Job Discussion Forums

[Last goodbye]

Has anyone taken this course? It sounds good and offers a year of guaranteed work after. What's that work like? Any Canadians (non-euros) done this? How'd it go? Easy to find work there?

HOw about finding decent accommodations in Madrid- close to the school?

Any info on the program and teaching/accom. in general'd be much appreciated.

Also, anyone take the Spanish lessons at Garcia Lorca? recommended? or find another place?

thanks

[spiral78]

Getting a visa to live/work legally will be the problem. Ask Canterbury what they have to say about this, if they are advertising 'guaranteed' jobs to non-EU citizens.

The border police are getting stricter in most regions about checking passports and stamps. Working illegally used to be a viable option for North Americans, but the chances of getting caught rose tremendously as of Jan 1 2008.

[elamericano]

Read the whole thing: http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=59909

As for course quality, it should be pointed out that the Canterbury TEFL is a proprietary certificate. It is called the "Canterbury International TEFL Certificate". That means it is not regulated by the University of Cambridge CELTA system, which is genuinely international. Canterbury's is internationally accepted like Canterbury says because most school directors do not care or know any better. I personally did not get much out of the course.

http://cambridgeesol-centres.org/centres/teaching/search.do;jsessionid=027252983266FCF2433D7C9BFD59B456.node02?source=teacheraward&country=ES&qualification=10&Input=Search
These are the places in Spain which are properly authorized to deliver CELTA courses. There are two in Madrid: International House and Hyland Language Centre.

My Spanish class with Garcia Lorca (which I think is still run out of the same building as Canterbury) was great, though.

I worked in Spain illegally, not for Canterbury but for someone else, from 2007-2008 and didn't have problems. I'm not in Spain anymore.

I obtained what is called an NIE (numero de identificacion de extranjeros) which my employer was able to use so that their work contracts with me - I was given a separate contract for every work assignment - could be registered with the provincial social security office. I also used my NIE and social security registration to register with the city government (empadronar), which then allowed me to apply for a health card. The card did not get sent in time to before I left, but they printed me out a letter which stated it was in the application process and that was good enough to see a doctor at a health center if needed. Emergency care is available no matter what your status is.

Perhaps because these services are controlled at the provincial level, my visa was never checked. I was ineligible to get a residence card because that is a national service and they do check the visa for that.

I also had no problems leaving the airport. The CNP (Cuerpo Nacional de Policia) guy just ruffled through my passport to find a blank page and stamped it.

Spain's economy was and is struggling. Inflation and unemployment were soaring to above 10 percent by the time I left. However, this does not seem to have reduced demand much for English.

My experience with housing was to use www.segundamano.es to find people who were renting rooms. Of course this requires a good command of Spanish. I got a fairly cheap room but it was out in the suburbs, and my work assignments were all the way on the other side of Madrid.

Canterbury does not do teaching on-site. You will be sent to various places within and around the center. They will not sign any contracts with you so don't expect social security registration or health benefits.

I suggest you choose somewhere else for work and just experience Spain as a tourist. That said, the culture, natural scenery, and intellectual life are great, and if you live with Spaniards it can be a good way to meet the locals.

[Last goodbye]

Thanks for the reply Elamericano. What do you mean by this?

You are paid for the teaching hours involved in the certificate completion *if* you already paid the full price of the program. The reduced price comes into effect if you agree to not be paid for the corresponding number of teaching hours required for the cert., so it's a wash either way.

It certainly sounds like quite a hassle to get a work visa for Spain. You heard of many getting screwed because they didn't have one? I worked in another country for several years illegally and never had a problem with pay. How often did they pay you at Canterbury? I have heard that they have really cracked-down on illegal workers there as of 2008. You know anything about this?

Thanks again

[elamericano]

[Last goodbye]

Good to get so much info. It's most appreciated- as you too know the uncertainties of going to a new place to work and live.

If you need any info about Korea, let me know...