Job Discussion Forums

[mrpoe]

I've read that it's difficult, but not impossible for an American to get a job in Spain teaching ESL. Does anyone know of schools that have hired Americans. I have a BA, CELTA, work experience, etc.

Thank you in advance.

[spiral78]

I don't teach in Spain, but I've been in the EU for nearly 14 years now, and I have friends and professional acquaintances in Spain. There are Spain-based posters around and I'm sure they'll be along soon, but I'll put in my two cent's worth of explanations here.

No, it's not utterly impossible, but the circumstances under which an American can work in Spain are essentially limited to:

1. sign up for a full-time study programme at a Spanish school and work on a student visa
2. marry a local
3. work for less than 90 days and then leave the entire zone for 90 days before returning (google Schengen zone if you're not familiar with the magic 90 day rule)
4. have high-level specialist qualifications and local connections someplace where those specific qualifications are needed (more on this below)
5. work illegally

Here is the thing: the Western European Union countries have hiring laws that favour EU member citizens. This means that if there is an EU passport holder who can do the job available, he/she must be given preference. There are some jobs for which there are fewer qualified candidates (I hear that high-level engineers are on the list, for example) but language teachers are not in short supply and governments therefore do not consider that they need to be imported from outside the EU.

This means that no individual schools can legally say 'we hire Americans.' There is no such list. It's a national law which language schools cannot circumvent. No school can get you a visa to work legally as just a CELTA holder with some (unrelated - teaching in Asia is extremely different from teaching in Europe) experience.

There are exceptions for teachers with high-level, specialist qualifications. I worked on such a visa in a different EU member country. My MA was specifically focused on the approach/method used at this particular university, and I had contacts at that university who were willing to make an official case with the national government that I had quals no EU member citizen could offer. I was qualified, but also extremely lucky, to get the position. For clarity, I should specify that this applies only to university or international school positions - an exceptional visa situation would not ever come up with a private language school.

I think that working on a student visa is pretty clear, as is the 'marry a local' option.

That leaves working illegally.

People do it, but far less frequently than pre-2009, when the Schengen zone laws kicked in. Back then, a simple border run and a stamp on ones' passport was sufficient to renew a 90 day tourist visa and so people remained at least half-legal (it's not legal to teach on a tourist visa in fact, but at least you could legally be in the country).

Risks:
you are utterly at the mercy of anyone who wants to cheat you, from landlords to schools to private students - no legal recourse
if you happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time - as in an accident or any occurrence in which police are involved - you will be caught
when you leave the zone, or at any other time you encounter a border official, you are subject to deportation and up to a ten-year ban on re-entering the EU (I've heard of people who got deportation plus up to five years ban, but ten is the official max).

If you are ok living with the risks, then there are schools out there that will hire you under the table.

Getting a legal work visa as a US citizen with a CELTA and some experience is basically impossible.

Overall, the Western European market is closed to US citizens outside of work/study programmes. However, you can still get a visa for most of the 'new'EU member countries, like the Czech Rep, Poland, Slovakia, etc. The job markets there are also tight, and many employers will prefer British teachers as there is no paperwork involved, but legal jobs there do exist.

Unlike in Asia, European jobs are not normally found from abroad - you need to be here on the ground to interview in person. Flights are not normally paid for and salaries are basically subsistence-level - enough to enjoy yourself in the country where you teach, but not to save up much or pay off debts back home.

So, if you're desperate for Europe, consider a country where you can get a legal working visa and plan to pay some up-front costs. Then, come over in August/September (most job contracts are Sept/June and you only have 90 days legally here to find an employer who will help you get the paperwork) and hand out your resume/cv in person.

[Grimace420]

Sure, a school will hire you if you're American, but I doubt any school would go to the trouble of helping you get a work visa here (by sponsoring you and offering you a contract knowing that there's a 99% chance your application will be rejected after a lengthy process). It's not the fact that you're American that stands in your way. Stating the blindingly obvious, it's the fact that you have the wrong legal status, so if you could sort that out on your own one way or another, there'd undoubtedly be no barrier to getting hired. I have no idea how you'd do that as a non-EU citizen on your own, however. Yes, I know of one or two cases from the Internet of people who got extremely lucky and managed it, but that was years ago. My way around the bureacracy was simply to become a registered partner (pareja de hecho) of my Spanish girlfriend and I instantly acquired a 5-year visa with full working rights after 4 previous years on a student visa. That took enough paperwork in and of itself, so I dread to think what trying to get a work visa must be like.

English teaching is generally a very fickle business both from employers (nine-month contracts for subsistence wages anyone?) and employees who come and go at the drop of a hat. If I were an employer, I certainly wouldn't go to the trouble of sponsoring non-EU citizens to work here under those conditions, especially when it undoubtedly takes months and months of waiting and appointments to get anything done in Spain.

There are language assistant programs for Americans to come to Spain on that are a relatively easy way to get your foot in the door. Google North American Language Assistants.

[mightyfrea]

Not to further rain on your parade, Mrpoe, but if you do decide to go over and work under the table, be honest with yourself as if you are the type of person that can handle not having any control over their lives. Like Spiral78 says, you can be put in a compromising situation by just a single unscrupulous or close minded person.
In my experience, the Spanish are generally easy going about such things, but the economic troubles have shortened alot of their patience. As someone who worked under the table for a few months last year, I can attest to that. Most people were really cool. It may have helped that I was a tall blond (sorry, it happens), but there was definitely a small contingent of people who were quite questionable as to how/why I was working where I was working, and they started a few arguments with my boss, which ultimately was one of the reasons I left. Granted, this was not an English teaching job, but in a kitchen, where I was technically "taking" a job away from a local.
I can understand the sentiment, and I don't take it personally, however, "my fellow American", be advised, that if you live in a country as an "illegal immigrant", some people will treat you like one.
I like the Spanish, but they are human, and some are going to be quick to spot an opportunity to take advantage of you.
Im not trying to change your mind, I just wanted to give you a little heads up. Tread carefully.

Cheers,
Laura

[spiral78]

By the way, that 'difficult but not impossible' phrase commonly appears on the websites of companies that aim to sell something, whether it be a certification course or a company offering 'placement packages,' or outright scams for bogus jobs.

Buyer Beware.

[AGoodStory]

The ultimate "American Wants to Work in Western Europe" thread! Sticky it! Or at least keep it handy to link to for future reference.

[pr455]

There was (I am not sure if they still are able to do it) one academy in Madrid, American Language Academy, that could get Americans their papers. Several of my friends worked for them and they got their working papers through this academy.

Suerte,

Shawn

[spiral78]

From their current job offers advert on their website:

[Grimace420]

Well, I would hurry up, but then I saw this . . .

"Starters' average salary?
The minimum 1,100 euros per month take home."

Next.

[spiral78]

Aw, Grimace, not willing to live and work cheaply for a shot at a legal working permit for Spain??!!

[pr455]

spiral78.

I would take what they say on the madridteacher website with a grain of salt, and that goes for all academies. Many of them still hire people under the table, but it looks good to say that people who want to work with them need to have their working papers in order. I have seen companies with the same information on that website for years and they don't even bother to change it or even update it.

Speaking of the 1100� salary, a language assistant in the pubic schools makes 1000� a month and normally has Monday or Friday off and only goes to one place. No running around like at many academies. Language assistants also have the opportunity to give privates, as well as work at language academies.

Sounds like being a language assistant is a sweeter deal.

Shawn

[spiral78]

Thanks, pr455 - you may well be correct. I wasn't personally thinking of applying in any case

I've been speculating on how this school might make a legal case for hiring an American these days at all.

It's a national law, after all, that limits workers to those from the EU in the EFL field and it would be pretty difficult for a private language school to make a case that they need specialists they can't find in the EU (unlike university programmes - it's different for them because a case for a need for specialists is much easier to make).

I can think of two possible scenarios:

Firstly, maybe when they founded the school years before the laws tightened, the basis of their marketing strategy was to target a niche market: students who specifically needed/wanted a North American version of the language. Later on, when the laws against hiring from outside the EU tightened up, they may have been able to claim that if they lost the ability to hire Americans, this would effectively kill their business. So, perhaps they can still hire the occasional American on the basis of their business history.

Secondly, their website notes that they have some MA holders on their teaching team. This could imply that they can get exceptional visas for very highly qualified Americans (who are willing to work for very low wages), but this may not apply to the basic candidates with a CELTA and some experience.

In any case, it would be interesting to know if it's still legit, and if so how, or if as pr455 points out, it's just an outdated blurb on the website.

[Grimace420]

[pr455]

[mrpoe]

Based on everything I've read here and on the German Forum (I posted a similar but more detailed query there) only an American highly motivated can acquire a work permit/visa in EU countries. Since work experience outside of the EU doesn't count for much, one should expect to start at the bottom of the ladder (a short ladder it seems). One must be unflappable in the face of the mountain of red tape and have enough savings to mitigate financial stress during the first year - at the very least.

There might be more schools open to hiring Americans in the new EU countries. That sounds like a logical segue into the European job market. I also haven't ruled out Moscow or St Petersburg. Though I'm not sure how that plays on a CV submitted to a German employer.

One last question (for the moment): Would the average German language school rate work experience in Russia and the new EU countries of equal value? Assume schools of good (not necessarily excellent) quality and reputation all around.

Thank you, again. I love this forum!