I am thirty years old and considering doiing one of those TESL courses and teaching English and living in Spain. I am 30 years old, recently divorced and for the last ten years have been leading the same day to day life as everyone. It has gotten me forty thousand dollars in debt, lonely and unhappy. I am getting old but I’m still young and I want to have some real life experience. I have also picked up efforts on becoming a writer again as I was in college. My plan is to knock out as much debt, get in shape and save 5-8,000 USD to get started. I was a Spanish minor in college and have a farely decent grasp of the language. I will also continue to learn during the next year. I have nothing holding me back here, and with the climate, lifestyle and culture I am excited about a life change in Spain. I would like to start some communication with people like me that just were tired of their life and did something about it. I want to know if people think it was worth it. And are those TESL courses and programs I see online a scam? Can you get work teaching and sometimes have housing provided? Will 1000 euros a month allow me the ability to enjoy life there? Would job openings be possible for a freelance writer and is the movie industry there really as strong as I read? How hard is it to get a work visa? Can I get started working without one? And any other answers you guys feel may be helpful. Thank you.
Well welcome to the forum Hmariner , nice to see your up beat about life , so it new life for you this coming 2009 , spain full off new jobs and its up and down , yes thre few scamming out there but you see them a mile coming , any offering off jobs in spain ask you to pay for Visa , stay away from them , if you not sure post here and we look up are data bace and hopeful point you in the right way , you talk about get you debt down , will living in spain has gone up in costs , Yes the Euro has gained against most off dollers and GBP but once here you sould find it lot easyer , hope you get back in to the swing off thinks again , any help here just ask and the people here on the forum will help
Hey, a few more tidbits as someone who did th TEFL thing originally too.
The TEFL courses are valuable but don’t do the ones online. I would suggest International House courses personally. I liked teaching English and it’s a great way to get introduced to the country, its people and peers.
Yes, it was worth the effort. Spain is a wonderful place (all places have their problems though of course) - my favourite country in the world easily. Freelance writing work is very competitive, so if you don’t mind earning 1/4 of what you’d make elsewhere, then yes, there are a few opportunities out there. Don’t know about the film industry personally, but check out the article on film industry jobs in Spain.
Thank you for your response. It has left me in good spirits. I have already begun my Spanish learning again and am glad to hear about the schools being legitimate. And, yes I will immerse myself in a Spain based learning course. Anybody else who may have anything to add would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much for your time.
