Hi everyone, my name?s D?bora and I?m an EFL teacher and a translator based in Argentina. I?m also a teacher of Spanish as a foreign language (Spanish is my mother tongue). My husband and I are seriously considering the possibility of moving to Spain, specifically to or around Valencia (we?ve been there before and we like the area and the people). We?re both EU passport holders.
I?d like to know if there are chances of working in Spain as an EFL/Spanish teacher, having in mind that although I have all the necessary papers, I?m not really a native English speaker.
Thank you for your time.
D?bora
MSN: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Hi D?bora

you are asking 2 questions here.

Firstly, will you get work as a Spanish teacher in Spain? Speaking about my experience of teaching in Madrid, there is work available for Spanish teachers. But you must be experienced and qualified. Just because it’s Spain doesn’t mean that you have 40 million + competitors. A native speaker isn’t necessarily (and usually isn’t) a good teacher. Also, if you do Spanish civil service exams, you can teach in schools etc. But the amount of work available is less than for English teachers. And without wishing to offend in any way, some corporate clients may be put off by a very strong South American accent.

Regarding teaching English, it depends on your level of English. Advanced level English speakers can (and do) teach English up to pre-intermediate level. If you are bi-lingual, then you could teach up to any level. I don’t know much about the Valencia market for language teaching, but if you come to Madrid, even with the current economic crisis, assuming your English is advanced, you will find work. I’m not saying you’ll get rich, but you’ll earn an income!

Kind regards

Owen

http://www.englishteachermadrid.com