Job Discussion Forums

[rampo]

Hi. I don't know much about teaching in Spain. I've perused the boards and it seems that teaching there is a cool experience though not a financially rewarding one. I'm a US citizen with a BA, been in Japan for about a year and my school closed amid a great scandal so I decided it was time to move on.

I found a job posting recently. it doesn't sound very advantageous for the teacher- am I correct?? What do you think of these conditions?
-15 to 30 teaching hours per week
-"rent-free" housing with �6/wk salary or �8/wk if i find my own housing - payable weekly in cash
-bond of �300 paid at the end of the contract!
-teacher agrees to not have any other jobs or teach private English classes
-it is recommended for teachers to bring along additional books and teaching material to the classes that may aid in the teaching process

[Takahiwai]

Sounds quite peculiar. 15-30 hours of work per week is going from the sublime to the not-quite ridiculous in Spain. Surely you didn't mean that the salary was 6 or 8 euros per week? In any case, you can certainly do better. By the way, are you able to work in Spain legally?

[jonniboy]

Those conditions? A complete joke. The going rate for teachers in Valencia when I left in 2005 was 10 euros per hour now it's at least 12 euro per hour. I visited my old boss two weeks ago and he's paying teachers a salary of 100 euro per month per group. (Groups there study for two hours per week.)

The prohibition on taking private classes is quite possibly illegal / unenforceable anyway. Furthermore any decent language centre should have a range of their own materials for you to use. If they're too cheap to do that then can you really trust them to have your wellbeing at heart when it comes to paying you on time?

Finally and most crucially of all, if you haven't an E.U. passport then remember that 99% of language centres in Spain will be unable to get you a visa, so you'll be working there illegally unable to cover yourself in the event of accidents or emergencies.

My advice is that you'd be mad to even apply for it.

[elamericano]

I know exactly which school you're talking about and will tell you in no uncertain terms to avoid it.

That 300 euro bond is paid for by you not getting paid for your first 300 euros worth of classes until the end of your contract. That is about 50 hours of work you do for free at the beginning. One of the teachers there informed me that another teacher who requested said bond money was screamed at by the sociopathic owner/operator, who by the way has no teaching experience whatsoever and is nothing more than a wealthy heir. When I visited, he proudly showed me the bar he was opening along with the multiple other branches of this school of his that were going to the next big name in English education on the Costa del Azahar. None of the existing facilities had generated sufficient income to justify its existence.

The house you will be placed to live in with other teachers (you will share your bedroom) is flat-out disgusting and unsanitary.

If you want to be working here legally, consider doing the Language and Culture Assistants Program: http://www.mec.es/sgci/usa/en/programs/us_assistants/default.shtml. It's almost like a Spanish version of JET except without the prestige and support. You need at least intermediate Spanish skills, including the submission of a personal statement in the language.

[gotaqua]

elamericano,

you seem to be quite the supporter of the Language and Culture Assistant program.

I was wondering if you or anyone else on this forum has actually done it and tried living the whole academic year in Madrid (and had any fun) on only 700 euros a month.

~thanks

[elamericano]

[jeanluclenormand]

original post - sounds absurd - even at 6/7 euros an hour. Plus no curriculum - they want you to bring your own teaching materials? May as well attend the shoot-out at the OK corral. Get certified, get your resume out, and interview in person in the city of your choice. let us know how things work out for you!

[rampo]

[gotaqua]

i'm actually applying to the MEC program, i figured it was a good way to get to spain...without TOO much hassle

Depending on how which part of the site you look at, their requirements change. On the page where it answers 'FAQs' it will tell you that the essay and the recommendation need to be in Spanish. However, if you look at another FAQ question it will tell you that the recommendation and essay can be in English or Spanish...so you decide. An email from a MEC correspondent also said that 'your documentation' can be in English, but that was a specific reference for the CV.

However, since it is in Spain, and they require you to fill out part of the App. in Spanish, i figure that the more Spanish you use, the better.

best of luck!

[elamericano]

Correct, gotagua, that is what I remember also from when I filled out the application in spring 2007. The documentation you have to send will also include stuff like a doctor's note saying you are free from chronic diseases (my doctor told me that they are usually most worried about HIV and TB) as well as a chronological list of every single school you have attended starting at the primary level. It was no problem for these to be in English.

The stuff that has to be in Spanish is the personal statement where you are telling them why you want to come here.

Rampo, I am not sure if it is a good idea to say you grew up with Spanish in the home because, perhaps, this may cause them to think that English is not your native language. And that is a key requirement for this program. Therefore, it is much better to say you obtained Spanish training by means of classes, jobs/volunteering, and/or travel experiences.

The point is to clarify that you have the required native understanding of English but have developed Spanish skills later on which will help you with everyday matters while being in Spain.

[sweeney66]

I actually left london to work for that "school". No money, no books, in short, no school. But they can get you a job as a nanny and keep half the money. You hear about stuff like that, but never really believe it till it happens to you...