Job Discussion Forums

[ejy110]

Hello all,
I�m posting here because I�ve had very little luck in the Spain forum. I hope someone here can help me.

First, the question: Are there any relatively affordable places in Madrid to obtain either a TEFL or CELTA certification? Most places want at least 1000� and right now I�m more concerned with paying my rent (320�).

Next, the background info:
1. I would like to take a course over the summer, because I know the English teaching business dies down during this period.
2. I am currently enrolled in the Complutense de Madrid and have a student visa that is valid until Aug. 9 (I�m from the US). This allows me (as far as I�ve been told) to work up to 30 hours a week.
3. I have a BA in psychology and am currently working for a business by teaching English at other business in Madrid.
4. Oddly enough, my research at school mostly concerned language development in children as a function of emotion regulation. It�s a strange way to gain experience regarding the language, but experience nonetheless.
5. I have teaching experience in yoga (2 years, and it�s not as easy as you think) and a Counselor Education course.

The information may seem a little excessive, but the more you know, the more you may be able to help me.
I am seriously considering this as a career option. I have very little desire to go back home and if I can find some way to stay in Spain, I�d like to do it (legally). Any help at all would be appreciated.

[Spainish]

Just a little insight,

As far as economical courses, well pretty much all are in the 1,000+ euro range, but I do believe some offer discounts for off seasons. Unfortunately the summer time would not fall under the "off season" category.

As far as teaching English here legally and being American, well I've been here for nearly 4 years and believe me I've been looking into it. Your chances are slim as regardless of your experience and credentials, the costs, time, and paperwork involved in getting an American the proper legal standing here in Spain far outweigh the ease with which an Academy can hire an EU passport holder of equal or lesser experience. What you might try is to get yourself "embedded" in an Academy for some time and see if they can't do you a favor while you do your best to take care of the paperwork, costs, etc. that they would otherwise rather not deal with.

I won't go so far as to say it's impossible, but the only legal Americans I know here (two) were either in the right place at the right time (amnesty acts) or had good connections. Just being an English teacher won't suffice.

Good luck and I hope I haven't dashed your hopes all to pieces!!!


Spainish

P.S. You could always marry!

[ejy110]

thanks for the quick response Spainish.
Wow, that�s kind of depressing. I�m getting the impression here that most people on this forum are older and subsequently with more teaching experience. I�m fresh out of college, so I�m kind of out of luck. Marrying isn�t really an option for me (back home, a guy wanted to marry for a green card. I wouldn�t want it to happen to me, so I won�t do it to anyone else).

For those of us fresh out of college, any suggestions?

[shevek]

[ejy110]

It�s sounds like I�m going to have to resign myself to going back to the hellhole that is Pennsylvania and start over. Thanks anyway.

[Spainish]

Don't resign yourself to that "hellhole" too quickly. The majority of the people who come over to Spain to teach are of the "fresh out of college" sort. And believe you me, they are all doing it illegally!

If you really wanted to become a legal resident and stay longer well that�s when the problems would arise!

Spainish

[ejy110]

Basically, I would be happy just with working papers (I�m assuming those differ from residential visas). From what I gathered from the US Consulate webpage, if I try to become a legal permanent resident, I�d end up renouncing my US citizenship, which I don�t want to do either. Basically, I�d have to marry to get a dual citizenship.
It�s not that I want a citizenship. I just want to work here legally, but it looks like that�s not an option because there doesn�t seem to be a happy medium, at least for US residents.
Looks like I�m going to have to find a way to scrape together 1000� for the TEFL. Without a doubt, it�d be a good investment if I could legally get work. I don�t like the idea of giving a lower quality product to people when I could obviously improve it (my teaching). However, that�s a lot of money when you�re worried more about making rent.
Right now, I�m legal because I�m a �student�. What are the consequences if you are illegal? Do the police prosecute you or permanently throw you out of the country?
I�m also worried about health insurance. right now, as a student I have it, but what would happen when that ends? It�s frustrating because I feel like I�m stuck between a rock and a hard place. I�ll probably have to go home just to get more of a base, but that could take many years between my student loans and my family fighting me tooth and nail in order to get me to stay on that side of the pond.

[Granada Girl]

I did the CELTA at IH Madrid in 2000. It was wonderful!!! Don't remember the exact cost but probably around $1000. I think it was totally worth it!!! I really got a lot out of it.

Buena suerte!!

[Meg4]

[Moore]

Don�t get me wrong or anything, I have lots of American and Australian mates here, but as an EU citizen it�s a bit annoying to hear loads of advice about how to, well, basically, scr*w our system: I don�t know if you�ve thought about this, but the health service is paid for by our taxes (as in us boring old legal workers) so yes, you can get treatment in the hospitals, but WE are paying for it, so if you can, then please at least get some medical insurance.
There is one very good reason against working here - it�s ILLEGAL. Spain has some of the worst standards for teachers being treated by schools that I�ve ever seen in ten years of teaching and much of this is due to the fact that unscrupulous (ie the vast majority) of schools know that there�ll be an American along any minute who�ll work for peanuts in the middle of nowhere with no contract or job security or any of the rights that Europeans have fought so hard for. By all means come here and enjoy our continent, but please have the decency to keep a low profile and not bandy around information on how to play the system here.

[ejy110]

Hello Moore,
The reason I came to this forum is to get information so I wouldn�t screw the system. I understand that it�s very annoying when illegal workers milk the system because I see it happen all the time back home. (There�s been more than one occasion where I�ve considered calling INS on my neighbors).
Although I�ve gotta rant because it seems that we have so many legal foreign workers in the US, but we can�t seem to LEAVE the US legally, or at least not without a hassle.

Meg4, thank you for the suggestions. I�m guessing you aren�t from Wilkes-Barre, so what part of PA are you from?

Anyway, thanks to all of you for your suggestions. I guess I�m just going to see where the chips land.

[Moore]

Sorry ejy, may well have been getting it out of my system there myself after having gone to visit an accountant for the first time here and finding out just how much tax I have to pay for teaching and freelancing: full marks to you for at least trying to do things legally, good luck over here.