TEFL teaching in Spain with no experience? Have I a hope in hell?

Eve_Dublin

Okay I'd be grateful for any honest advice from anyone here on a bit of a situation I'm in at the minute.

I'm half-way through my 120 hours TEFL course and am planning on emigrating to Spain, and ideally Madrid, in 2 months time (finishing up my contract in my current job...will be joining the dole queue with everybody else). I don't have very much teaching experience...did some volunteer work for a few months in South America teaching maths and a small bit of English to kids in Buenos Aires and a few other bits and bobs years ago (helping kids in deprived areas in Dublin with homework etc.) that I can't provide references for. However, I think I'd come across well in the interview and I know I'd be good at it...but this is probably not good enough for the employers.

Honestly, what do you think are my chances of getting a job teaching English in Spain without much experience at the moment but with the full 120 hour TEFL qualification, a confident and friendly personality and good interview skills?

I really, really have my heart on Spain, by the way. I've been moving around a lot the past 5 years and have had enough. I'm ready to settle down in one place and really give it a go. I know some Spanish and the culture really appeals to me but realistically, I don't want to go there if I haven't got a hope in hell of getting a job.

Any advice or personal tales of success or failure would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

madziuda

Two things for you to take into account:

a) Spain has been badly hit by the crisis - unemployment is high and jobs are hard to get
b) TEFL industry often flourishes during the crisis (people consider emmigration and thus become more serious about learning English)

The times when a native speaker just arrived in the country and immediately landed a teaching job are (fortunately or unfortunately) over and expectations are high - especially in capital cities. Your interview skills and, more importantly your 120 hrs course work in your favour (BTW, do you have a degree?). Your lack of TEFL experience, however, doesn't.

There is no guarantee in other words. If I were you I'd try and secure at least a temporary job while still in Ireland. Check out tefl.com for ads or ask your course provider (if your doing CELTA at IH in Dublin, ask them - they have branches all over the world and may help you).

Good luck!

Eve_Dublin

madziuda wrote: »

Two things for you to take into account:

a) Spain has been badly hit by the crisis - unemployment is high and jobs are hard to get
b) TEFL industry often flourishes during the crisis (people consider emmigration and thus become more serious about learning English)

The times when a native speaker just arrived in the country and immediately landed a teaching job are (fortunately or unfortunately) over and expectations are high - especially in capital cities. Your interview skills and, more importantly your 120 hrs course work in your favour (BTW, do you have a degree?). Your lack of TEFL experience, however, doesn't.

There is no guarantee in other words. If I were you I'd try and secure at least a temporary job while still in Ireland. Check out tefl.com for ads or ask your course provider (if your doing CELTA at IH in Dublin, ask them - they have branches all over the world and may help you).

Good luck!

Thanks for your encouraging advice madziuda! Yes, I do have a degree so that's another plus...but the lack of experience is definitely my downfall. I'm definitely going to try and secure a temp job before I get over there and I'm not going to limit myself to just one city.

Thanks for this again.

Mauricmo

Me and a friend are planning something similar, spending a year in Salamanca with a tefl qualification with the hopes of getting a teaching position. We havnt done the Tefl course yet. We are however confused as to which course to choose; the 40hr online or the 120hr one? how did you decide?

Dionysus

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

Okay I'd be grateful for any honest advice from anyone here on a bit of a situation I'm in at the minute.

I'm half-way through my 120 hours TEFL course and am planning on emigrating to Spain, and ideally Madrid, in 2 months time (finishing up my contract in my current job...will be joining the dole queue with everybody else). I don't have very much teaching experience...did some volunteer work for a few months in South America teaching maths and a small bit of English to kids in Buenos Aires and a few other bits and bobs years ago (helping kids in deprived areas in Dublin with homework etc.) that I can't provide references for. However, I think I'd come across well in the interview and I know I'd be good at it...but this is probably not good enough for the employers.

Honestly, what do you think are my chances of getting a job teaching English in Spain without much experience at the moment but with the full 120 hour TEFL qualification, a confident and friendly personality and good interview skills?

I really, really have my heart on Spain, by the way. I've been moving around a lot the past 5 years and have had enough. I'm ready to settle down in one place and really give it a go. I know some Spanish and the culture really appeals to me but realistically, I don't want to go there if I haven't got a hope in hell of getting a job.

Any advice or personal tales of success or failure would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Eve,

I finished the CELT over 5 months ago and I'm still waiting for my certificate from ACELS, although I was told about two months ago by the school that I had been awarded it. So, just bear that in mind if you did the CELT; the ACELS crowd need their lunch breaks, God love them.

Unemployment is not bad in Spain; it is far and away the worst in the entire EU. In April it was 18.1%: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0702/breaking14.htm. This makes the two Brians look like genuises.

I know a guy who is over there for four years now and doing a line with - also known as "walking out with" - a Spanish girl. For the past two years he has been brushing up on his Spanish and is now starting to teach kids in conventional secondary schools in Spain - I think it's called the "DELI" (sp?).

If you really want it you'll probably get a TEFL job in Spain eventually, but you'd probably get a job quicker teaching German businessmen English, and more money in the process.

Go n-éirí an t-ádh leat.