Job Discussion Forums

[dawnbuckley]

Hi,

I would love to teach in Spain but I can only commit to a maximum of 6 months. All of the positions advertised seem to be for the
the whole academic year, which is fair enough, but does anyone know of any exceptions to this?

Thanks!

Dawn

[Moore]

Most schools offers a totally pointless 9-month contract over here (i.e. they don't pay you over summer when you really need it), so just find one of those and make up an excuse come Easter: that may sound a bit unprofessional, but as the majority of schools here are total cowboys and refuse to pay even long-term teachers over summer I wouldn't worry about it too much.




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[travellingscot]

If you teach as a volunteer then perhaps you could come and go when you felt like it--that would be one option ?
I remember being told in Alicante that employers wanted to see some level of commitment like a long term rental before giving you a job, presumably to prevent just this sort of thing from happening.
Moore-if schools paid for 12 months then wouldn't they adjust the salary so that they still paid the same amount in total ? At least this way you know in advance that you will be free and can plan to fly home [If you have any money after partying in madrid], look for other work or whatever. I have been in Spain so i know how it feels to face the lack of money, but there doesn't seem to be many perfect jobs around.

[Moore]

I think if they paid what they pay over 12 months, then nobody would bother working for them: for example, a job which pays 1200 per month, over 9 months makes 10800 euros per year. That over a 12 month period would be 900 euros per month.

More insidiously, when you are on a 9 month contract you go on a temporary work contract: this means the school is only obliged to pay 2% tax on your wages: that is fine if you leave Spain immediately after you stop working, but if you stay for another season you will have to pay income tax of 12%, therefore you will have to pay the missing 10%, which is another 1000 euros. That takes your wages down to 800 euros net per month.

With a basic size room in Madrid and Barcelona running at 375 per month (and rising very fast) and the cost of living visibly increasing, then the maths are obvious.

In neighbouring France you can easily get a decent 12 month salary of at least 1600 euros per month: I know living cost there are higher (I worked there for 4 years), but they're not that much higher, especially with the 35 percent rise in the cost of living that Spain has undergone here in the last 5 years.

I recommend that people go for hourly wages, so they can see exactly what they are earning, and allowing them to pick and choose classes offered, thus opening up the possibility of fitting in private classes and not being obliged to accept schools classes all over the city at all hours: being paid over Christmas and Easter doesn't even come close to outweighing this advantage.


________________________________________________________________________
...Jobs and language exchanges in Madrid, Barcelona and Berlin... www.lingobongo.com

...send your c.v. around ALL the schools in Madrid, Barcelona or Berlin in one hit with our c.v. sending service... www.lingobongo.com

[travellingscot]

An interesting theory about hourly wages but would it work for anyone ? You seem to be fairly well experienced and so could probably take your pick of classes on your terms within reason,but someone quite new may end up only being offered classes which others don't want due to location, times etc. Due to low wages in Bulgaria I was at one time trying to fit in three employers and about forty contact hours per week. Longer established or better connected teachers were given the more desirable classes. This happened to local teachers not only foreigners, but perhaps in Spain or more particularly a larger city like Madrid, the situation is different ?

[Moore]

In Madrid there are enough hours going to not worry about that sort of thing so much: obviously when you're a newbie to any city you more or less have to accept that your first year, or at least first 6 months will involve some odd hours and locations until you get a feel for what the geography and transport of the city is like, but the big bonus about NOT being on a contract is that you can drop the classes any time you like (obviously you need to give a bit of notice to the school) and you can also say "no", whereas on a contract they can basically send you anywhere they like any time they like and you can't cherry-pick hours that suit your location/schedule.

Seriously, unless your contract is with the British Council or I.H., I wouldn't touch it, and even then I'd do the maths very carefully.

________________________________________________________________________
...Jobs and language exchanges in Madrid, Barcelona and Berlin... www.lingobongo.com

...send your c.v. around ALL the schools in Madrid, Barcelona or Berlin in one hit with our c.v. sending service... www.lingobongo.com

[barmadu]

Spot on Moore, but seriously...Why do we keep coming back for more? I cannot understand why we have to accept these ridiculous 9 month contracts, like this we are doomed to a very difficult future if we want to make our lives in Spain.

If enough professional teachers around the country simply said, "Basta Ya!", ala true Spaniard...maybe we would get somewhere. Is it so much to ask to make 1200 Euros, 12 months of the year!?
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