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mstuartlewis71
Joined: 31 Aug 2016
Posts: 16
Location: austin texas
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 Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 3:16 am Post subject: chance in hell...employment...spain...american.no bachelors. |
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the heading states it all right?
I have a garden variety TEFL from oxford TEFL(not from oxford university of course) but do NOT have a bachelors degree. I'm an American so I don't think i will be able to get a work visa.
I have basically surmised, from weeks of research on boards like and including this one, that the only chance i have of making a go of teaching english in Spain is private tutoring and a lot of it.
What do folks, on this board here think of this?
I am basically close to throwing in the towell on teaching in Spain and so If Spain doesnt seem to be a logical move for me what other European country would?
Czec republic only seems reasonable on "paper", but probably is even more difficult to teach there.
thank you! |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 6:04 am Post subject: Re: chance in hell...employment...spain...american.no bachel |
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| mstuartlewis71 wrote: |
| I have a garden variety TEFL from oxford TEFL(not from oxford university of course) but do NOT have a bachelors degree. I'm an American so I don't think i will be able to get a work visa. |
Don't count on finding legal employment in Spain. You lack the most important credential: a passport from an EU country. Plus, your Oxford Seminars TEFL cert won't cut it in those (non-EU) countries you can legally work in; employers want to see a CELTA or Trinity CertTESOL.
Why not look to Cambodia or Central and South America? |
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Dave Rochester
Joined: 08 Jun 2016
Posts: 13
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| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 8:51 am Post subject: Re: chance in hell...employment...spain...american.no bachel |
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| mstuartlewis71 wrote: |
Czec republic only seems reasonable on "paper", but probably is even more difficult to teach there.
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Why? |
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mstuartlewis71
Joined: 31 Aug 2016
Posts: 16
Location: austin texas
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| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 2:02 pm Post subject: Re: chance in hell...employment...spain...american.no bachel |
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| Dave Rochester wrote: |
| mstuartlewis71 wrote: |
Czec republic only seems reasonable on "paper", but probably is even more difficult to teach there.
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Why? |
I hear about job market saturation, in the extreme in the Czech Republic.
I looked into teaching there a couple of years ago and sought advice on this site here along with numerous others. This is how I came to this conclusion but what do I actually know?
So Spain looks to be even more difficult nut to crack at this point. |
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mstuartlewis71
Joined: 31 Aug 2016
Posts: 16
Location: austin texas
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| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 2:12 pm Post subject: Re: chance in hell...employment...spain...american.no bachel |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| mstuartlewis71 wrote: |
| I have a garden variety TEFL from oxford TEFL(not from oxford university of course) but do NOT have a bachelors degree. I'm an American so I don't think i will be able to get a work visa. |
Don't count on finding legal employment in Spain. You lack the most important credential: a passport from an EU country. Plus, your Oxford Seminars TEFL cert won't cut it in those (non-EU) countries you can legally work in; employers want to see a CELTA or Trinity CertTESOL.
Why not look to Cambodia or Central and South America? |
I may very well teach in South America. I recently spent 3 months in Ecuador and I love that damn country. There are opportunities there, Chile, Peru and pretty much all over South America.
I am thinking about Mexico as well.
And what "non EU" countries were you referring to when you mentioned that an Oxford seminar certification wont "cut it"?
thanks |
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Xie Lin
Joined: 21 Oct 2011
Posts: 731
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| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 3:11 pm Post subject: Re: chance in hell...employment...spain...american.no bachel |
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| mstuartlewis71 wrote: |
So Spain looks to be even more difficult nut to crack at this point
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It is certainly a difficult nut to crack for someone with no qualifications and no legal right to work in the country. To be competitive for entry-level work, you would need a BA, a respectable (CELTA equivalent) certification, and a passport from an EU member country. Although you might conceivably get lucky if you lack the first or the second, you have not even one of the minimal requirements.
There are three legal routes open to a US citizen (without family/spousal ties to the country) to teach in Spain: the Ministry of Education program, possessing exceptional qualifications, and working on a student visa. You don't qualify for the first two, but could research programs that provide the third. It's an expensive but viable route for an American, and can be combined with one of several teacher development courses.
I am assuming from your "garden variety" description of your cert that it is indeed from Oxford Seminars, and not from Oxford TEFL. Oxford TEFL is a well respected organization in Spain and the Czech Republic offering the desirable Trinity cert, while Oxford Seminars courses are not useful for employment purposes. |
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Xie Lin
Joined: 21 Oct 2011
Posts: 731
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| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 3:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
And what "non EU" countries were you referring to when you mentioned that an Oxford seminar certification wont "cut it"?
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Sorry--I posted above without seeing your last post. Oxford Seminar certifications generally do not meet the CELTA/Trinity/SIT equivalency standard, and so are not acceptable to any employer in any country who expects an equivalent certification.
Minimum expectations are generally 120 hours in class (most often 4 weeks), with 6 hours of observed and assessed practice teaching of genuine students (not your fellow trainees.) |
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mstuartlewis71
Joined: 31 Aug 2016
Posts: 16
Location: austin texas
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| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 4:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Xie Lin wrote: |
| Quote: |
And what "non EU" countries were you referring to when you mentioned that an Oxford seminar certification wont "cut it"?
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Sorry--I posted above without seeing your last post. Oxford Seminar certifications generally do not meet the CELTA/Trinity/SIT equivalency standard, and so are not acceptable to any employer in any country who expects an equivalent certification.
Minimum expectations are generally 120 hours in class (most often 4 weeks), with 6 hours of observed and assessed practice teaching of genuine students (not your fellow trainees.) |
I am in the process of taking in a 4 month practicum course, with "real students" at a local non profit here(Austin). I will also be taking an "literacy forward" course that involves teaching prospective teachers how to teach english.
I failed to mention with my original post that I more than expect to be tutoring and NOT teaching at any reputable schools in Spain.
Tutoring under the table that is.
Any thoughts on tutoring under the table, in Spain?
thanks! |
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Xie Lin
Joined: 21 Oct 2011
Posts: 731
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| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 6:29 pm Post subject: |
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Any thoughts on tutoring under the table, in Spain?
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I have no personal experience, but one major impediment comes to mind--the limitation of your 90-day visa. Without a professional or social network in place, a big chunk of that time will be used up finding students. Then, your appeal as a tutor with just weeks left in the country will be limited to those with very short-term goals. Seems a daunting proposition to me. Private students are generally found through word of mouth and personal recommendation, which require a local reputation and connections--not something acquired that quickly. |
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AGoodStory
Joined: 26 Feb 2010
Posts: 738
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| Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 8:39 pm Post subject: |
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OP, on another thread I saw that you will not be doing the Oxford Seminars course until April. Are you able to consider other possibilities? Even in the countries where you can find legal work as an American, not having a BA puts a major dent in your competitiveness. Having a substandard teaching certificate gives you one more disadvantage to overcome. While you can't quickly address the lack of a BA, you could substantially and quickly bolster your marketability with a reputable certificate course under your belt.
Without a BA, you would benefit even more than most from one of the name brand certs: CELTA, Triniity certTESOL, or SIT (especially in the the Americas.) EIL in Quito has the lowest priced SIT cert program going. And there are high-quality equivalent generic courses for less. Even if you can't see your way to one of these three brand names, there is still a LOT of distance between them and a substandard course like Oxford Seminars.
A solid cert course, plus your year's experience including a four-month practicuum should put you in the running for a fair number of jobs in Latin America, assuming you come across as personable and professional. Even so, you will be competing with degreed applicants for almost every position. |
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mstuartlewis71
Joined: 31 Aug 2016
Posts: 16
Location: austin texas
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| Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2017 7:39 am Post subject: |
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| AGoodStory wrote: |
OP, on another thread I saw that you will not be doing the Oxford Seminars course until April. Are you able to consider other possibilities? Even in the countries where you can find legal work as an American, not having a BA puts a major dent in your competitiveness. Having a substandard teaching certificate gives you one more disadvantage to overcome. While you can't quickly address the lack of a BA, you could substantially and quickly bolster your marketability with a reputable certificate course under your belt.
Without a BA, you would benefit even more than most from one of the name brand certs: CELTA, Triniity certTESOL, or SIT (especially in the the Americas.) EIL in Quito has the lowest priced SIT cert program going. And there are high-quality equivalent generic courses for less. Even if you can't see your way to one of these three brand names, there is still a LOT of distance between them and a substandard course like Oxford Seminars.
A solid cert course, plus your year's experience including a four-month practicuum should put you in the running for a fair number of jobs in Latin America, assuming you come across as personable and professional. Even so, you will be competing with degreed applicants for almost every position. |
Thank you so much for your suggestions here "A good story". I have not been able to feel very comfortable with the Oxford seminar cert. I have actually read up on them quite a bit and I agree that the education is over all substandard. I will look into other cert options, more specifically the SIT program in Quito. |
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