Hey Adam,
Here\'s the best I can do with your questions:
1) Yes it\'s hard to get a job, ESPECIALLY for someone with no experience. The market is becoming saturated and directors of academies are becoming more selective. I usually tell everyone that EXPERIENCE in teaching is the most valuable asset you could have, second only to a TEFL/CELTA certification. If you have neither, you\'re chances of finding even minimal work are slim.
2) I\'m not sure if Canadians have any special regulations. I don\'t think they do. It\'s either EU passport or not. ANd if you don\'t have EU status your chances of finding work are even slimmer.
3) Madrid is probably the city with the most opportunity, then Barcelona. I\'m not too sure about Valencia. I\'m still waiting to hear opinions on finding work in smaller resort towns. You\'d probably want to stay away from the coast (especially Costa del Sol) where British English teachers are about as frequent as another new Reality TV show on prime time. There\'s no competing with the cardholder of an EU passport.
4) Even though knowing fluent Spanish is oftentimes deterred when teaching English (so that your students cannot depend on any chance of translating). You will have to know Spanish to FIND a job. There are many ads in English (especially in Madrid) and nearly every director speaks English. But many secretaries and office admins of those academies do NOT, and they are your first line of contact. Besides, knowing Spanish (in Spain) gives people a good impression-- i.e. you like languages. So, although it\'s not mandatory (I myself didn\'t speak Spanish at ALL when I first worked in Spain) it is one of those annoying little pleasantries that you SHOULD pick up.
5) 25 is about the median age of people over there, from the US, teaching English. I\'d say 23-30 is about right. Most people having graduated college head over there and stay 1-5 years. That\'s not to say you won\'t bump into an 18 year old or a 65!!! You\'re definitely NOT on the older side. You\'re al dente [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif\"]
Hope this helps
PS Speaking of old, wasn\'t Kris Kristofferson the Sundance Kid??? Is he Canadian?? My parents were totally hippies and used to sing all his songs at coffee houses [IMG SRC=\"modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_love.gif\"] [addsig]
