Job Discussion Forums

[potatoTree3]

Hello, I'm new and have been reading plenty of threads over the last couple of weeks.

For a bit of background- I'm English, 29, have a bachelors degree in an unrelated field, no teaching experience or certificate, but would like to do a CELTA/TEFL course at some point.

My query is concerning the possibilities of teaching other subjects aside from English, either privately or as part of your main job, and if it would make one more appealable as a candidate. Specifically, teaching another language in addition to English- Spanish.

Searching has resulted in threads where posters say Spanish teaching jobs do appear, but are they exclusively for native speakers? Not currently having teaching credentials nor experience, I'm wondering if having a second language ability would be of interest to schools or recruiters.

Thank you.

[vikeologist]

My personal experience is that my new employer (a University) does want me to teach Spanish as well. I'm not sure how serious they are; I'm hoping not very.

However there is a logic behind it, at least in my city which specialises in trading companies. So many applicants for jobs now speak English that a lot of employers are now asking for 3 languages, not 2, so Spanish (and some other languages) are very popular, and I would guess there is a huge shortage of suitable teachers.

So, I think that most schools / Unis for adults will grab your hand off, but in cities with different employment sectors it may be completely different.

However, without an ESL certificate very few employers will be able to (that is allowed by the government to) employ you at all. I doubt that there are many full-time Spanish teaching jobs other than in Universities where you'll need to be a fully qualified and experienced teacher of that language. Get the ESL. The Police don't know the difference between a CELTA and an ESL certificate you've cut off the back of a cereal box, but my advice would be to get properly qualified, especially if you're going to teach Spanish. My CELTA course was fantastic. I did it at Concorde in Canterbury, Kent, and if you're in that neck of the woods I recommend it, as I doubt that everybody has had great CELTA experiences.

[potatoTree3]

Thanks for all the interesting info vikeologist.
I'm quite near Canterbury actually and have had a look at what they offer. I'm not sure if I'd be able to teach Spanish anyway- while I would say I'm fluent and equally able with reading and writing, my accent is not authentic.

I also had a look around for a similar scheme like ESL but there doesn't seem to be one for Spanish.

My current field of work is very slow at the moment, so am trying to get any old job to save up for the CELTA course (and then I'd probably prefer to do it abroad somewhere too).

Anyway, thanks once again.