Hello hello 😊

I’m hoping to move to Spain in 2013 to teach English. I’ve wanted to teach abroad for years (and may do a Masters and PHD and go in to lecturing one day) and I’d love to get a second language. I currently work in the public sector with unemployed people, so have a bit of experience leading work shops and developing people and can do public speaking (but so far no ‘real’ teaching experience).

I’ll be over with a nice suit, a CELTA and degree certificates. I’m confident and well spoken, but a little concerned about job prospects… I’ll have a ?3-5k buffer in case it all goes wrong. However, I live very cheaply (currently in London), I’m veggie and hardly ever drink booze.

I just wondered if people could give me a bit of advice…

- What are taxes like?
- How much would healthcare cost and if I get it, would I need to pay extra for prescriptions?
- What city would you recommend to start out? The travelling in Madrid puts me off a bit, but more because of the cost (that said, a month’s on peak travel in London probably costs a lot more than say, Madrid).
Is teaching stressful and are students normally quite well behaved?
- Is it safe for a lone woman and is there a lot of sexism?

I’m planning a trip to either Madrid or Valencia in September to scout it out.

Thanks so much for your help.

Selina
X

Sel - 29 April 2012 05:27 PM

Hello hello 😊

I’m hoping to move to Spain in 2013 to teach English. I’ve wanted to teach abroad for years (and may do a Masters and PHD and go in to lecturing one day) and I’d love to get a second language. I currently work in the public sector with unemployed people, so have a bit of experience leading work shops and developing people and can do public speaking (but so far no ‘real’ teaching experience).

I’ll be over with a nice suit, a CELTA and degree certificates. I’m confident and well spoken, but a little concerned about job prospects… I’ll have a ?3-5k buffer in case it all goes wrong. However, I live very cheaply (currently in London), I’m veggie and hardly ever drink booze.

I just wondered if people could give me a bit of advice…

- What are taxes like?
- How much would healthcare cost and if I get it, would I need to pay extra for prescriptions?
- What city would you recommend to start out? The travelling in Madrid puts me off a bit, but more because of the cost (that said, a month’s on peak travel in London probably costs a lot more than say, Madrid).
Is teaching stressful and are students normally quite well behaved?
- Is it safe for a lone woman and is there a lot of sexism?

I’m planning a trip to either Madrid or Valencia in September to scout it out.

Thanks so much for your help.

Selina
X

You have to pay approx 250 euro a month national insurance which covers your health care, and you will have to pay for medicines.

We teach English in Ecija where there are quite a lot of language schools, but the wages aren’t great. As a single woman you will be fine, I have never noticed any sexism within teaching. Round here you can rent a 1 bed flat for around 300 euro a month.

Hello Selina:

I think tht as regards your taxes in Spain, and healthcare prospects, it might be a good idea to see a tax consultant etc. when you come over on your inspection trip in 2013.  That is where you will get the most accurate advice.
If you work as a teacher employed by an academy then your employers should sort out your tax forms and so forth.  If you decide to go the self-employed route then you would need to consult a tax advisor anyhow. 
I really do not know if there are loads of Englsh-teaching jobs or not at the moment.  But I do know that Spanish people are keen to learn English and accordingly you will not have classroom problems.  Many who wish to learn are adults, and they may wish to concentrate onone area of English (business terminology for example).  It might be as well to gain some teaching experience.

I know I couldn’t teach if my life depended on it!  I do have a degree and I am otherwise well-qualified.  But, teaching, no.  So not sure about the stress angle.  I just would not have the patience required.

IMO Spain is safe for a lone woman.  One just exercises ordinary common-sense and caution.
I came here myself many decades ago as a lone woman, very young, and I never encountered any problems.  But then again, I’ve never been the type who scares easily LOL.
Sexism?  Not sure what you mean by that.  Vast numbers of Spanish women work, indeed in these times are often the breadwinners.  The professions nowadays (for example lawyers) are probably more female than male. 

It is hard to say which city to choose.  You might prefer a small provincial city, rather than Madrid or Barcelona.  I certainly would (and I have lived in Madrid, but quite a while ago).

Anyhow, good luck with your endeavours. 

Patricia

P.S.

Just adding this link to this website

http://www.multilingual-matters.com/index.asp

Contains a lot of information on language acquisition, and a large range of books available on a huge array of language-related topics.

Just to add this link, which you may find useful, Selina.

http://www.iatefl.org/

International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language
Linking, developing and supporting English Language Teaching professionals worldwide

By sexism, I meant if I’d be treated differently as a woman… For example, in terms of pay, or in terms of harassment in the street.

Hello again Sel:

Well, I don’t know.  I suppose women are treated differently one way or another everywhere. 
I am sure someone else on here might be more qualified than me to say if there is an equal pay situation in Spain.  Is there equal pay for women at all levels in the U.K.?

I think it is important to say that Spain does not have the same PC culture as say the U.K.  And of course people are more friendly and outgoing in general.  There is not the same reticence.  The sense of humour, I find, can be racie. 
But I don’t think there is harrassment.

Patricia

I meant for example… My friend went to Morocco and she got harassed by men in the street, another friend said that men would make lewd comments at her when she was an expat (can’t remember the country) and in Nepal, women do not hold equal status. I haven’t travelled much, but am wary as a lone woman, even though I’m assertive, independent and don’t get upset easily.

Though I think that there must be no problem if people aren’t giving horrific examples. 😊

Hello Sel:

Well, not wishing to state the obvious, but Spain is Europe.  Women do have equal status.  (just to mention also that my husband is Spanish and I can’t say I have ever heard the Spanish men I know making lewd comments, although they are not averse to turning a nice compliment! heh heh).

I can imagine there might have been problems in those countries you mention.

I think you will enjoy living and working in Spain.

All the best
Patricia