Job Discussion Forums

[Hsinchuguy]

Hi there, I'm a Canadian teacher with an MA and more than 10 years experience. My fiancee is Spanish and wants us to move there. My question is; can I legally work there before we're married, or must I be an EU citizen? After we're married, could I work legally right away or must I wait to obtain a work permit?
Although I've taught at the university level, I'm willing to work at a conversation school like WSI at the beginning.
Any help or advice would be much appreciated!

[Moore]

With an MA and 10 years experience you'll be fine for work until you get your papers sorted out, in Madrid at least, though you may have to accept being paid in cash. Where are you planning to live anyway?

[Hsinchuguy]

Probably it'd be to a large city like Madrid or Barcelona. Is the work situation there constant all year or is it seasonal as it is here? Which would be the best times of year to go?

[Moore]

If you have the choice then come to Madrid. There's more work here with less people chasing it.

The time to avoid is summer: things start to run down in June, July can be thin, August is basically non-existent, and courses only start really picking up again towards the end of September. There are summer camps to teach, often on the coasts, but they tend to be hard work for not great cash and often residential so you'd be away from your partner.

Teaching is a very up and down thing here and it's really very much a case of making hay while the sun shines and trying to save as much as possible for thin times. Unfortunately you get less money at the times you really need it ie Christmas and summer. Teaching english in Spain is not for the faint hearted: you have to be very organised and think ahead in terms of cash (something that I'm sadly not capable of!) in order to be able to make a go of it here in TEFL long term. That said, there is a great market here and money to be made if you look in the right places.