In short:
I’m a 23 yr old male living in the states(Georgia) I’ve worked in several different fields. I’ve been working as a land Surveyor for over a year. Took 3 years of Spanish in High School. Tend to catch on to language fairly quickly. Excelled in EVERY English class I’ve ever taken. However, I dropped out of High School my Junior Year. Got my GED very shortly after. No college or similar. No criminal record(not even a speeding ticket). After I receive my online TEFL, what are my chances. Be honest, please. Any response will be greatly appreciated.
Note: I’m planning on tranferring the funds to begin the 100-hr course w/ tutor(VIA TEFLCORP.COM) tomorrow.
Peace and Much Grats to all whom reply
-K
Hi, although I do not live in Spain I am also planning on doing a tefl course and teaching English in Spain. I have heard that it is pretty easy to get a job teaching English without a degree or experience as long as you have the tefl certificate although the wages will be lower. You should have a look on some of the websites either for tefl or jobs in Spain they will be able to give you an idea of what sort of job you will be able to get and what sort of money you will be making. You could also try some tutoring before you leave to give you an idea of what is expected of you and also gives you a bit of extra money.
Hey guys, I’d highly suggest reading through our five part article series on teaching English. Its one of the most in-depth, realistic accounts of all the various facets of getting into teaching in Spain out there.
I know of people here who are teaching English without university degrees. The TEFL certificate seems to be most important (though even that can be debatable…) It’s very unlikely that you won’t find work if you come here. There are so many academies and even just individuals looking for private teachers. One of the most important things is networking—meeting as many other English teachers as you can and also Spanish people. I’ve gotten lots of private classes through Spanish friends who have coworkers, family members, or friends that want to study.
As long as you’re a native English speaker you can get by without TEFL at Vaughan Systems - they prefer that you have no qualifications in teaching English - they train you and want you to teach it their way. Look them up, I know they are in Madrid, don’t know about anywhere else.
I checked out Vaughan Systems and learned they do not hire non-EU citizens. I live and have always lived in the states.
Is there some type of organization similar to Vaughan that will except a person in my position?
Oh, and thanks for the advice…all of you
To put it bluntly, US citizens can’t stay legally in Spain (or in any European Union country, come to that) for longer than 3 months without a student visa or a work permit (both of which you must obtain in the US before leaving for Spain). If you want to apply for a work permit, you’ll need proof of a job first, and that’s not easy. If you want to apply for a student visa, you’ll need proof of acceptance on a course from a recognized school or college. There’s no other way to stay here legally. You can’t apply for a visa or permit after you arrive.
There are thousands and thousands of people from all over the world (many from the USA) who are currently teaching illegally in Spain. They arrive as tourists and decide they want to stay, so they teach private classes and survive that way for years (but with no access to health care or unemployment benefit). Some just don’t have the patience to wait until they have a visa or permit, so they take the risk and come anyway. What the public don’t hear about are the thousands of illegal immigrants who are caught each year, fined and deported. They will probably never be able to return to Spain again.
As for Vaughan Systems: forget it! They claim to pay well, but they don’t; and many of their teachers have no qualifications at all. People pay good money to study English with them, but many of their teachers don’t know the first thing about teaching English as a foreign language. It takes a long time to acquire such skills. It can’t be done in a few weeks. I have met several very qualified and experienced English teachers who have applied to Vaughan Systems and not even received a reply. Doesn’t that tell you something?
Paul, as much as your facts may be correct and I agree with the general sentiment of your response, you’re sounding awfully harsh and overly cynical (in my opinion).
1. US citizens can apply for an extension of their tourist visa - but it’s bloody unlikely to be granted unless there’s an emergency. So it’s possible to stay longer than 90 days.
2. US citizens can register as autonomo or open their own business and sponsor themselves. This is not for everyone obviously.
3. I’ve heard mixed things about Vaughn too. I know a Scot who, having been fired everywhere else, was welcomed into Vaughn and seemed to do well there. He didn’t make much money and, as usual, put up with a lot of TEFL school bullshit; they do have a top-end hourly rate (which isn’t much good if you don’t have many hours).
So far I haven’t heard of any Western expats who have been deported from Spain and I’ve been doing this for 4 years… lots of other illegal immigrants, yes, but no Americans/Canadians/Aussies, etc…
Thanks for your response ..................? I’m sorry, but I don’t know your name.
What have you been doing for 4 years? Teaching in Spain? I’ve been doing it for almost 30. Not all of them in Spain, but quite a few. And where do you come from? Are you an EU citizen? Do you have valid working papers? Naturally, you don’t have to answer that. It’s your business and not mine. But there again, you’re not the one asking for advice, are you?
I don’t think I’m being too harsh or cynical; just realistic. People leave messages on this forum asking for help and advice. Would you prefer it if I sugar-coated the truth a little? Maybe I should say something like “Hey, take the risk. Hop on a plane and forget about the legalities. Nothing’s going to happen. Just keep your head low, get a few private students, and you can stay in Spain as long as you like”. Well I can’t do that. It’s not why I joined the forum. I joined to get honest information if I need it, and to give honest information if someone else needs it.
There are a lot of US (and other non-EU) citizens who leave messages on forums like this asking for advice about living and working in Spain, and in Europe in General. I have some experience in these matters, and I don’t regard the truth as being harsh or cynical. What would be the point if it might end up causing someone grief? As you quite rightly say, US citizens can apply for an extension of their tourist visa, but it?s very unlikely to be granted unless there are very special circumstances. You are also right when you say that US citizens can register as autonomo or open their own business and sponsor themselves, but they have to get here first, and there’s no way they can become autonomo or open a business if they don’t live here legally to begin with. And as for Vaughan Systems: Why did your Scottish friend get fired everywhere he worked and yet Vaughan took him on with such a bad track record? It seems a little odd to me and doesn’t say much for Vaughan Systems.
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been teaching for a long time and take a lot of pride in my work. There are more private language schools in Spain than in the whole of the rest of the EU. Many of these schools are very good, but even more are very bad and many teachers get their fingers burned by corrupt employers every year. Life’s about taking risks. I spent 20 years in a row running with the bulls in Pamplona, so I’m not a cynic by nature and I know the value of making mistakes. But if someone needs advice and I feel I can help, I’ll always give it to them straight.
And finally, I know of several non-EU citizens - including a few from the US - who have been deported for living and working illegally in Spain over the past couple of years. I didn’t know them personally, but I knew of them. What do you think the authorities do when they catch these people? Slap them on the wrist and tell them not to do it again? Spain has the highest number of illegal immigrants in the EU and it’s getting worse every year. The authorities are constantly on the look out for people working black. Americans, Canadians and Australians are not the prime targets of the police, and they can often blend in for years without any problems. I’ve know many in my time and most were good people enjoying life in a wonderful country. But in general, it’s better to be safe than sorry ... and that will always be my advice. If at all possible, do things legally and you will have a lot less hastle in life.
Would you prefer it if I sugar-coated the truth a little? Maybe I should say something like “Hey, take the risk. Hop on a plane and forget about the legalities. Nothing’s going to happen. Just keep your head low, get a few private students, and you can stay in Spain as long as you like”. Well I can’t do that. It’s not why I joined the forum. I joined to get honest information if I need it, and to give honest information if someone else needs it.
There’s a difference between honest information and honest opinion…
You are also right when you say that US citizens can register as autonomo or open their own business and sponsor themselves, but they have to get here first, and there’s no way they can become autonomo or open a business if they don’t live here legally to begin with.
Actually I know a few good lawyers who are able to address that issue. Hence why this is not viable for everyone ($$). But this has been extensively discussed in the forum and the relevant article pages.
And as for Vaughan Systems: Why did your Scottish friend get fired everywhere he worked and yet Vaughan took him on with such a bad track record? It seems a little odd to me and doesn’t say much for Vaughan Systems.
I don’t know! That’s what I’d like to know! I’m not defending Vaughn by any means, but I’ve heard both good and bad things about them.
Life’s about taking risks. I spent 20 years in a row running with the bulls in Pamplona, so I’m not a cynic by nature and I know the value of making mistakes. But if someone needs advice and I feel I can help, I’ll always give it to them straight.
Some people are more risk averse than others. I’m all about taking risks and endorse it. After all my move to Spain was a huge risk and it panned out well. I try to provide an objective perspective on it for non-EU-ers specifically, meaning it can definitely be done, but don’t expect an easy ride. I think you’re saying the same thing.
But in general, it’s better to be safe than sorry ... and that will always be my advice. If at all possible, do things legally and you will have a lot less hassle in life.
Sounds like a contradiction to your life/risk thing, but your heart is certainly in the right place.
You seem determined to disagree with me while at the same time agreeing with everything I say. I wonder why that is.
I don’t see my advice as a contradiction to my life/risk thing. There are different types of risk-taking. Taking risks infront of a bull or riding a wave are quite different from taking risks with the law. With the first two, you could end up in hospital; with the last one, you could end up in court. I imagine that most people in their right minds would prefer to stay out of court ... but that’s only my opnion, of course 😊
You seem determined to disagree with me while at the same time agreeing with everything I say. I wonder why that is.
Method over substance. There are too many people who see forums and blogs as opportunities to beak off without regard for the tone or attitude of their message, even when what they have to say is spot on. I guess I’m just sensitive! 😉
I know nothing about teaching but as a Grandma would warn against coming to Spain or anywhere else in Europe in the hope of being able to earn money. Please remember that the Euro is now very strong and the dollar is very very weak - so you MUST have double the amount of money you would need to live on in America.
Do not come if you can not afford to keep yourself (if you are going to overstay) for at least 6 months and have a return ticket with a variable date.
There are a lot of English living in Spain, so there is no shortage of English teachers!
So please come to this wonderful country for a holiday - stay for 3 months and find out exactly what your chances are of working - then go home and save the amount of money you will need to live on and apply in the correct way for a working visa - if you have also got some qualifications in the interim - then you could apply for a job here BEFORE you made the final move.
They way you describe it, you make it sound like it is possible for an American to legally come to Spain on a work visa if they have the patience and motivation to get one. That is encouraging… I was scoping out many of these English academies that do corporate classes and pretty much all of them require you already have a work permit. What sort of English-teaching organizations might actually be willing to help an American get a work permit? If it’s say, a university or something, wouldn’t a higher level of education be needed for that—not just a CELTA/TEFL certification?
I would like to move to Spain a year and a half from now in order to do a 2-year masters program in Spain. But I’m not going to do it unless my longtime boyfriend could come with me—and he would need to be able to work. He has a bachelors and masters degree in English, has been a professional writer for 9 years, and has an interest in teaching. He doesn’t have any teaching experience, though, so I’m wondering whether he is qualifed to get a teaching job at a company that would actually help him immigrate. What do you think? Where would those opportunities be?
He is trying to get a teaching job here in the US in the hopes that having a year of relevent experience might help. The job is actually an adjunct professor position at a local university, where he’ll be teaching English composition to freshman college students. Not sure if that’s relevant enough—maybe he should see if there’s a place where he can teach English as a foreign language to foreigners instead?
