopefully be good for my return to Spain next summer (when thankfully funds will be less issue too, yay!) so that's my little update. Just need to find my other half a job here in Spain... he has no degree so hoping there is a way he can teach English without that getting in the way!

Mel x

[sheikh radlinrol]