How to Get an English Teaching Job in Madrid

Teaching English in Madrid, Spain is a great way to live in and enjoy this amazing city. Whether you are new to the world of TEFL or have many years of experience, Madrid's English job market has a place for you. Unlike other popular cities in Spain, such as Barcelona or Seville, Madrid is far from being full of English teachers. The job opportunities, along with the night life, cultural atmosphere, friendly people and never ending summer nights, make Madrid a terrific place to move to. There are many ways of finding a job teaching English. Here are some fail proof options.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Take your TEFL course in Madrid. If you are not a trained English teacher, you will need to do your TEFL certification in order to get a worthwhile job. There are many schools that offer this training course, most being intensive, month long courses. With the course, you'll learn about how to teach English grammar, get some time in front of actual students and hopefully learn some tricks to being a successful teacher. The reason you should do your course in Madrid, if you are planning on staying in the city, is that usually the school sends out your resume to all the language schools it has on file at completion. This is a great way to get your resume into lots of schools without doing all the leg work yourself.

2. Move to Madrid. If you have already done your TEFL certification, no problem. Just move straight away to the city. Many people are put off by this option because it does cost a lot of money and there is that bit of uncertainty about finding a job. However, Madrid is in constant need of English teachers and finding a job will be very easy in September, as the school year (both for traditional academies and businesses) usually begins in October. If you decide to take the plunge in any other month of the year, you may spend a few extra weeks filling up your schedule, but the work is there and you will find it.

3. Join English teaching websites. Websites like tefl.com and daveseslcafe are great resources for any English teacher. You simply post your resume or CV on the website and wait for job offers to come your way. Or, look for the jobs yourself and send your resume to those you are interested in. On many offers it will specify salary and requirements, so you will have a little more information about the job.

4. Distribute your resume and CVs. If you've done all the above and want to do a little more, you can still distribute your resume to langauge schools personally. Try doing a search online and even using the phone book to find schools, or to narrow down to your area. After making a list, go to each one and turn in your resume, asking to speak with the director of studies and telling him or her a little about yourself. Another resource is loquo.com, which has listings for everything you can imagine, including language classes. Post an ad or reply to one that sounds good. You'll be teaching English in no time!

Tips & Warnings

• Be informed of your rights before you start looking for a job. Spanish law is very clear on workers' rights, although some employers will try to take advantage of the fact that you are foreign.
• Find someone already working as an English teacher and find out their experiences.
• Be cautious when dealing with the first job that comes your way. The worst ones usually come along first.
• Check a map of the city before accepting any jobs that include travel. Although Madrid has an excellent transportation system, it's a big city! Ask about compensation for long distances.

[sunshine11219]

on 1/8/2009 good article

[Elander]

on 1/8/2009 Great idea to see another country and make a difference at the same time.