Page 32 - ELG1704 Apr Issue 446

FEATURES & COMMENT

SALARIES & RENT

What requirements do teachers need to
meet?
Most schools require a native-like level of
competence in English, a university degree and
a teaching certificate such as a Celta or a Trinity
Certificate in Tesol.
Average cost of accommodation?
Teachers need around €1100 per month to cov-
er rent, food and basic necessities. Salaries vary
and for example, accommodation is usually
more expensive in cities than in small towns.

If you are looking for a job in Spain,
consult some of the best-known
associations of languages schools
and websites

- ACEIA – the Andalusian Association of
Language Schools http://www.aceia.es/
- FECEI - Federación Española de Centros
de Enseñanza de Idiomas- https://www.fecei.
org/
- Spainwise http://spainwise.net/
The Alhambra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located in Andalusia, in the south of Spain

What’s the minimum wage for a teacher to publicly opposed this practice, along with both native and non-native teachers offer
live on in Andalusia (southern Spain), for other groups such as Tesol Spain and Tefl them different conditions according to their
example? Equity. What we have seen in Spain in the place of origin, rather than their performance.
Salaries vary and so does the cost of living last twenty years or so is that a lot of lan- What about Brexit?
across Andalusia. For example, accommoda- guage schools have based their recruitment We still do not know how Brexit will
tion is usually more expensive in cities than in selection on the fact that applicants must be change the process of recruiting British appli-
small towns. Our experience is that teachers native speakers – they don’t even have to be cants but we are worried that they might need
need around €1,100 per month to cover rent, qualified teachers. visas in order to work in Spain. This would
food and basic necessities. This ignores other key factors such as slow the hiring process and certainly make
teaching qualifications and experience, it more difficult. Brexit is bad news, not only
personal abilities, commitment, motivation to school owners but also to teachers whose
More and more and what we consider essential: vocation. We home is now in Spain and who don’t know
what the near future will bring.
have also seen that some schools who hire
employers will ex-
pect a year’s teach-
ing experience

We also see that as teachers stay longer
their expenses increase and therefore they
need a higher salary. Teachers can increase
their salary by increasing their teaching time-
table, and also by taking on responsibilities in
their schools, becoming a speaking examiner
or doing teacher training.
Are there any particular controversies
around English language teaching in Spain?
Tefl is one of the few sectors where
origin plays a big role in the recruitment
of teachers, and schools often reject very
effective teachers who were not born in
an English-speaking country. Aceia has
Borja Uruñela, Vice President and Head of Institutional Relations of ACEIA

editorial@elgazette.com 33

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