Job Discussion Forums

[ihaveitchyfeet]

Teaching English in Spain seems like a fantastic idea, but I need some realtistic feedback Here's the lowdown:

I am willing to fly to Spain after signing up for a course with a reputable company (such as Canterbury English in Madrid) and get my TEFL certification through them-sight unseen. This will, at the very least, have me in Spain when I begin looking for work and (supposedly) have the institution where I got my certification helping me look for a job. Realistic or unrealistic?

I am okay to live in a hostel for a bit while I meet people, find out where I'd be working and find a decent place to live.

Ideally I'd like to work 30 hours a week-either through the school or a combination of through the school and as a private tutor (which sounds like it's more lucrative and may be a better idea).

Thoughts on all of the above (and below) are MUCH appreciated--I don't know anyone who's done this before!

Say I go in with my American passport, which allows me 90 days in Spain..1. Isn't it illegal for me to work during that 90 days as I am considered a tourist? 2. How do I get a work permit or year-long work visa after I secure a job so I stay legal?

Also, not that I've ever been to Spain, but Valencia or Malaga are looking really nice (Madrid is so centralized and I would adore living by the sea!)...is it realistic to look for work in these cities and does anyone know of reputable schools where I can get certified and then get work through in either area? (I think I want to avoid Barcelona due to the Catalan-I want to learn the most "mainstream" Spanish I can.)

Thanks for taking the time to read through my post and more thanks if you are able to provide some answers!!!

[Meg4]

What you say you're planning to do is pretty much accurate. Once you finish your TEFL course you can start looking for work. I'm not sure about work in Malaga or Valencia, but I imagine that it will be harder to find work there (especially for an American) than in Madrid. Keep in mind that the best months to look for work are September / October or January. Summer is really difficult since many academies don't even have classes and others have a reduced number. However, you should be able to get some private classes in the summer months.

As far as living arrangements, the best thing to do is stay in a hostel or a temporary place for a couple weeks and start looking for an apartment when you're in Spain. Buy the Segundamano newspaper which has lots of ads for apartment rentals. If you don't speak Spanish very well you could ask someone at your TEFL school to help when calling about apartments.

You also asked,

[Moore]

Hello, I couldn�t agree more with Meg4 - as an illegal you are far better off looking for work in Madrid (plentiful) than going somewhere where more people, often with working papers, are chasing fewer jobs. Valencia is only four hours away by bus, and Madrid�s central location isn�t such a handicap: you�ll be so much nearer other places.
Also, as Meg pointed out, be very careful of summer - Spanish cities basically shut down over summer (end July, all August, most of September) and you will not get work here.
Also, be wary of basing your plans on private students: they are really very unreliable, and of course in holidays they aren�t here. Teaching a couple of kids is usually more dependable, but there�s that glorified-baby-sitter side to it sometimes.
Come with some fall-back cash / room on your credit card for emergencies, and count on having to go back to the US to work over summer: there�s very little chance of a non-E.U. person getting any work in Europe over summer, and it�s hard to earn enough to have savings to tide you over during summer when you�re teaching here.
I don�t mean to sound pessimistic, and you�ll get a bit of work here, but do accept that you�ll be an illegal worker and adjust your expectations accordingly.

[ihaveitchyfeet]

If things are essentially closed for the summer, then when would be the best time for me to get my TEFL certificate so I can be ready to go when the jobs are? Looking at some courses that Canterbury English offers, they have a course that's 1 Aug-26 Aug or 29 Aug-23 Sept. Which of these time frames would work best to be ready to work when I have jobs to choose from?

Also, any thoughts on Canterbury? Or on EBC, another company I found (online) that operates in Madrid? http://www.ebc-tefl-course.com

[Moore]

Definitely the second one: there isn�t really any work until the end of September/start of October.
EBC seems to have a decent enough reputation.
Of course you can always be getting on with sending your cv around while you study when you�re on the ground and have a mobile phone number / flat etc.