TEFL International in Barcelona

international tefl barcelona jobs and recruitment

Job guidance and placement service

With a network of contacts worldwide TEFL International is able to find graduates teaching positions in almost all major (as well as quite a few minor) cities around the world. For more obscure teaching destinations, where demand for teachers is low, or jobs are infrequently advertised TEFL International will contact organisations in those areas. Obviously the more obscure the location, the longer the wait to find work is likely to be.

Most of our graduates have received quite a number of interviews and job offers by the time the course ends. Whilst we will be here to assist in the job search throughout your careers, the aim is to ultimately give you the knowledge and skills to make you independent in seeking teaching positions.

During the course trainees will be given assistance and help in the following areas:

Resume/CV preparation
Information on likely sources of EFL vacancies
Job guidance counselling
Job search and application
Interview preparation

Please refer to the TEFL International website for full details of our Job Placement Service at www.teflcorp.com

TEACHING IN SPAIN

The job market in Spain is similar to its Western European counterparts. Most institutions require teachers to have a TEFL/TESOL certificate as a minimum qualification. Opportunities exist in the business sector and also in the rapidly growing market for teaching English to Younger Learners. Spain has always been one of the busiest TEFL markets in Europe, in Barcelona the demand for English intensified with the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. And it has hardly slowed since.

Teaching ESL/EFL in Spain can take teachers a while to adjust to: long hours and split shifts are the norm. But in general, the culture, the people, the nightlife and all the other positives of living and working in Spain far outweigh the negatives.

European regulations mean that non-EU citizens require a work visa to legally gain employment in Spain. Work permit applications must be accompanied by a written offer of employment from a Spanish employer, and can take months to obtain. In reality, thousands of Americans are teaching throughout Western Europe despite the regulations, however, most are working "under the table" as work visas are generally not issued to non EU citizens. If you are determined to work in Spain and have the means to support yourself for a couple of months, you will generally secure employment.

EU citizens are legally entitled to work in Spain and do not need a work permit. They do, however, require a Residence permit which is easy to obtain with a copy of their contract of employment.

When you find work you will probably be offered a contract of 15-20 hours of contact teaching hours per week. It is important to factor in the actual number of hours you will need to work to achieve this – lesson planning, marking and travelling time etc. Contracts offered tend to be 6-9 months in duration. In Spain you are not legally entitled to paid holiday until you have worked continuously for twelve months, hence the frequency of nine month contracts.

Many teachers work for more than one school and/or build up their own portfolio of private clients.

Working full-time, you will earn approximately 1000 euros per month. You can expect salaries to increase with experience. A room in a shared flat will cost about 300 Euros per month in Barcelona. You can live comfortably but not extravagantly on this.