American moving to Spain seeking teaching position

[agreene]

I am a 23 year American old female who graduated last year with a degree in Social Studies and Education and have been subbing since then. My fiance and I will be moving to Spain in the fall, and while he is studying Spanish, I would like to find a teaching job! I would love to work either as an EFL teacher or as a Social Studies teacher in an English school. I recently completed a 100 hr. course to gain my TEFL certification and I have an intermediate level understanding of Spanish. My fiance is looking at universities in Granada, Valencia, and Alicante, though we are somewhat flexible on location (we'd prefer Andalusia!) Any help/advice/job leads that anyone could off me would be greatly appreciated!! I am having trouble finding a job that will help me get my working VISA, rather than requiring me to already have a EU passport.

Please share any advice you may have! Thanks!

Amber Greene

[halydia]

I am a 23 year American old female who graduated last year with a degree in Social Studies and Education and have been subbing since then. My fiance and I will be moving to Spain in the fall, and while he is studying Spanish, I would like to find a teaching job! I would love to work either as an EFL teacher or as a Social Studies teacher in an English school. I recently completed a 100 hr. course to gain my TEFL certification and I have an intermediate level understanding of Spanish. My fiance is looking at universities in Granada, Valencia, and Alicante, though we are somewhat flexible on location (we'd prefer Andalusia!) Any help/advice/job leads that anyone could off me would be greatly appreciated!! I am having trouble finding a job that will help me get my working VISA, rather than requiring me to already have a EU passport.

Please share any advice you may have! Thanks!

Amber Greene

Amber,

I'm sorry that I don't have much encouraging advice to give you. It's quite difficult for us as non-EU Passport holders to get work and/or extended permission to stay in Spain. Will you be married by the time you make the move? If I understand correctly, you can then go with him as part of his visa. If not, unless you find a job that will sponsor you (tough to do, especially in the south where there's a much higher concentration of native English speakers) or you take a masters as well, I'm not sure how you could make coming to the country legally work.

Above all, I'd speak to the foreign students office at the university that your fiance will be attending to see what they can do to help, or at least point you in the right direction.

Best of luck! It can be tough here being from the US, but I like it

Take care.

[SRedw]

I have to agree with halydia on this one.  Why didn't you apply for the North American and Language and Culture Assistant Progam? This is one of the easiest ways to come to Spain and work legally.  One can work up to 20 hours on a student visa and collaborate with other academes or universities as well.  Apply, if you haven't already and give it a shot.

Suerte,

Shawn

[halydia]

I have to agree with halydia on this one.  Why didn't you apply for the North American and Language and Culture Assistant Progam? This is one of the easiest ways to come to Spain and work legally.  One can work up to 20 hours on a student visa and collaborate with other academes or universities as well.  Apply, if you haven't already and give it a shot.

Suerte,

Shawn

Shawn,

One general question of benefit for anyone here on a student visa (and sorry to direct this sort of off topic here):

How does one go about working those 20 hours while on a student visa? I understood we technically had to go back to extranjería to solicit the permission to work, and to do that we needed a contract.

In reality, this is Spain. But do you have more information about how to do things legally?

Take care.

[SRedw]

Shawn,

One general question of benefit for anyone here on a student visa (and sorry to direct this sort of off topic here):

How does one go about working those 20 hours while on a student visa? I understood we technically had to go back to extranjería to solicit the permission to work, and to do that we needed a contract.

In reality, this is Spain. But do you have more information about how to do things legally?

Take care.

halydia,

The law has changed in Spain and years ago no one could work on a student visa.  Once you are in the Language Assistant Program you are already working on a student visa as a becario/a and you can apprly to language academies for some extra hours.  This is known as collaborating with them. 

What you are talking about is applying for a work visa.  You are here legally and if someone wants to hire you full-time, it's easier to turn a student visa into a work visa than to start from zero.  Once you are here in Spain, talk to a lawyer about the process.  I am fine with working on my student visa and collaborating with different universities.

Good luck,

Shawn

[halydia]

halydia,

The law has changed in Spain and years ago no one could work on a student visa.  Once you are in the Language Assistant Program you are already working on a student visa as a becario/a and you can apprly to language academies for some extra hours.  This is known as collaborating with them. 

What you are talking about is applying for a work visa.  You are here legally and if someone wants to hire you full-time, it's easier to turn a student visa into a work visa than to start from zero.  Once you are here in Spain, talk to a lawyer about the process.  I am fine with working on my student visa and collaborating with different universities.

Good luck,

Shawn

Shawn,

Understood. Thank you for the clarification!

[agreene]

Thank you for the responses-I am aware it is difficult and appreciate any help I can get. I did not apply for the Language and Culture Assistant program because it costs over $1000 dollars and I had hoped to find a cheaper way to go about doing this instead of paying to get a job. I found a similar program that is a little cheaper that i may use if i don't hear back about the applications i have submitted.

Amber

[SRedw]

Thank you for the responses-I am aware it is difficult and appreciate any help I can get. I did not apply for the Language and Culture Assistant program because it costs over $1000 dollars and I had hoped to find a cheaper way to go about doing this instead of paying to get a job. I found a similar program that is a little cheaper that i may use if i don't hear back about the applications i have submitted.

Amber

Amber,

You are mistakened about the program that I am talking about.  It's free to apply, however, if you go through CIEE in Seville, for example, they charge you for their administrative fees.

http://www.mec.es/sgci/usa/en/programs/us_assistants/default.shtml  (NO COST TO APPLY!)

Shawn