Teaching English in Spain
Teaching In Spain
The Spanish working day is split, on the whole, into two, by a long lunch which is the main meal of the day for Spanish people. Most people work or study in the mornings to early afternoon; Government jobs finish at 3pm, secondary schools and most primary schools at 2pm or 3pm, so the main part of the teaching day in Spanish English Language Schools will be outside these hours. TEFL classes will be in the afternoons through to the evening. You can expect your main contact (TEFL teaching) hours to be between of 4pm and 9 or 10pm. You can, however, have some morning classes in the school, as well as classes off the school premises. Some ELT (English Language teaching) schools teach a lot off-site and teachers may have timetables built around business classes. Each school is different and you should check with your school before signing any contracts.
What age and level will I be expected to teach in Spain?
You can expect the majority of learners to be young learners and teenagers. You will probably find you teach a lesser percentage of adults. However, there are schools that specialise in teaching usiness English and you will find that in these circumstances it will be generally adults you teach. Other schools specialise in classes backing up the national school curriculum. It's probably quite important for most new teachers to find out what type of teacher they are teaching so do make sure and check with your school before you start. The Cambridge FCE, Advanced and Proficiency exams along with the Trinity equivalentsare well-known in Spain and you may be expected to teach towards these. Don't worry about this though as the likelihood is you will be given a course book that is specifically designed to help students study for and pass these exams.
Do I have to speak Spanish to work as an English teacher in Spain?
Generally speaking schools prefer the communicative approach to language teaching, which involves immersion in the target language. It is perfectly possible to teach English without speaking any Spanish at all. However, Spanish is a considerable benefit for settling in and making living in Spain (though check out specifically which 'Spanish' you want to learn....Catalan, Galician, Castellano!) A knowledge of Spanish can also be helpful in understanding why learners are making certain errors and so provide more effective correction. Though a copy of 'Ship or Sheep' will do the same!
What is a typical academic year in Spain?
A typical academic year would run from late September or the beginning of October until towards the end of June. Some schools may also run summer courses during the months of July, August and September. Some schools also run their own courses in Britain or Ireland in the summer, or may have a tradition of providing teachers for summer courses run by other organisations.
What holidays will I get?
A school will give you all those holidays stipulated under Spanish law including Christmas and Easter, national and local holidays. You should ask your particular school for a calendar of holidays.
