Teaching English in Spain is an exciting prospect for anyone but how do you do it? Well, luckily enough the requirements to teach in Spain are quite lenient.

The requirements are:

• Fluency in English ( being a Native speaker is not mandatory )
• A TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA certificate (Check out our TEFL courses here)
• The correct visa and work permit (for Non-EU passport holders only)

* Fortunately, EU passport holders do not need a work permit to start teaching in Spain, however, non-EU passport holders do.  

You will be delighted to learn that it is not a requirement to have a degree to work as an ESL teacher in Spain, however, it is a desired credential if you plan to work in an International or Private school.

Teaching Salary 

English language teachers can expect to make between €700-€2000 a month. The salary you receive will depend on your experience, expertise, job type, and location. But typically the majority of teachers are making around €1000-€1500 per month and are able to live quite comfortably on that income. Of course, it is important to note that your experience in Spain as a teacher will differ vastly depending on the lifestyle you want to achieve, albeit living and working in a bustling city, or in a quiet country town, as a result, your wages will stretch to a different extent depending on this. 

Now that we have this sorted, it’s time to examine the different teaching jobs available in Spain, so you can find the perfect position for you.

Different Teaching Positions

Private schools 

Working in a Private school, in particular, in an International Private school is a sought-after position for English language teachers. This is because you will be working full-time hours, with paid holidays and benefits. Class sizes are relatively small, and sometimes you will have your own classroom to work in and you will have a set curriculum. You will be in charge of grading students’ work, creating exams, writing up report cards, and holding parent-teacher meetings. 

Due to the level of expertise expected here, a bachelor’s degree is usually required to qualify for these positions. It must be noted that English teaching jobs in International schools can be hard to find. This is because these bilingual schools have students who are already fluent in English attending them. As a result, the demand for Native English-speaking teachers is far less than Spanish-speaking private schools. However, due to the fact Private schools offer the highest wages, paid leave, and regular hours, it is worth applying for these jobs. 

Language schools

Language centers are where the majority of English teaching jobs can be found. There are hundreds, if not thousands of them across Spain. Here, you can expect to work 6-12 hours a week at least, as a result, it is not unusual for teaches to work in several Language schools in order to make up their weekly hours. Most classes take place in the evenings and afternoons. Class sizes vary from 1-on-1 lessons to groups of 12, while your students can range from Primary school age up to adults. You will also be given a set curriculum. 

Internships

An Internship is an excellent way to break into the TEFL industry when you are starting out your teaching career. Here at the TEFL Institute of Ireland, we offer a 9-month long PAID Internship program which sees our interns being placed in Valencia or Catalonia. There, they will be provided with a €600-€700 monthly allowance, along with accommodation with a lovely Spanish host family, which will help them immerse themselves in Livin’ La Vida España. During the internship, our ESL interns will receive teaching experience and training, which will help boost their confidence and teaching skills. To discover if you are eligible for this program, check out our Internship guide. 

A Language and Culture Assistant (Auxiliares de Conversación) 

As a language assistant, your job is to support a local Spanish teacher in a public school, by running conversation classes and teaching your students about the culture and traditions of English-speaking countries. 

A Private tutor 

For ESL teachers who want to be their own boss, being a private tutor might be the best option for them. You can choose your own hours, who you are going to teach, what you are going to teach and how much you will earn per hour. In major cities in Spain, you can charge between 20-30 per hour for your services, however, that may not be the case in more rural, smaller towns. 

Although, private tutoring is an extremely attractive prospect it is important to factor in the ‘unseen’ costs. These include your travel expenses as you travel back and forth between your different students’ homes and the extra time you need to put into creating specific and catered lesson plans for your students’ individual needs. As well as this, you will have to market your services in order to get bookings. The best ways to secure classes are through word-of-mouth recommendations or by advertising them online. For example, if you are located in Barcelona or Madrid, you can use Lingo Bongo to advertise your lessons. 

How to land an English teaching job in Spain

Now that we have discussed the different teaching positions available, it is time to tie down a job so that you can start bringing home the bacon. 

Hand your CV in in-person

This old-fashioned tactic goes a long way in Spain because many schools don’t advertise their available teaching positions online. Although walking into a school and inquiring if they are hiring may seem pretty daunting, there are a lot of benefits to doing this. 

1. You get to meet your potential employer in person. This allows them to get a general impression of you and see what you have to offer.
2. It will help you stick out from the crowd. Landing an English teaching job in a good school can be tough, there may be dozens of applicants but if a school sees you took the time to apply in person, it will help your case and put you at the forefront of their minds.

Apply for jobs online

Applying for jobs online is an excellent way to search for teaching positions. This is because it is easier and more time-efficient than handing CVs into schools in person. You can pinpoint the type of jobs best suited to you from the comfort of your home and filter these sites to only show you jobs in the area you want to work in. This is especially handy if you are not based in Spain. Luckily, a lot of job interviews take place online now, which allows you to apply for jobs that may be far from where you are currently based. 

To learn more about working and living in Spain, read our latest blog ‘7 Reasons why you should teach English in Spain’.