Teaching English in Madrid, Spain
Report submitted on 26 Feb, 2017 by Elizabeth.
Teaching English in Madrid, Spain:
How can teachers find teaching jobs in Madrid, Spain?
Websites such as Lingobongo http://www.lingobongo.com/madrid/es/ or https://www.tusclasesparticulares.com/ help teachers find full time work or fill in free slots with one to one classes.
The main English teaching jobs available are:
Part time English language school positions, agencies (send teachers to different locations), teaching at state schools, teaching at companies, private teaching (not through a school, agency, etc.)
There are auxiliary teacher programs- so you can apply through the state organizations such as https://www.ecmadrid.org/en/language-assistant.
What are the minimum teaching requirements?
You can come over with no qualifications and no experience, but you really need a TEFL certificate to get your foot in the door.
What teaching requirements would you recommend?
They are quite fussy about hiring native teachers, a school will train someone up to their teaching methods if you show potential, are a good communicator etc.
Brush up on the Cambridge exams – PET, FIRST and advanced, Spanish workers need to obtain these certificates in order to get get a job or even to get int university.
What are the levels of payment?
20 – 25 € (approx. 23 – 29 US$) per hour you can charge less for conversation only classes.
How many teaching days a week is normal?
If you come on a student visa 4 usually the limit. If you are from the EU 5 is average days per week
How many face-to-face teaching hours a week is normal?
16-30 hours per week
What is the normal arrangement for holidays?
It depends, if you work in a school you have all the school holidays free and they should pay you, private academies probably will try to get away without paying you holiday or ‘finiquito’ which is the money they have to pay at the end of a contract.
https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2011-7679
The link above is a workers collective agreement which ESL teachers fall under.
What advice would you give to someone considering coming to Madrid, Spain to teach English?
Have a bit of money saved up, get connected to the ESL network on facebook, try language exchanges, make friends and enjoy the sunny weather 🙂
What are the positive aspects of teaching English in Madrid, Spain?
The weather.
What are the negative aspects for teaching English in Madrid, Spain?
If you want to stay here long term, it is difficult to find stable work and a company that will both respect your workers’ rights and pay decent money. It is expensive to employ workers in Spain – you may find that you get a lot of cash in hand jobs, which sounds good in the short term but in the long term if you find you need to claim sick benefits or maternity allowance you may be in trouble.
What are some of the teaching challenges for English teachers teaching the local people in your area?
Adults – very bad classes as children, they have terrible mistakes imprinted in their brains.
Children – behaviour – they can be rowdy.
Living in Madrid, Spain:
Are there any visa or other legal requirements to live in Spain?
Teachers from EU member states have no problem, other nationalities require a visa, and the process can be bureaucratic.
What is the cost of living like in Spain?
The average monthly salary for a Spaniard who is lucky enough to have a job is 800€ish (approx. 926 US$) . You are likely to earn 1200 (approx. 1390 US$) or more. Food shopping is cheap enough, and having breakfast in a cafe in the mornings is the norm (4 euro (approx. 4,60 US$) for coffee and toast).
What are the usual accommodation arrangements and how can you find accommodation?
Rent in Madrid is expensive depending on area, I pay 900 (approx. 1041 US$) for a 3 bedroomed flat in the city centre. Most ESL teachers chose to rent a room for about 400 euro (approx. 463 US$), bills included.
If you buy a house in Spain you get an automatic visa, but I’m sure if you want to work teaching English that is not going to be your case.
This is a link for an estate agency:
http://www.fotocasa.es/es/comprar/casas/madrid-capital/todas-las-zonas/l?OrigenVisita=2&link=32121&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=g_generico_madrid&xtor=SEC-88-GOO-[Genericos_Localizacion]-[madrid]-S-[casas%20madrid]&xts=470361&gclid=Cj0KEQjwzd3GBRDks7SYuNHi3JEBEiQAIm6EI7fOi4P9HEtvJqO4pZ6ZUoEH8yT7D2d09q-gT9W06z0aAiEl8P8HAQ&utm_medium=cpc
Other than teaching, what positive aspects are there for living in Madrid, Spain?
The weather, public transport is good.
Other than teaching, what negative aspects are there for living in scenery, Spain?
Pollution level in the city is unbelievable.
What advice would you give to someone considering coming to Madrid, Spain?
Save up, get a TEFL qualification, get connected before you come, do some skype interviews with local private schools.
What things do you miss most (other than family and friends) from your home country?
Baked beans, marmite, salt and vinegar crisps and fish and chips.
When I first came here I would have said decent telly, but now with netflix etc that’s not a problem.
What do you think you will miss most when (or if) you leave Spain?
Access to theatres, spas, airport – all really close by. Madrid is a small but very compact city – there is so much to do!
What things would you recommend to new teachers in your area to bring with them from their home country?
A few food items are difficult to get hold of, maybe phones are cheaper back at home and more modern.
About Me and My Work:
My Name: Elizabeth
Nationality: UK
Students I’ve taught in Spain: babies (0-2 years), toddlers (2-4 years), pre-school / kindergarten (4-6 years), elementary (6-12 years), junior high school (12-15 years), high school (15-18 years), university, adults, business, other
Where I teach: … Teaching for 10 years.
My school facilities: Excellent. There is a lot of investment in English on a national level at the moment.
What kind of teacher support is available at your school/s?: training / workshops, lesson observations, teacher evaluations, peer support / training
Links: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbpq7yrnc1srx6viXaO9qOw https://eslteachingtips.blog/
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