Teaching English in Spain and getting certified

Feb 20, 2009 · Danny · 6 replies · 4763 views

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Hi all,

I am looking at teaching English here in Barcelona as a career change. I have read the articles located here and have a few questions, if anyone here has answers, please reply. I am a legal resident and can work legally in Spain.

My questions are about choosing a school for my certification. I have checked several of school?s websites and have found that getting the certificate online instead of in person is about half the price, 600 or 700 euros.

Is getting the certificate online going to hurt my chances of landing a job compared to taking the classes in person?

Does the schools certification hurt my job chances if the certificate is not Cambridge accredited?

Iwill be greatful for any help that is out there.

Thanks,

Danny

Feb 20, 2009 · Expatriator

Hi Danny, did you read our the article on TEFL courses (http://www.spainexpat.com/spain/information/teaching_english_in_spain_tefl/)?

Feb 20, 2009 · Danny

I did, but I don't believe they talk about getting certified online, do they? I'll check.

Danny

Feb 20, 2009 · teryndactyl

Hi Danny,

I'm not actually an English Teacher so I hope you don't mind me replying...but I've been planning on moving to Spain and ESL teaching for about a year now, and have done all the research.

You already have the advantage of being a legal resident, which is a one up on most of the TESL job seekers; however, from what I have read, an online cert isn't really the best option if you want to be considered at the top of the heap. Schools prefer applicants to have a certain amount of practice hours under their belt, which the online courses don't give you. Online you will get the theory but not the experience of teaching an actual student. Practice lessons are included in most intensive on-site courses and are requirements of passing the course, so employers will know you are competent in the real world, not only in theory.

If you have any sort of tutoring experience you might get by with only an online cert, but it will probably be harder; you'll be a bit less prepared than hundreds of others looking for similar jobs, and the school which hires someone with only an online course certification might not be of the best quality.

...but like I said, I don't even have a TESL job yet, so you might decide not to go by anything I say.

A helpful site is www.eslcafe.com. You might want to look at this thread in particular or search for similiar ones, there are lots!: http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=61169&highlight=online

Feb 21, 2009 · Danny

Thank you for your info Tery.

You confirm my main concern. I think practical classroom experience could prove vital in getting a job also. Now, if I can just find the balls to part with a chunk of money?

Danny

Nov 9, 2009 · Work In Spain

Everyone?s situation is different. Contact me directly for help. I have been here in Spain for a long time and know the ropes.