Hi everyone, I am a California credentialed teacher with two years experience teaching English as a Second Language and Spanish. I am moving to Spain in September with hopes of teaching English. I was wondering, is it necessary to also have a TEFL certificate?

Hi Atchie96- your post caught my attention. I too am planning on going to Spain in September with hopes of teaching english.. where in california are you from, i am from there as well...anyways, if have been doing a lot of research on teaching, programs, etc...so maybe since we are planning on the same thing...we could help each other out, share some ideas..etc.

Kathy-California

Hi Kathy, I am in San Diego. My boyfriend and I are packing up & going over in Sept. We are thinking about Valencia since we have some friends there. We too have been doing research, it's mind numbing! My biggest question is whether it would be useful for me to have a TEFL since I'm a credentialed teacher. I was thinking of taking a course but they are expensive, and I would rather save myself the money!

Hi atchie96 and salamanca02 --

I have been teaching here in Madrid for the past 3 years and thought my response to your question might be helpful.

If you are a credentialed teacher in the US, particularly with ESL experience, then no, a TEFL certificate is not for you. The TEFL is desgined for those who are interested in teaching English, but have no background in doing so.

Respectable TEFL programs are 4 week intensive programs (or 15 or so week extensive) giving between 100-120 hours intensive training in everything from learning theories, language acquisition, grammar, lesson plan writing, classroom management, learning styles, and hands-on teaching experience with real students in real teaching settings.

There are many kinds of TEFL programs out there (TEFL being a general term for the industry and the preferred term for teaching overseas) ...everything from cheap online courses (that don´t offer you live, hands-on experience) to two-week "taster" courses, and four-week intensive programs. I have researched the topic in depth as we are getting ready to launch a TEFL training program at our consultancy.

Many people are here in Spain "teaching" without credentials, experience, or the TEFL training, however I sense that the market is beginning to tighten up and have seen more and more employers requesting TEFL or other certification of their employees.

Although you are credentialed, one thing you do want to keep in mind is your ability to legally find employment. There are many "cowboy" shops set up that exploit teachers working under illegal conditions paying a miserable wage. If you are planning to come over, try to find an employer who will sponsor you for your papers. Atchie96 particularly for you... someone who has made English teaching a career in the States, you could be an attractive candidate for a serious employer willing to sponsor you.

I have to agree with Chica. I have over 11 years teaching and tutoring experience with Spanish, English and French. If I were to sit in a TEFL, I would be bored.

I know of plenty of teachers who just teach here to have enough to live on and don't really care about the profession at all. I know that where I work, we are tightening up a lot. The next year will show some changes.

The next part is up to you. If you feel that you need a TEFL, go for it. If not, feel out the job situation and see what happens.

GOOD LUCK,

Shawn

Hi Chica & SRedw:
Thanks for your replies, I would LOVE to get my papers before moving to Spain, but I am having a difficult time even getting in contact with potential employees. I have been looking at online job postings and then emailing and sending CV's to no avail... any suggestions/inside tips as to the best way to search out a job before heading over there? Any help is much appreciated!

Hey, thanks for the replies! As in my case, i am not credentialed, in fact, i am just finishing up my college career as we speak (por fin!) I know the TEFL programs are expensive, but for me, I think it will be worth it..... TO chica, and others who teach.... What do you think about the job prospects in February? I originally planned on going to Spain in Sept and completing the course then. However, since I am a very poor poor student, I dont know if just a few short months in the summer will be enough time for me to build a good savings.... Pues, if i complete a course in Jan...how do you think the chances of finding a job in feb are? Muchas gracias por sus respuestas!
KZ

Hi Salamanca02--

If you are coming over here to take the TEFL and then seek teaching jobs, the best time to take the TEFL is July/August as the heavy hiring time for teachers is in September/October. It´s also a good time to look for housing as many students and others have left the city leaving rental apartments/flats vacant.

That said, the second best time to come and take the TEFL would be December/January. The second "wave" of mass hiring happens in January when a lot of English teachers have returned to their countries for the holidays with no plans of coming back to Spain, or have moved on to teach in other countries. However, it´s a bit more difficult to find housing at this time... although not impossible.

Year round there is a demand, but for a newly trained teacher your best bet is to be here for the mass hiring times to be able to fill up your teaching schedule as much as possible.

Another thing to keep in mind is that very few places will offer you complete hours for a couple of reasons:

1. If you don´t have legal working papers, it keeps their legal risk low. They fill a lot of hours with "legal" teachers and spot hours with the rest.

2. Turnover in English teaching is high in Spain. It´s not unusual for a teacher to leave a teaching job after 3-6 months (although as a small business owner, I find that lack of loyalty despicable) to either chase more money, to travel to another country, or simply because they have discovered that they don´t like English teaching. Most places hiring expect the teachers to stay on for the full year... until the end of June. Therefore, not giving you a lot of hours reduces their risk being left with out a teacher for a lot of classes in the case that you stop working for them.

3. By the mere nature of the fact that you are new to English teaching. They will want to "try you out" first before going gung-ho with lots of hours.

Keeping all of this in mind, be prepared to work for multiple employers to be able to fill your teaching schedule.

Something else to think about, come prepared with at least $5-6,000 saved. It will serve as a nice cushion for when you need to pay a deposit on a flat, or find that you aren´t filling your teaching hours as fast as you would like. Even when you do get hired, you won´t see your first bit of income for a month. Pay schedules here are once a month at the beginning of the month not like the bi-weekly paychecks in the States.

Feel free to post more questions. You might also want to check out Expatriate Cafe for more detailed information about teaching here in Spain.

Good luck!