I’m moving to Barcelona very soon and intend to support myself teaching ESL. I considered buying a laptop, but I’d rather not spend the money (I don’t have lots to spare) if I can easily use internet cafes or other resources for my needs.
Is it feasible for an ESL teacher (or any expat, I suppose) to live without a personal computer in Barcelona?
Is it feasible for an ESL teacher (or any expat, I suppose) to live without a personal computer in Barcelona?
I know someone who bought a computer just before moving to Spain who had intended to teach English too. Within a year he’d changed from teaching English to developing web sites for expats (there seems to be quite the market for this) with the help of his laptop. If you’d asked him he’d probably say he couldn’t live without his laptop… 😉 A lot of teachers do bring laptops these days though.
But yeah, there are tons and tons of internet cafes called “Locutorios” everywhere, usually run by immigrants from Asia or South America. Nice people and you’ll meet other foreigners there.
Having a laptop, can enable you to get on the net for free however, or to call home for free using Skype by using your neighbour’s wifi signal. See the Internet in Spain page, then Wardriving. Not that I’m recommending this, but it’s an option 😉
