First out, I spent about 2 years in Spain with my family as a teenager (this is going back about 15 years!), so unless things have changed dramatically, I tend to feel I’ve got a fairly realistic view of the place, so I’m not expecting to have any illusions shattered - mainly I’d just like someone who has tried this already to give their take on it, a realistic view on what our chances are etc.

Me and my partner are both EU (UK) citizens, native English speakers, so no visa issues.

I currently completing (yipee!) an undergraduate degree in ancient languages (Egyptian and Coptic), and will be taking a PGCE teaching qualification next year, along with a CELTA course, which my university offers. I did know some Spanish in the past, but it’s pretty much lost now, so we are both learning from home at the moment, and will take an intensive course over in Spain (prob. next summer) at Universidad de Alicante.

After qualifying, I’m hoping eventually to work in the standard state school system in either the Valencia or Andalucia regions, but first of all want to build up some experience, and also get a lot better grasp of Spanish by doing English teaching through a private academy. A couple of things that are important to us would be:

* Being based in a city. Neither of us are small-town types. Alicante and Valencia are our favoured candidates, but Cartagena, Murcia, Almeria, and Sevilla are also on the cards.

* Having enough to rent our own flat with guestroom/study (2 bed), without having to flat-share or starve.

* Being able to save up to hire a car to go exploring/camping, or taking a weekend in another city now and again. (we don’t drive normally, another reason we prefer to be in an urban area)

With the Spanish economy having taken a minor detour (off a cliff) does this still seem plausible? What sort of income can I realistically expect to get? (neither of us drink or smoke - though my partner has a mild DVD and Diet Coke addiction) How possible is it to get into the state teaching system? Are there any better routes for that?

On a final note, I do actually like my undergrad subject, and wondered if there any ancient history or similar societies that invite people to give talks or run workshops for the English speaking community? I am aware of groups like ASADE in Andalucia, which welcomes Spanish talks - which I would love to do once I feel confident enough to discuss Middle Egyptian grammar - in Spanish…