Throughout Spain, the English-teaching market is soaring. These days, academies are caught up in recruitment frenzy. Teachers applying for jobs are often hired on the spot, and classified ads are full of job offers from schools.
Where to start looking
To see who's hiring, check out the classified ads at:
Of course, the best way to go about getting a job is by knocking on doors and dropping off your CV in person. Keep in mind that in Spain it is quite common (sometimes even stated as a requirement), to attach a passport photo your resume. This is illegal in the United States and some other countries due to discrimination laws and tends to tick off a lot of Americans; in fact, I know several teachers who absolutely refuse to attach their photos, even if it means not getting hired.
So where do you find the academies? Pick up the Yellow Pages ( Páginas Amarillas). Look up Academias de Inglés, and start making the rounds.
What are the benefits?
The main benefits of working for an academy is that they provide block-teaching hours, free didactic materials, and unlimited photocopies. Unlike private teachers, who run around from class to class throughout the city, academy teachers return to the same classroom on a daily basis. Not only does this creates a sense of stability, but with other teachers and staff readily available for quick advice and support, academy teachers do not feel like they are "going in alone."
But convenience has its drawbacks: academy teachers are paid much less per hour than private teachers. Even so, unless you want to jump from train to train trying to make it to your next class, teaching at an academy may be the best option for you.
By Phillip Stark
Founder - MAPLanguages.com
Spain's premiere search engine for private language teachers and academies.
Photo - Don Quijote at Madrid's San Isidro festival 2006
Courtesy of MAP Magazine
Madrid's hippest bilingual Webzine