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Romita
Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 5
Location: Madrid, Spain
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 Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 4:40 am Post subject: Options for Teaching in Spain |
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Greetings, I'm searching for opinions and advise. I would like to move to Spain to teach ESL. I have a Bachelor of Arts and 100 hour TESOL Certificate. I am American, therefore I do not hold an EU passport.
While I am not looking to move until August 2013, I have been advised that I will need to go to Spain to pursue employment. I am seeking advise as to my credentials. Will I be able to find employment with the credentials I currently hold? If not, is it recommended that I attend school in Spain to earn a CELTA certification? If so, what areas are recommended? Thank you. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 8:59 am Post subject: |
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There are lots of threads here regarding Americans trying to find work in Spain. You could usefully read a bit to get answers from more voices.
The short answer is that you hold the wrong passport and you aren't eligible to work in Spain, or Italy, or Portugal, or France (etc).
It's not about your qualifications. It is that the western EU countries have official EU citizen hiring preferences, and there are plenty of teachers around from the EU - no need to hire from outside for regular EFL positions.
There are some work/study programs that might provide a loophole (see earlier threads).
Some people choose to work illegally, but there are obvious risks.
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=98130&start=0
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=98291 |
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chica88
Joined: 28 Dec 2012
Posts: 107
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| Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 1:00 am Post subject: work in spain possible... |
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I was wondering myself if work in spain was possible.
In my reading I came by some info for Americans.
You have to contact the Spain consulate...
They have all these steps you have to follow including but not limited to hiring a lawyer to help get your paperwork in order.
If I find the link I will send it to you.
In Spain they call it something like - getting your paperwork in order.
It takes awhile to do.
And it costs.
but its possible. |
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jonniboy
Joined: 18 Jun 2006
Posts: 751
Location: Panama City, Panama
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| Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2013 2:08 pm Post subject: Re: work in spain possible... |
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| chica88 wrote: |
I was wondering myself if work in spain was possible.
In my reading I came by some info for Americans.
You have to contact the Spain consulate...
They have all these steps you have to follow including but not limited to hiring a lawyer to help get your paperwork in order.
If I find the link I will send it to you.
In Spain they call it something like - getting your paperwork in order.
It takes awhile to do.
And it costs.
but its possible. |
Possible yes, but not through this route for teaching work. For teaching work, as with other work, you have to find a company to sponsor you and that company has to prove that there isn't anyone locally from any of the 27 EU countries that can do the same job. As the EU includes the UK and Ireland, that's a hard one for employers to argue, even if they did want to pay the substantial costs involved, and none of them do, especially in economic crisis times. Basically it would be like a company in Texas or California arguing that they need someone to come from Spain to teach Spanish there.
Search previous threads (lots of 'em!) and you'll find that there are very limited ways for Americans to find legal work and none of them require the expense of a lawyer. |
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Romita
Joined: 10 Feb 2012
Posts: 5
Location: Madrid, Spain
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| Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2013 5:11 am Post subject: |
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Thanks to everyone for replying to this post. While there is not a lot of information, there is some. And, I appreciate your opinion. I do want to work in Spain. And, I want to do it legally. I do realize, as a non-EU member, I have a tough road ahead. That being said, I am not discouraged.
Fear will paralyze and keep you from pursuing your dreams. In the words of Dr. Seuss, "Why try to fit in when you were born to stand out?" |
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AGoodStory
Joined: 26 Feb 2010
Posts: 738
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| Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2013 4:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Romita wrote: |
. In the words of Dr. Seuss, "Why try to fit in when you were born to stand out?"
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And do you? Stand out? With a BA, and a 100-hour cert? Not so much.
Just so you realize that this attitude is peculiarly American. And while many Americans consider it to be part of their charm, most of the rest of the world (including much of Europe) do not find it to be one of their more endearing qualities. 
Your best bet as a minimally qualified American who wants to work in Spain is to read up on the Ministry of Education program. Also research the student visa requirements--in the past this has been a route that would allow work while studying in Spain, but I don't know what the current situation is.
Alternately, you can work at improving your qualifications until you do "stand out." That's a long-range plan, however; and even so, the chances are not high of being granted an exceptional visa.
.
.
Last edited by AGoodStory on Tue Jan 15, 2013 4:36 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2013 4:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I do realize, as a non-EU member, I have a tough road ahead. That being said, I am not discouraged. |
It's not a matter of enough can-do attitude: it's a matter of what's legal.
The US doesn't import teachers from Spain to teach Spanish because there are plenty of native Spanish speakers in the US. Spain doesn't import non-EU English teachers because the EU has plenty of native English speakers.
Your most likely bet is marraige to a Spanish citizen.
On AGoodStory's point, there is even a thread on this: http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=99868&start=0
Last edited by spiral78 on Tue Jan 15, 2013 6:47 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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AGoodStory
Joined: 26 Feb 2010
Posts: 738
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| Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2013 4:59 pm Post subject: |
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Just wanted to add that if you do want to research the student visa question, Teacher Training Madrid is one place to start. Heather can bring you up to date on Spain's current law.
www.ttmadrid.com/
It's less of a commitment than marriage. (At least some marriages.)
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Qaaolchoura
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Posts: 539
Location: 21 miles from the Syrian border
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| Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2013 5:30 pm Post subject: |
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| spiral78 wrote: |
| The US doesn't import teachers from Spain to teach Spanish because there are plenty of native Spanish speakers in the US. Spain doesn't import non-EU English teachers because the EU has plenty of native English speakers. |
Actually, we do import Spanish speakers to teach Spanish (and French speakers to teach French). At my high school, half of the Spanish teachers were from Hispanophone countries, and all of the French teachers were from Francophone countries, though only one of the French teachers was from France and none of the Spanish teachers from Spain. I assume this is largely because qualified Frenchmen and Spaniards are generally less keen on moving to the US than similarly-educated Latin Americans and Africans.
Incidentally, none of our American citizen Spanish teachers were native speakers, despite my area being home to a large community of Puerto Ricans. I'm not sure if this is because of the relatively low average Puerto Rican educational attainment, or the near complete unintelligibility of Puerto Rican (and Cuban for that matter) Spanish with that spoken in Spain and mainland Latin America.
Regards,
~Q |
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AGoodStory
Joined: 26 Feb 2010
Posts: 738
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| Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2013 6:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Qaaolchoura wrote: |
Actually, we do import Spanish speakers to teach Spanish (and French speakers to teach French). At my high school, half of the Spanish teachers were from Hispanophone countries, and all of the French teachers were from Francophone countries, though only one of the French teachers was from France and none of the Spanish teachers from Spain. I assume this is largely because qualified Frenchmen and Spaniards are generally less keen on moving to the US than similarly-educated Latin Americans. . .
Regards,
~Q |
You may find that most of these teachers are in the US on family visas that allow work, rather than work visas as such. When I was in Italy I kept hearing about American teachers said to have work permits, but upon investigation, these teachers were in the country by means of "family reunification" visas--most often through an Italian spouse, or one working for an international company. The exceptions were those who qualified for citizenship because of ancestry.
My high school Russian teacher taught legally in the US because she had married an American.
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2013 6:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Actually, we do import Spanish speakers to teach Spanish (and French speakers to teach French). At my high school, half of the Spanish teachers were from Hispanophone countries, and all of the French teachers were from Francophone countries, though only one of the French teachers was from France and none of the Spanish teachers from Spain. I assume this is largely because qualified Frenchmen and Spaniards are generally less keen on moving to the US than similarly-educated Latin Americans and Africans. |
My experience with this agrees with AGS. Of course there are a range of native speaking modern languages teachers at 'my' university (both the European one and the Canadian one) as well, but none of them was actually recruited from abroad and the institution didn't jump through any visa hoops; all have legal status through family ties. |
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AGL81
Joined: 18 Nov 2012
Posts: 8
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| Posted: Sun Jan 27, 2013 10:52 am Post subject: |
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| Your best bet is either marrying a person with EU citizenship (not much of an option sincerely) or, if possible, obtaining an EU passport by way of family, i.e. if your grandfather was born in Ireland etc. |
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jovencito
Joined: 11 Oct 2005
Posts: 46
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| Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 5:09 am Post subject: |
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The only realistic and legal options open that I know of are:
1. Get sponsored (not impossible but not easy)
2. Student Visa - you can work up to 20 hours a week with one but when you apply, never tell the guy at the consulate that you're getting it for the work possibilities.
3. Stay here and work for 3 years illegally and then tell the state that you've done so. After you've told them, got a job offer and passed a "20 questions" style quiz to show that you've adapted to life in Spain, you're in and you get Spanish residency (equivalent of a US green card). I know quite a few people that have done and are currently doing this. Spanish immigration lawyers will give you all the info. you need about this.
If you have a grandparent that was born in the EU you can usually apply to their country of birth for residency. This entitles you to work anywhere in the EU. If you're independently wealthy you can get Spanish residency as well. For most of us, the latter is not an option
Forget the "green card" marriage.
3. is my favourite - what a country - work illegally for 3 years and we'll give you residency !! |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 6:28 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| If you have a grandparent that was born in the EU you can usually apply to their country of birth for residency. This entitles you to work anywhere in the EU |
Not true. Most countries do NOT grant citizenship based on ancestry as far back as grandparents. Only Ireland, I believe.
You've also left out an important bit from your point 3.
Work three years illegally - without getting caught!
This gets really risky any time you want to leave the country. |
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Qaaolchoura
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Posts: 539
Location: 21 miles from the Syrian border
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| Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 8:31 pm Post subject: |
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| spiral78 wrote: |
| Quote: |
| If you have a grandparent that was born in the EU you can usually apply to their country of birth for residency. This entitles you to work anywhere in the EU |
Not true. Most countries do NOT grant citizenship based on ancestry as far back as grandparents. Only Ireland, I believe. |
Italy does. So does Croatia, I believe. Others may too, but I'm not going to research the individual nationality laws.
Incidentally, the US does as well. I read an interesting article about this recently. Because of our low emigration rate, pretty much the only people who routinely take advantage of it are Israelis.
~Q |
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