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Work Opportunities in Spain

Teaching Work Opportunities in Spain - the Seasonal Work Cycles

Below is a summary of what we've come to expect in terms of work opportunities by course completion months. These summaries are based on our experience of the market and are designed to give you an idea of how the teaching season in Spain works. Of course, trends are always subject to change, but we know this market well and what we outline below should give you a good idea of the schedule that is most suitable to you.

January / February
Like in any other part of the world, the New Year is a time a renewal and "New Years Resolutions". It seems that one of the most popular new year resolutions is to learn English. For this reason many academies enter into new contracts and many private students seek English teachers. For this reason there is a solid influx in teaching opportunities, strengthened by the fact that many teachers tend to return to their countries for Christmas and don't return. If you complete a TEFL course in December, January or February you will capitalise on this demand.

March / April
Easter or "Semana Santa", as it's known in Spain, usually falls somewhere between late March and early April. So, if you complete a course in mid-March you can expect to enjoy a few weeks break before starting work. This is ideal for people who wish to have a short holiday after an extremely gruelling course or would like to do some sightseeing before throwing themselves into their new career. Contrarily, if your savings are limited, doing a course that ends after Semana Santa means that you'll be able to start accepting teaching hours upon graduation.

May/June
Doing a course in May or June will allow you to get organised for the summer months. May and June are slower hiring months however, there is still a lot of work around especially private work. We find that private students like to start during these months as their beginning of year workloads have evened out and they're approaching summer which usually means reduced work hours. This allows the Spanish to throw themselves into other things including learning English. We recommend focussing on getting private clients at this time of the year as they'll often stay with you over summer thus ensuring a steady income. Conversely, completing a course during these months will mean you'll be around to organise summer camp (make this a link to the bit below about Forenex) and holiday work. We work with a number of agencies who organise summer camps and we actually organise interviews days for our graduates. Carrie from Forenex has been interviewing our graduates for a few years now and has this to say about our school.

"TtMadrid doesn't just offer a training course for English teachers. They go above and beyond the call of duty in pre-course preparation by finding their attendees accommodation and informing them in general of what to expect when moving to Madrid. They also provide post-course support to teachers, including them in a network of academies and businesses that offer English teaching positions, as well as allowing continued access to teaching materials and to the school's facilities. It's clear that TtMadrid strives for quality not just in the course they offer but also in maintaining an ongoing support system for their graduates."

Carrie McCaskill
The English Department
www.forenex.com

July
This is the only month we don't guarantee work upon completion of the course. Saying this however, all our July graduates have managed to find it - you just have to be a little more proactive. Many people choose to do a July course because it's the least busy TEFL month. July courses tend to have lower numbers and be a little less hectic. This is a great course to do if you wish to have your holidays in August (like the Spanish do) and spend your time on a beach before being inundated with work in early September.

August
August is a great month if you want to complete the course, have a couple of weeks off and launch yourself into a very busy teaching schedule. The first few weeks in September are chaos for teaching agencies who are desperately trying to finalise contracts, organise teaching timetables and employee teachers. For this reason it may take a few weeks to get your teaching schedule finalised however, if you're nervous about teaching for the first time this is also a bonus as you can start with a handful of hours and build up over a few weeks to a full-time schedule. An added bonus is that you are first in the queue for new jobs as you'll have established a rapport with agencies before they've published their job opportunities. For this reason we recommend booking up to 12 months in advance so as not to miss out, as places fill up quickly.

September
Like August this is an extremely popular course. Graduation occurs at the end of the month around the time that agencies have just, or are in the process of, finalising contracts. What does this mean? They are desperate for teachers. Don't expect to have a rest to recover from this course; you will be catapulted straight into the teaching world. Again, like with the August course, don't leave applying this course too late, we often have bookings for this course more than 12 months in advance.

October / November
Like August and September, October and November are also good months for completing a course. Although the frenzy for teachers has calmed down you will still be in high demand. The people who choose these courses tend to like to avoid Spain's infamous summer heat and would like to get settled before Christmas.

December
Not our most popular course - although I think it should be! My rationale is this. If you have a little money saved then you can complete your course at a relaxed time of the year, enjoy a few weeks off to celebrate Christmas and Spanish Reyes and dive into a full work schedule in the New Year. You can go on your Christmas break having already acquired your teaching hours before holidaying in a beautiful part of Spain.

Summer camp/Forenex

Carrie from Forenex at the TtMadrid Summer Camp recruitment day

Since 1992, Forenex has been at the forefront of organizing summer camps for children aged 4-16, which combine intensive English courses and sports activities. More than 4,000 students attend our residential and non-residential courses every year throughout Spain and abroad.

We are looking for teachers that are native English speakers, qualified teachers, and have experience with teaching large groups of children. Teachers are responsible for carrying out daily English classes (4-5 hours per day) to one group of children during an entire fortnight. Besides teaching and preparing for class, teachers' main responsibilities include handing in a daily lesson plan detailing what they have covered in class, attending a daily group meeting with the Director of Studies, and writing progress reports on the children at the end of each course session. We provide teachers with material for the level they are teaching, but teachers are also expected to supplement that material and in general build off of it. Teachers are not responsible for sports and extracurricular activities, as the children spend these hours with Spanish monitors.

Full room and board in a shared living setting plus transport from Madrid are provided for at our residential locations. Lunch is included at our non-residential courses. Monetary compensation is the same at both types of camps. We are looking for month-long commitments from teachers during the month of July (the equivalent of two fortnights), when the majority of our camps take place.