So there is this guy called “WorkInSpain” who has been posting all over this forum saying he represents a program that provides a legit way for Americans and other non-EU citizens to work in Spain up to 20 hours per week under a student visa.

I e-mailed him to ask for the details, and he passed my contact along to ttMadrid, a language school in Madrid, which sent me the details.

The program costs 2000 euros, and you get 4 weeks of TEFL training and 4 weeks of Spanish courses. After that, you get a year’s worth of “cultural immersion” traning. You spend 10 hours a week learning about Spanish culture… This gets you a one-year student visa, which potentially allows you to work part-time. Here’s what it says:

“As a student you then have the right to apply for permission to work. This is for a maximum of 20 hours per week during term time (20 hours is considered full time teaching hours but if you want work more than this, we will help you get private work as well). This is not an automatic right but we have yet to know of someone being rejected for this and we will help you apply for this process through our agency network once you have finished the course.”

Has anyone done this program? Is it legit? What is the quality of the TEFL course like?

The “cultural immersion” classes sound sort of like fluff classes that are just used to get you the yearlong visa… but I’d be OK with that 😛 Any input would be appreciated!!

Here is the full document they provided with details on the program: http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=12569d93b1b910f3&mt=application/pdf&url=http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=779d249fe8&view=att&th=12569d93b1b910f3&attid=0.1&disp=attd&zw;&sig;=AHIEtbSWph7LPdW9fykrYmjyxBamKAURDA&pli=1

sally2,
as far as i know, one of the requirements to get a student visa is:  the school must be OFFICIALLY recognized by the ministry of education.

Hmm… how would I find out if they are officially recognized then?

The only thing I’d be risking by applying is a 300-euro deposit to hold a spot in the class. They say that if your visa is not approved they will refund you the desposit.. but who knows..

It’d be really great if someone else who has been through this could share their experience!

Well, actually the TTMadrid school need not be recognized because it’s not the school through which you’d get your student visa; the cultural school is who you’d get your visa through.

Honestly, I’ve looked into this stuff a lot and I’m really curious for someone to try these guys out - I’ve know a couple of people (Aussies) who went this route but privately (ie. they found a cultural/language school and got their student visa for it on their own, after which they taught for up to 20 hours/week). It sounds like a good idea, especially if they’ll help you along the way.

Do find out about the qualifications of the TEFL program. Ensure it is accredited for CELTA/DELTA or similar. It should be a full time, four week program consisting of plenty of practical, applied teaching time throughout.

ttMadrid is not CELTA certified. The only schools with CELTA certification in Madrid are International House, Hyland Madrid, and British Language Centre. If it did have CELTA certification I would feel more confident about it.

Does anyone have any opinions on whether, in general, there are good TEFL programs in Spain that are not CELTA or Trinity certified? (There are no Trinity-approved language schools in Madrid.) If you have a certificate from a non-accredited program how much does that hurt you in the local market?

Going back to the student visa issue, I should have mentioned that this program is said to be done through a partnership between ttMadrid, which is the TEFL program, and AIL Madrid, a Spanish language and culture school. So, the latter is the organization that would be sponsoring the visa, it seems. More info on them can be found at ailmadrid.com

Hey guys I stumbled upon this post and felt that there was some
misguided information about TTMadrid so I’m here to set the record
straight:
The Visa Application Process:
I am a recent graduate of TT Madrid and I can tell you that the course and its certification process are completely legitimate. I came from Atlanta, Georgia and went through the October course, and I have been working legally for about a month and a half. You apply for your visa in the States (depending on which state you live in will determine which consulate you will visit to apply for your student visa, and each consulate has particular guidelines for the visa application process so be sure to check the website before visiting). The process takes about a month to turn the paperwork in and have them either approve or disapprove your visa. Since I lived in Georgia I had to go to Miami, FL to apply for my visa because that was the district that I lived in. I received my visa in my mailbox within 3 weeks after sending in my paperwork. Once you arrive to Madrid you will then complete the visa process by getting your NIE, which typically takes a few weeks to meet with the Ministry of the Interior and have them issue your card. You visa will cover you during this waiting period, but once you meet with the Ministry of the Interior and they put you in the system you are technically a legal resident of Madrid. This allows you to work up to 20 hours per week legally through an agency, and you can work more private classes if you feel inclined to do so.

AIL & the TTMadrid program:
The partnership between TTMadrid and AIL is legitimate, and you are required to do the language classes, cultural immersion experiences, and ongoing professional development if you are a visa applicant. The school is extremely well organized and you have ample opportunities to enhance your teaching ability with real classroom experience. Also, you learn how to lesson plan and spend numerous hours each week lesson planning for the classes that you teach while attending the school. The program lasts four weeks and you will be in the classroom about eight hours a day during this time, so you will be extremely well prepared to teach in “the real world” when you graduate the course. The course is certainly challenging, but not impossible, and the teachers who run the program bent over backwards to make sure that I got the most out of my time here. Also, once you graduate Natasha will help you to find work as she has numerous contacts within the industry. You also have access to their materials to use for planning your classes, and are allowed free WiFi access at the school. In fact I am actually at the school using their free WiFi and lesson planning as I type this.

The Certification:
TTMadrid is accredited by IATQuO- this certification process requires that TTMadrid go through a thorough week long on-site inspection once a year, a visit from a moderator to oversee the end of each course, six hours teaching practice, and meets all of the requirements of a 120 hour TEFL certification. CELTA is indeed a well known certification course, but the TEFL certification is more up to date with real world teaching experience. In my opinion the TEFL certification will make you more competitive in the job market here in Madrid and it is an internationally recognized certification so you will be able to use it anywhere in the world. Like I mentioned before, I am a graduate of the course and have had no problem getting quality work.

As an American coming to Madrid I was very skeptical of just about everything in this country when I first started doing my research. It is smart that you are asking questions and trying to make an educated decision about which program you are choosing
to get your teaching certification with. I can tell you firsthand that moving abroad is not easy and the last thing you want to do is to move all the way across the Atlantic only to find out that the program you signed up for fell short of your expectations. There is a TTMadrid facebook group that you can join if you would like to ask more questions and hear other students opinions, and I will be the first to recommend this program. I what I enjoy most is the sense of community I feel with the other people who were in my course, we have all remained close friends and it has certainly helped with my transition into living in Spain. If you have any other questions feel free to post them on the thread and I will be glad to try and answer them for you.

I’m a US citizen who recently completed a CELTA course and am trying to figure out a way to legally work in Madrid.  The TT/AIL program seems like a great thing if don’t already have a TEFL or CELTA certificate.  Since I already have one and am not interested in either doing that particular course again or paying the money for it, it seems like I should be able to arrange to take Spanish classes at an officially recognized school, get a student visa, and then register to work for a max. of 20 hrs/week with the ministry of interior like expat929 did.  That said, I looked on the ministry of interior’s website to try to figure out how that process works, but found it a little bit confusing.  Anyone know the steps and forms/documents needed to go about doing this?  Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

viajera—

So your CELTA school hasn’t been much help in finding jobs upon graduation? I have talked to a few other people who have managed to get jobs (illegitamately) after completing a CELTA or TEFL. I’m not sure exactly how they went about it though.

As for the student visa work permit, step one is just getting the student visa. This is not hard to get.. you just need to identify a recognized language school you’d like to study at. Then the school will give you all the paperwork you need to apply for a student visa, which you must do through your US consulate. From what I understand, you can apply from abroad, but you must go in person to pick it up!  If what Expat929 says is true, once you have the student visa getting work permission seems pretty simple.. (although I have no experience with this so I’m not sure myself.)

If you only wanted to do the Spanish language and culture part of the TT/AIL program, you could maybe try contacting AIL Madrid, which is the Spanish language school TT works with.  You might also just try a state-run university, since public college courses are fairly affordable in Spain. I know Carlos III in Getafe, for example, offers courses for 1,000 euros per class (even if you’re a foreigner)... so maybe you could just take one class at a university? At least that way—if you must take a class, you know you’ll be getting some decently worthwhile instruction…

Also, as an ulterior option, I’m sure you’ve heard of the North American Language Assistant program: http://www.educacion.es/exterior/usa/en/programs/us_assistants/default.shtml

You would get a student visa through that… in their FAQ it says you can’t work other jobs while doing the program (which pays a 1000 euro a month stipend in Madrid)  however, according to people who have participated that’s not really the case. They said you are able to apply for work permission and can work some hours legitimately in other positions.
here is a forum that is all about that program, and you can find other people’s stories there.
http://www.expatriatecafe.com/forums/index.php?board=22.0
Although, if you’re interested you better apply ASAP b/c it’s first come first serve and the deadline is coming up!
Expatriatecafe.com is generally a good resource for those interested in teaching English; as well as MadridTeacher.com.

I also read on that forum that there is a charter school system called UCETAM in Madrid that hires North American language assistants. This is the school:
http://www.ucetam.es
I’m not sure what their process is; but I’ve heard that it’s less formal and you can just e-mail them your resume and cover letter. I believe working for them would also get you a student visa.