Here is a look at most of the things you need to know about teaching English in Barcelona. I've included links to useful websites. (last updated July 2013)
Wages / Salary.
Wages range from 12 euros/hour to 30 euros/hour with anything over 20euros/hour considered really pretty good. Wages are normally lowest if you teach in language schools and higher if you teach in companies, but schools tend to give you a block of hours together whereas you'll do a lot of travelling between classes if you teach in businesses.
Living Costs.
Wages are low in comparison with living costs. This affects pretty much everyone under thirty, not just English Teachers. The problem of "llegar al fin de mes" (getting to the end of the month) is a frequent topic in the Spanish media.
Bare minimum to live on?
Opinions vary, but 900-1100 euros/month is a good figure to bear in mind. For this you "get by", but any less and you'll be dipping into your savings.
Visas and Residency.
As you probably know, if you are a European Union national you have the right to work and live in Spain. For anyone from outside the EU it is quite a bit trickier. I'm no expert on this area, but at www.spainlawyer.com you'll find a decent introduction to visas and what-not.
Working Illegally?
While not as easy as it may have been in previous years, it is possible to teach without legally being able to work in Spain. That said, only a small minority of employers are willing to look the other way, so you'll probably find yourself restricted to teaching private classes.
As well as InglésBarcelona.com, I also run a web of web sites for learning English (Have a look at this class about writing business emails in English to get an idea of what we do) and I'm always on the look out for contributors. If you can write educational materiales, make videos, or even just record your voice for us, we'd like to hear from you. We are particularly keen on experts in Business English who can help us curate our new site Business English 23. Check it out here. Contact us via InglésBarcelona if you are interested.
If you want to give private classes you may want to consider listing on this site (your details would appear in our list of english teachers). Listing is free but we do have a selection process and will normally ask you for references.
What's new in 2013? Well, the economic crisis in Spain shows few signs of going away, and English teaching is definitely being affected. European Union subsidies are still available for language lessons, and many companies are still taking advantage, but there are also substantial numbers of organisations who have cut back on language lessons for their staff. The situation with private lessons has deteriorated over the last year, with many teachers having to make do with fewer students, or having to reduce hourly rates. Many young Spaniards either can't afford private English classes, or have decided to leave Spain for an English-speaking country. Spanish unemployment is currently at around 23%, with no sign of improvement, so don't expect the market for private English classes to turn around anytime soon.
No jobs in Summer!
This is an exaggeration, but it is difficult to find teaching work from the end of June until mid-September. August is the worst as many Catalans pack up and move out for the whole month.
Tefl courses in Barcelona
There are at least 7 organisations which offer TEFL courses in Barcelona. However, as I do work for one of these TEFL schools I am not going to offer any recommendations here.
A search for "tefl barcelona" or "tefl courses barcelona" in Google should returm all of the major TEFL programmes.
Flats and Rooms
Rental prices rose steeply for most of the period 2000-2009. However, with the financial crisis prices to both buy and rent have fallen. To rent a single room in a shared house you'll need to pay 250-500/month. Depending on the zone, 350-450 euros normally gets you something half decent. For a studio, or one bedroom flat, think at least 700euros/month plus bills. If you do rent a place for yourself be prepared to pay a hefty deposit (often 3 months, sometimes 6!). And if you find an apartment in Barcelona via an agency (often a good idea) you may have to pay them a further month! Oh, remember that in Barcelona people live in apartments rather than houses.
For room/flat hunting try: www.loquo.com
Info about Barcelona
map of the city: www.paginasamarillas.es
metro and buses: www.tmb.net (available in English)
general news for English-speaking community: www.barcelona-metropolitan.com
Directory (esp) : www.barcelona.com
- La Guía de Barcelona
More general information about Spain?
You could try an American website which looks at all aspects of living and working abroad, not just teaching. It seems reliable and comprehensive: www.transitionsabroad.com
Learning Spanish
Here we've put together a list of Spanish schools in Barcelona and other parts of Spain. With interactive map:
learn Spanish in Spain.
Any questions?
For brief questions about TEFL teaching in Barcelona or about this site send us an email and we will try our best to answer.
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