Teaching Jobs in Madrid, Spain

When I was researching ways to move to Spain, Canterbury English was one of the first organizations I came across. After spending time on their website and reading numerous reviews, I learned that Canterbury promised support throughout the entire visa application process, as well as throughout one’s experience in Spain, which prompted me to enroll in the program. Canterbury English sent me multiple documents to help with the visa application process. Applying for a visa can be a challenging process, especially in Spain, so these documents were priceless. Canterbury’s TEFL program was excellent as well. I arrived in Spain with little teaching experience, and some professional training experience, but I did not have any experience teaching English as a foreign language. The TEFL course prepared me with the tools and confidence I needed to teach English. It was a small group, so there was plenty of time to ask questions, and it was a comfortable learning environment. Without the TEFL course, I would have been quite lost starting off my teaching journey. John, the TEFL instructor, was an excellent teacher and made the class engaging. Once I arrived in Spain, I took advantage of Canterbury’s social events, which take place multiple times per month in and around Madrid. Having moved to Spain without knowing anyone, I was eager to meet people, so I attended the first Canterbury social event of the season, and I met some of my best friends here in Spain. The social events that Canterbury offers are a great way to meet new people and explore many of the great things Madrid has to offer. Overall, the program isn’t necessarily the cheapest, and there have been a few hurdles, but I am happy that I received guidance throughout the visa process and have had the opportunity to meet a lot of people.

I moved to Madrid and joined Canterbury in September 2023. At first, moving to Madrid was a big change and all the bureaucracy for arranging your visa and TIE can be quite overwhelming and confusing. But the Canterbury induction really helped me to ground myself and make sense of all the admin processes. In addition, Canterbury’s lawyer, Paola, helped me with all the processes for obtaining all the appointments and paperwork for the process. I couldn’t have done it without her! I have been attending Spanish classes every week with Canterbury. The teachers are incredibly engaging and enthusiastic. We cover a range of really interesting topics in class and study all the helpful vocabulary and grammar you need to get by in Spain. Canterbury hosts a range of social events and trips to museums, galleries, hikes in the county, picnics in the park and even the zoo! It’s the best way to get to know a new city and the best way to make new friends. I’ve met some really close friends for life at these events. Finding work in Madrid can sometimes be difficult. I know that trying to fill a calendar with just private classes can be tricky and it can be a struggle to survive financially in Madrid with just private classes. Canterbury can help you find clients, but you have to do a lot of work yourself. I was fortunate and was able to find a job with an Academy. There are a ton of language academies in Madrid and lots of them are desperate for teachers (especially native speakers). This has become even more difficult for them since Brexit, as only Irish can legally work in the EU. (I know this well as a Brit myself). Canterbury helped send my CV out to academies and I got loads of job and interview offers right away. But my advice is to take your time and not just go for the first option. Go to the interview and find out more about the pay, your timetable, the resources, the academy’s reputation etc. There are a lot of academies who exploit teachers and don’t pay well. You should try to ensure you’re picking a reputable one. Canterbury can help with this. They helped me with finalising things with my academy and getting all the contracts and paperwork sorted. Canterbury helped me get to Spain and start teaching (something that seemed impossible at first in the post-Brexit world). Yes, you have to pay a lot of money for this privilege. But life in Spain is fantastic and it’s totally merezca la pena!