English teachers still in demand as unemployment numbers continue to rise in Spain

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ENGLISH teachers continue to be in high demand despite the record unemployment that has gripped Spain.

According to Miriam Levie, founder of the English teacher training centre TEFL in Spain, the profession is thriving in spite of the crisis.

“Today, everyone wants to learn English and nearly every town around the globe has an English school looking for certified teachers,” she explains.

“With a TEFL certificate you can teach anywhere around the world, but Spain is the Mecca of English language teaching due to its great weather and fabulous lifestyle.

“And best of all there is currently a high demand for English teachers here.”

She continues: “We teach students what it is like to work here in order to prepare them for a teaching career here.

“Traditionally, Spaniards have had difficulties in mastering the English language,” adds Miriam, who set up the school after years of teaching English and obtaining qualifications, including a BA in Business Administration, a BA in Translation Studies, and an MA in Applied Linguistics.

“It is a big problem for Spain, bearing in mind that there is an ever greater need to demonstrate a high level of English if they are to find a good job in Spain or abroad,” she continues.

Her company TEFL in Spain, which has offices in Malaga and Granada, offers both four-week fulltime and 10-week part-time courses providing advanced English speakers with all the required skills and knowledge needed to work as confident English teachers.

Best of all, the centre collaborates with Acadomia, an important teacher recruitment agency, so most trainees will be offered a job consisting of a minimum of 15 hours per week, paid at the rate of €15 per hour, once they have finished the course.

In addition, TEFL in Spain is about to launch a website for live online language classes in virtual classrooms.

And the schools are paired with well-established Spanish language schools – Escuela Montalban in Granada and Futura Idiomas in Malaga –  so the students can also get to grips with the language here.

“I believe it is extremely useful to have at least a basic knowledge of the Spanish language, since it helps you understand the difficulties Spanish learners of English have,” added Miriam.

“Experience of learning and speaking a foreign language will help you understand language and how languages are learned in general, which helps you adapt to your students’ needs.”

And it seems to be paying off as the first group of students to graduate from TEFL in Spain are full of praise for the course.

“TEFL in Spain has opened the doors towards the field of English teaching with a very practical and up-to-date methodology that prepares you for countless job opportunities,” explains Isaac.

“I’m really happy with the investment I’ve made and am confident I will be able to find a job soon after I’m finished,” he added.

Fellow student Sara agrees: “I absolutely loved the course. It really prepares you to enter the world of teaching. You are helped and supported throughout the entire course.”

She continues: “The experience that you gain from teaching real classes is second to none. It’s hard work, but if teaching is something that really appeals to you then it’s definitely worth it.”