# Moving abroad to teach english, need help!



## chrisclements345 (Jan 27, 2015)

Hello my name is Chris, I am 26 from Northern Ireland. 

I am interested in moving to Spain in September to make a go of teaching English abroad. Below I have listed a little information about me to help with my questions.

-I have a degree
-I have lots of experience coaching kids in sport
-I have experience in lesson planning
-I have NO Spanish (but i am learning as my girlfirend is spanish)
-I will complete a TEFL/CELTA course when I arrive in Spain.

Firstly I would like to know if anyone has any advice on what the work is like and the availability of work.

Secondly is it enough just to have an online TEFL and a degree, or is it a must to have a CELTA.

Any other information would be great because i have to think this through because I would be leaving a well paid job and although I know I will earn less it is the lifestyle I am interested in.

Many Thanks
Chris


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

chrisclements345 said:


> Hello my name is Chris, I am 26 from Northern Ireland.
> 
> I am interested in moving to Spain in September to make a go of teaching English abroad. Below I have listed a little information about me to help with my questions.
> 
> ...


First things first, yes there is work for qualified native speakers. It may not be very well paid and the timetables can be difficult, but I think there is TEFL work. Your experience with children should be a point in your favour. Not having Spanish shouldn't be too important although some places do ask for a certain level. Many teachers start here with no Spanish at all.
I think it's vital, if you are interested in doing a good job, to get a good qualification and that means doing CELTA or Trinity and that will include a teaching practice element, and that's one of the most important aspects of the training. I would recommend going to class rather than online if possible because the contact with other people is really motivating, but if you can't you can't. Make sure the course you are doing is the CELTA or Trinity and not just a TEFL. 
You will probably be looking at academy work which is usally concetrated into the afternoons from about 16:30 with kids and going on to 20:00/ 21:00/ 22:00 depending. If you only get that you'll be lucky as you could get a couple of hours at lunch time and maybe something in the morning and that really chops up your day.
There's a lot of exam preparation going on at the moment as the crisis has made everyone more aware of how much they need to put English on their curriculums so Mums and Dads are in class and so are the kids!
There is lots of info on the forum about this if you search Teaching English, TEFL and the like. Here are a couple to get you started
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...ving-spain/275769-teaching-english-spain.html

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...iving-spain/535738-tefl-english-teaching.html


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## curlyclaire (Dec 31, 2011)

Hi. Agree with all that Pesky said and the link will help you. Just wanted to add that there are a lot of qualified English teachers and Spain is a popular destination. Language schools are more likely to opt for a teacher who has had classroom practice when getting their EFL qualification than someone who has done an online course with none. You also need to accept that academy work is after school hours, so your evenings will be spent working, and possibly morning/afternoon hours too if you're unlucky. Now that you know all the above, best of luck getting your qualification and I hope it works out for you. Spain is a fabulous place to start your EFL teaching in, particularly for someone only in their 20s and with no commitments to hold you back. You can always get back onto the high paid, long hours, lack of sunshine treadmill again later if it floats your boat..but you have time on your side so take a risk, this voice of experience says it is well worth it! Slainte to you!


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