Teaching English: general questions about visa, certificates, jobs, etc...HELP

[coconnell8687]

Hello everybody,
I joined this site because I could really use some assistance in gathering information...

Okay, so, I will be graduating with my B.A in Sociology May and all I want to do next year is go to Spain (Madrid) and teach english.  I went to Madrid my Spring semester Junior year abroad and absolutely fell in love with the city as well as the country...I have done some research on how to do this the most effective way but there is a lot of contradicting information out there so I really would like anyone (and everyone)'s opinion on this...so here goes with the questions...hopefully someone will be able to help me out, I would love ANY and ALL information available!
-Should I take a certification course?  my planning (if I took a course) is that I would arrive in Madrid early August, complete the course in 4 weeks and then hopefully be able to find a job for the start of the school year in September.
-Do I need a visa?  How do I GET a student visa?  I know that places generally won't sponsor work visas so I guess I'm wondering HOW it is that I would be able to work legally?  (and if that is a necessity...I do plan on leaving Spain every so often so staying in the country to avoid getting caught with an expired visa isn't really an option)
-If I just go to Madrid in late August, what are the chances that I would just be hired by an English language school?
-How much money should I plan to bring with me?  obviously having to take a certification course is not ideal as it would set me back 1,000$-2,000$ so I'm wondering what a rough estimate would be in order to survive until I was earning enough to support myself...

okay well any answers to any of these questions would be helpful...I am really set on doing this next Fall, I just really want to put all the pieces together.

Gracias!

[stacylimones]

Hi there,
I'm assuming you're American. I think the best way for you to start out here would be by applying for the teaching grant offered through the Ministry of Education. It's a way that allows you to arrive in Spain with a job lined up, legally, and you can always give private in-home lessons on the side. Then if you really felt that you want to find work at an academy, etc., you'd have eight months on the ground here to figure out your options. I think a TEFL program can be valuable, but I honestly think that a lot of the ones offered here and boasting "job placement" help are bunk, considering you wouldn't be legal to work here (if you are , as I imagine, American). Just my two cents. For more info on the teaching grant, check out these threads:
http://www.expatriatecafe.com/forums/index.php/board,22.0.html
Good luck,
Stacy

[dava]

My friend was trying to teach in Spain, according to her, they want teachers from Europe. People that speak "proper" English unlike Americans. That's what she said though. I'm sure there are lot of Americans that got jobs in Spain.

Hi there,
I'm assuming you're American. I think the best way for you to start out here would be by applying for the teaching grant offered through the Ministry of Education. It's a way that allows you to arrive in Spain with a job lined up, legally, and you can always give private in-home lessons on the side. Then if you really felt that you want to find work at an academy, etc., you'd have eight months on the ground here to figure out your options. I think a TEFL program can be valuable, but I honestly think that a lot of the ones offered here and boasting "job placement" help are bunk, considering you wouldn't be legal to work here (if you are , as I imagine, American). Just my two cents. For more info on the teaching grant, check out these threads:
http://www.expatriatecafe.com/forums/index.php/board,22.0.html
Good luck,
Stacy