Testimonials from Happy TEFL Barcelona Graduates

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get the best teaching jobs in Barcelona, Spain and elsewhere in the world.

Find English teaching work in Barcelona (or elsewhere):
with one of the very best TEFL courses in Spain

As soon as I finished my TEFL course, I started working as an English teacher for in-company classes. I remember how exciting those days were. I had a lot of fun, I remember my students had so many stories to share and they were all willing to improve their English.

While I was working, I started to get more and more busy, I even had to reject some offers or cut down some hours of work, but my students would always ask for me to be their teacher. That’s when I realized, I didn’t need to be a native to be a good English teacher. My boss offered me more courses, but I remember not being able to take so many.

As time went by, I realized teaching was what I wanted to do, so I decided to go back to school and apply to University of Barcelona to become a Primary Education teacher.

I got in, and after 4 years in university I became an English Primary teacher. That is what I have been doing ever since. And I LOVE IT!

Paula Perez Marcos, Barcelona (Spain)

“My husband and I both completed the course in early October. It’s only been about a month and a half, but we have both found work and are settling into a weekly routine. Both of us do a combination of private tutoring and online teaching, and he also teaches one evening a week in an academy. I found my private tutoring jobs within a few days of posting just one ad on tusclasesparticulares.com.There were actually more people responding than I was looking to take on as students! I found other jobs via word of mouth. When you’re looking for work, keep your eyes and ears open and get connected with all the TEFL Barcelona Facebook groups. And then, be prepared to make friends with your students! All of mine are friendly, funny, and kind and I really enjoy seeing them each week. You’ve probably heard that teaching English in Europe isn’t the most lucrative career choice, and so far we’re finding that true, which is why we added our online teaching jobs. We like variety, so this works for us. The amount of freedom we have in making our schedules is great. Overall, the amount of work you get will coincide with how much you want and how much you hustle to get it! We’ve found what we learned during the ITA TEFL course super helpful and valuable in our teaching thus far!“. Phoebe and Caleb Hamel, (USA)

“I finished my TEFL course at the end of August, just at that perfect moment when September starts for the “hiring frenzy”. Unfortunately, I had some family matters to sort out in the UK, so deliberately didn’t start looking for work. I was in the UK for most of September but still kept peeking at the main sites that help teachers find work (one of the best things at the end of the course was the job support and advice given, including great tips for interviews, curriculums, and places to look for jobs). It’s true that in September all the schools, academies and privates want to begin classes so the opportunities are certainly there, I was convinced that work would have dried up by October and I would have to make do with a few private “cash in hand” classes, and start again in January for the next big hiring phase. So I was pleasantly surprised when I began to get interest in my cv, and like a snowball effect had about three interviews in one week! And that was without really trying! Now I am teaching morning classes at a US company 10 minutes outside of Barcelona Sants station, and then a few days per week in a Global French based company in the heart of the city. I have a mixture of students, I teach the FCE to upper management and I teach Business English in 1:1 classes. I also have lower levels of small groups and they are always fun because the students are so enthusiastic to learn and improve, it really warms my heart after some lessons! I think that although there are a lot of teachers in Barcelona, there is plenty of work to go around, especially if you feel confident in your abilities (even if you don’t feel you are I can assure you that the knowledge you acquired during the TEFL is priceless and that will ultimately shine through). It did for me, and I look forward to building up more classes in the new year”. Christina Nicoll, (UK) August course 2018.

“When I arrived to Madrid with no real teaching experience and a low level of Spanish I’ll admit it was overwhelming. However, after only two days in the city I knew I loved it and within three days I had a full time teaching position. I teach at an academy for an adults and have learned so much. Finding a job is not difficult and if you are excited about teaching you will learn so much every day. I teach adults and engineers and executives at a business and teach about 25 hours a week. While that may seem like a lot, many big academies like mine provide holiday pay and even free spanish lessons! Teachers are clearly a commodity and even without experience if you have determination you will succeed in Madrid and likely throughout Spain as well“. Kirsten Hausmann, (USA)

American graduate Otis Banwell on his first job after graduating fron TEFL Barcelona Spain“No one I know has had to struggle or leave the city due to a lack of work”

“I’ve been teaching English in Barcelona for five months now and have had a wonderful time. I got here in January to get certified and though only four weeks long, the TEFL course I took with you, Lisa, Jamie and Michael provided enough information and hands-on teaching experience so that when I graduated in early February I felt ready to start teaching right away. Some of my more proactive classmates actually got hired and started getting paid to teach before we had even completed the course!
In my job search I started by posting a profile on tusclasesparticulares.com and in just one week I had found enough students that I did not need to continue looking for jobs. Everyone else who graduated in my TEFL class went on to teach a combination of private students and classes through a school or business but no one I know has had to struggle or leave the city due to a lack of work.
Barcelona is an amazing city and teaching English allows me enough free time to spend a good part of my schedule exploring and relaxing.
One piece of advice I have for potential TEFL teachers is to do everything you can to get a visa in your home country and then when you get here start the process right away of getting all your official documents that allow you to live and work here legally; it takes a while to figure out and is a good idea to start right away. I am currently trying to extend my six month visa and am hoping it works out because I love it here and want to stay!” Otis Banwell (USA).

“Since finishing the course, I’ve had a lot of success teaching”

“I completed the course in November, which meant waiting a month until the next semester started. (Spain takes a month-long Christmas break.) But once everyone was back from holidays, work was not an issue to find. It was harder to find housing than it was to find students. I advertised English classes on tusclasesparticulares.com, which is where most of my students contacted me. And on days I wasn’t being contacted, I was contacting potential students”. Jessie Conroy (USA)

“Getting a job was surprisingly easy for me”

“I really enjoyed my experience with TEFL Barcelona and would recommend it to anyone I know. The teachers were approachable and extremely supportive. Within the second week at the school, I was teaching a class on my own! I was so nervous as I am not a fan of public speaking but the support I received from the teachers gave me the confidence that I could teach a group of adults an English class.

While the course is only four weeks long it is extremely intensive and as a teacher, you will grow so much in just the one month. They covered English grammar that I hadn’t even learnt back in school in Canada and different teaching techniques that could be used for any class size at all levels. We also learned the International Phonetic Alphabet which is a unique skill to have, especially for myself because I can only speak one language but at least now I can read two alphabets!

Getting a job was surprisingly easy for me, as I was hired before I even completed the course! I work for a language services company and I am a private tutor for people ages 6 to 52. I was also able to maintain a work schedule that catered to my needs, for example, I don’t work on Friday’s because I wanted to be able to travel on the weekends. Becoming an English teacher is a really great option for someone who doesn’t want to work in a traditional office 9 to 5. I get to travel the world and still make some money so I can’t complain. TEFL Barcelona is a great place to study and get your certification all while you get to live in Barcelona!” Olivia Kelly (Canada)

Our graduate Melanie Valerga is now confident when teaching grammar“I’m enjoying being an English teacher very much”

“When I started thinking of studying to become an English teacher I was terrified about teaching grammar as I had never really studied it.
When I started the course there were days that I thought, ”Oh wow, I’m going to have to teach this!!”
Luckily for me, I got a job in an academy a week after finishing the course, so everything was fresh in my mind.
I started working with children, which is fun if you have a good group. Very soon I was asked to take over a group of adults. That was more challenging as adults want to know why and how everything works. When I prepare the class I have to study the grammar to make sure they don’t catch me out on anything.
I’m enjoying being an English teacher very much. I recommend it to everyone who speaks English well”. Melanie Valerga (Gibraltar)

“I am loving living in Barcelona. It is one of the most amazing cities I have been to”

“Since finishing the TEFL course, things have been going so well. It took me one week after finishing the course to land my first job at a school in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi for a summer camp. I am one of the main English teachers and every day is a new day.

I plan the lessons, I interact with the children and help out with other school activities.

For one week during this camp, we went to La Garrotxa and what an experience that was! Since being at this school, more opportunities have arrived. I’ve met parents who now want me to do private lessons with their children and the word spread and I am in contact with a few families now. It’s funny how things work out.

Besides teaching, I am loving living in Barcelona. It is one of the most amazing cities I have been to. I have met the most amazing people, eaten the best food, and explored/still exploring this historic city. I am so happy that the TEFL program exists because, without it, I don’t think I would be here in Barcelona.

Overall, I would recommend the course to everyone without hesitation. The teachers are amazing; the people I met through the course are still my friends till this day, and it gave me the knowledge I needed about teaching English”. Stephanie Rhawie (US)

Hanna Gunther the US testifies that finding work in Barcelona requires a bit of patience, during holidays months“Once January and September roll around, you will hardly have to look for students.”

“Finding teaching work in Barcelona requires patience, persistence and flexibility. However, finding students is not an issue because so many people are wanting to learn English for their jobs or for school. At first, your schedule may seem scattered, but once you gain some consistency, it smooths out and becomes much more enjoyable.

If you decide to come to Barcelona to teach, beware of holiday months (December and August). People leave the city for one month and work is slow.I’ve been teaching English in Barcelona for five months now and have had a wonderful time. I got here in January to get certified and though only four weeks long, the TEFL course I took with you, Lisa, Jamie and Michael provided enough information and hands-on teaching experience so that when I graduated in early February I felt ready to start teaching right away. Some of my more proactive classmates actually got hired and started getting paid to teach before we had even completed the course! Once January and September roll around, you will hardly have to look for students. People will come to you. It is a challenging job but so incredibly rewarding to help someone communicate in a new language. I would highly recommend teaching abroad if you are interested in education, languages or travelling”. Hanna Guenther (USA)

“I have been living in Barcelona for five months now and I think it’s safe to say that I love it. I have no complaints about my experience in the TEFL course; it was informative and fun, and helped me to meet some great new friends and current roommates. Lisa, Jamie, and Michael provided more than enough resources to find a job and effectively teach English. However, they are not going to hand you a job upon graduation; you must be dedicated in applying and interviewing, but I can assure you it is all worth it in the end. I currently work at two different language schools, where I teach a range of kids from 5 years old to 9 or 10 years of age. My work at these schools is supplemented by private classes in people’s homes, so I get a variety of different experiences. I prepare my own lessons and am learning just as much from my students as they (hopefully) are from me. Barcelona has some funny customs, especially during Christmas time, and it was so fun to share Christmas traditions with my students.

My advice to anyone wishing to teach English in Barcelona, or anywhere really, is to be proactive in looking for work, and keep an open mind. Moving to a different country is difficult and scary, but is so worth it in the end”. Emily Vandermast (USA)

“TEFL Barcelona has been the most exciting, challenging and rewarding experience. I’ve had the privilege to learn from experienced teachers and made fantastic friends. This was the first step in a new career and new direction in my life and it was a very positive first step to take. The tutors created a welcoming, collaborative environment to learn in, with practical experience the underpinning of the course. I can only say thank you so much!”. Erin Shakespeare (UK)

“If you have the opportunity, I highly suggest doing the TEFL Barcelona course! I should preface that I have a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and master’s degree in Education; yet I found this training program to be one of the best courses I’ve taken. It was challenging, thorough, fun, exhilarating, and beneficial. The course is a combination of relearning all aspects of the English language as well as hands on teaching experience. Since taking the course I have been teaching a number of different English classes. I have signed up to work about 14 hours a week with a language school right in Barcelona, and teach private classes on the side to make a little extra money. Within days of sending an email to various directors, I heard from 12 different schools and was able to set up interviews with 7 of them. Don’t worry about a lack of English teaching jobs in Barcelona, there are plenty! Additionally I posted an add online to advertise myself as a private tutor and heard form 23 people in 2 days. Working a 18hour workweek, I make enough money to cover rent and still live incredibly comfortably. Majority of my time is spent on the beach, wandering around the city, meeting friends for sangria and tapas, and traveling around Spain.

Basically through doing this course, you earn a certificate that means you are employable worldwide. Take a second to think about that. You could work anywhere in the world that has a language school AKA you can travel anywhere in the world and get paid for it! Internationally employable, I like the sound of that!”. Claire Nicholas (USA)

“I recommend the TEFL course to anyone who would like to start teaching English and get a job quickly. There is definitely a high demand of English teachers in Catalonia (and the world, I guess) and TEFL is well known and recognized among private schools and English Academies. In my case, I am Catalan, I lived in Scotland for 5 years, have a degree in English and I was really struggling to find a job related to my ‘old profession’ so I decided to change my career direction. I knew I like teaching, I had been teaching Spanish when living abroad, so that’s why I ended up doing TEFL. I thought not being a native speaker would be a problem and I thought it would take me a few months to start having regular classes and enough classes to live on. However, on my last week in TELF, they called me for a few interviews; one of them was to work in a language Academy where I was finally hired. I started with some in-company and private classes and now they’ve already told me that a teacher is leaving next month so I can take his groups. In other words, I got a job in less than a month!”. Alba Robert (Catalonia)

“I never thought that I would be an English teacher but joining TEFL was the best decision that I’ve made so far. I have been living in Barcelona for 5 months now and I am completely in love with this city! I joined the September course and was worried that by October every academy would be full and no one would be hiring but I was wrong. Even before I graduated from the program I got hired at The American School of Barcelona and found 8 private students! I have Fridays-Sundays off so I get to travel all over Europe with friends that I made in the TEFL program. Teaching can be a challenge but every day I’m learning and growing and I’m so happy I was able to learn so much from this course!”. Anna Preston (USA)

“I took the TEFL course in September 2015 and managed to get a job before the course had ended. I currently work for a company that sends me to many different places, whether it be schools or students homes and I teach both one to one and group classes. I would highly recommend taking this course as it prepares you so much for the real world of teaching English as a foreign language and helps you become more prepared and organised as an individual. The teachers at TEFL international Barcelona definitely do not spoon feed you and it is an intense 4 weeks but they are extremely helpful and it made me completely capable and ready to teach in the real world. I made so many friends while on the course which is one of my favourite things about the experience, and many of us now live and travel together. I would say that teaching abroad is not always easy but it’s an extremely rewarding job and I’m so happy I decided to do it”. Jemeala Tarbah (UK)

“I knew after graduating from college, I would explode if I went straight to grad school. Travelling is a priority to me, but I also knew that I’d need to be making some kind of income. What better way to do that than teach English abroad? I’ve had friends who WOOF or work abroad (programs that are really great, I just didn’t want to do them my first year abroad), but I still wanted to be able to connect with local people of all ages. I took the Barcelona TEFL program in September, which was perfect because the school year starts in October so there were plenty of job offers. After the program, I felt good about standing up in a classroom and teaching English. The teachers are awesome by the way! Even though grammar has NEVER been my strong suit (especially since I haven’t studied it since high school), I feel comfortable teaching it. Most schools or academies will provide you with books and materials that help guide your lesson plans as well.

I’ve currently been living in Valencia now for 4 months and I love it. I teach at a small language academy in the evening for 12 hours a week. My youngest classroom is filled with 3 and 4 year olds and my oldest class consists of business professionals. Your classes are definitely what you make them to be and I love that I still get to incorporate creativity into my lesson plans. I also have a few private lessons during the day or after I teach at the academy. I chose to move to Valencia because, as great as Barcelona is, I wanted a smaller city, with less tourists, and more culture. The people, beach, paella, sangria, fiestas, bike-rides, city center, and the atmosphere here makes this city perfect for me.

Teaching English abroad, especially in a country as wonderful as Spain, you’ll gain a whole new perspective on travelling and seeing the world. I know I made the right decision to take the TEFL course and move to Spain!”. Emily Beam (USA)

“Teaching English in Barcelona has truly been an amazing experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I am currently working for an academy which provides me with private students. I conduct the lessons in the students’ homes which I find very enjoyable because it allows me to get the amazing cultural experience I was hoping for. Seeing the children interact with their families, chatting with their parents in Spanish from time to time, and being a part of their lives in such a close way has truly enriched my experience abroad. I also have some conversational classes with small groups of adults, which I especially love because I am able to see such different perspectives of life through them and I can choose the topics that we converse about before the class.

After my TEFL course in August (which was amazing and made me extremely well-prepared to teach) I got a job at an English Academy where the classes were based on an intense method of oral repetition. I didn’t have much flexibility with my classes and I didn’t like that I had to stay in the same building every day and forget that I was living in such a beautiful city. Now, although my classes are a bit spread out within Barcelona, the transportation system is very easy and efficient to use and I really appreciate that it allows me to get to know the city more (there are so many different, amazing areas within Barcelona, you can’t just stay in the city center!) Many of my classes are close enough to walk to and I often have breaks between them to visit some nice cafes and speak with the locals. Living abroad for a year is simply one of the best decisions a person could make. I couldn’t recommend Barcelona more since it literally has everything wonderful all packed into one city: beautiful streets with tons of history, incredible weather and beaches, sunny plazas, friendly open people (very international too), delicious food and much, much more”. April Scatliffe (USA)

“I booked my TEFL course on https://www.teflbarcelona.net and am now working a full teaching schedule in an academy in Barcelona. My overall experience with TEFL Barcelona was extremely positive. We had a variety of trainers, each with quite different teaching styles (which was interesting to observe, as we were all trying to improve ourselves as teachers), but they all managed to lead us through the course material in a logical and engaging way. We learned the essential grammar rules quickly, but in enough detail that I’ve had no problem building on this initial knowledge enough to feel confident teaching it, and had plenty of practice teaching adult students in real classes, which was invaluable experience to mention in job interviews. My classmates were motivated and enjoyable to learn with, and I’ve stayed in contact with many of them since leaving the course.

TEFL Barcelona is a great way to get established in Barcelona; they can organise your accommodation for the first month (giving you plenty of time to find a long-term room while living in the city), you get the necessary knowledge and qualifications to find a job, and you meet a group of solid friends with whom you can discover the city”. Christopher Brown (UK).

“Had someone asked me a year ago what I’d probably be doing today, never in a million years would I have thought to respond “teaching English in Barcelona.” The truth is that I got into this profession almost by accident but it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve yet to make.

Thanks to Mike, our career counsellor, I was able to find work despite the awkward time during the school year that I became a certified teacher. Through the resources that were provided to me by the school, an English academy called Britannia hired me as an English teacher for a summer camp in the Pyrenees during June and July. The camp went exceptionally well, my employer was pleased, and she has now offered me a full-time position as an English teacher at her school for this upcoming school year! In addition to working with Britannia, I have been working with another academy called Links & Lynx whom have provided me with supplementary work, including a month long gig giving business English classes to Yamaha employees and tutoring university students to prepare for the First Certificate, amongst other small jobs.

After accepting work with Britannia and Links & Lynx, I was still receiving a good amount of call backs for interviews. Since my schedule was already full, I actually had to turn down work! That says quite a bit considering the current unemployment situation in Spain.

It’s been about four months since I’ve graduated from TEFL International Barcelona, and I’m doing just fine. This Monday, September 15th will be my first day as a full-time teacher in Britannia, who has given me a 27,5 hour workweek plus a few more hours with Links & Lynx. English is a booming business right now“. Yolanda Arriaga (USA)

“Hey Future-Fellow-Teachers,

I’ve been here almost 7 months now and I’m still just getting my feet wet in this teaching business, but I’m working hard and hanging in there. Teaching has been really eye opening for me. You never realize how much you don’t know about the language you’ve been “fluent in” all your life until a student asks you to explain the reasoning behind a phrasal verb, but as the saying goes learning is a lifelong process and my students and I are in it together.

Being an American in this country in this line of work has both its ups and its downs. On the one hand, students really want to learn “American English” which makes you coveted by them which is great for private lessons, but on the other hand, if academy/school employment is what you seek most of them want to hire teachers with working papers which is almost impossible to gain for Americans. If you do manage to find a school not so concerned with all the red tape, life would be a bit easier: materials provided sometimes lessons even prepared, but your best bet is most likely private classes. You get to set your own price, but it also requires more leg work on your part: constant self advertising, post to websites, in charge of your own materials/lesson plans. No pain, no gain, right?

All in all, teaching has been a pleasant surprise for me. It’s not a profession I had seriously considered in the past; I didn’t think I had the skill or patience, but after you get past the nerves and hurdle of your first solo lesson that turns out well and your student turns to you and says “I learned a lot today”, that’s all the motivation you need to continue.” Neila St. Louis (USA).

NB: For non-EU members we recommend applying for a student visa before travelling to Spain. A student visa will allow you to apply for a NIE number and teach 20 hours a week. Ask us for more information on how to apply for this.

I have now been living in Barcelona for over six months. My original plan was to stay for six months and then go back home. I was able to find so much work that now I’m staying. I took the course in January so thought I might have difficulty finding work as the Spring semester had already begun. I was wrong. There is such a high demand for English teachers here. I work for five different academies around the city. I mostly teach adults in businesses. I also have a couple private lessons with young children too. I teach classes of all levels from elementary to proficiency. I really enjoy teaching in businesses because they have a strong desire to learn as they need English for work. The pay is more than enough to live comfortably and travel. I’ve already visited many places around Europe and I even went to Africa! I have weekends off so I have plenty of time to travel around Europe or take weekend trips around Spain. This experience has been life changing. I know when I return to the United States the experience I have gained here will be immensely helpful in my future”. Siobhan Hayes (USA/ Ireland)

I started looking into teaching abroad in the countries that I thought I might be interested in exploring. Teaching English as a foreign language started to look like a pretty feasible way to kill two birds with one stone (getting a job that allowed me to make money AND travel). Barcelona Spain almost immediately grabbed my attention, and so I came and got my TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) certificate from an institution that more than prepared me to do exactly what it promised. And I haven’t looked back since moving to Barcelona and getting my TEFL certificate from TEFL Barcelona nearly seven months ago.

I now teach at a Language Academy for 8 hours a week and then have about 5 hours a week of private classes on the side. I mostly teach adults who are at an intermediate to upper-intermediate level of English. I don’t make enough money to be rich but that’s not why I came to live in Spain. I do, however, make enough money to rent my own apartment down near the beach in the neighborhood of Barceloneta. I’m roughly 20 meters from the Mediterranean Sea (which is great, because I can take an evening or morning dip whenever I feel like it). I travel via bus or cheap airfare just about every other weekend to one awesome place after another, (last weekend I went south to Miravet).

On top of traveling I also get the opportunity to go out whenever I want and experience the amazing nightlife and different festivities the city has to offer.

Overall, I couldn’t be happier with my decision to move to Barcelona and get my TEFL certificate. Teaching English is a surprisingly practical skill in the sense that it teaches you a lot of non-teacher related talents (confidence in speaking in front of people, learning to be better at job interviews, etc. etc.) and also in the sense that since English is a language that people all over the globe want to learn, teaching it becomes rather priceless”. Terek Hopkins, (USA)

“I ended up heading to Puerto Varas, Chile to teach. I was offered a full time job (40 hours a week), for 9 months. This also included free housing, a work visa, health insurance, free excursions, and free Spanish courses. It was a very good opportunity, and I’ve always wanted to see more of South America, so jumped at the opportunity. I definitely have to adjust to the weather here (lots of rain!), but nicer people I’ve never met. I don’t think I’ve ever been to more family barbecues with people I have just befriended!

I teach small sized classes, from 1 to 4 students, from children to adults, from complete beginners to nearly fluent. While I am still finding my teaching feet, I rely on much of what was taught at TEFL International Barcelona. There is always an adjustment period, but thanks to the hands on experience I had, I transitioned easily. I would definitely recommend teaching any additional classes at TEFL if they are offered, as I draw heavily on my experience from them”. Vince Vanpooten, (USA)

“It has been approximately two and a half months since I have officially been living in Barcelona, Spain. I have experienced so much in the past few months…I have made amazing, lifelong friends, I have successfully completed an intensive TEFL course, I have started a job working full time teaching English to students as young as 5 all the way to 40 year old business people. it has been a crazy past few months from going to school every day from 10am to 8pm, to travelling, to socializing and making new friends, to starting work and figuring out how to get from my flat to my lesson to another lesson to a different school for my last lesson then back home again (by metro, bus, and trams).. I have had my hands full 🙂 Overall.. I am happy. I am happy I chose this direction with my life and I am happy that I am following my dreams of travelling and living abroad AND being able to check (multiple) things off my bucket list at such a young age”. Jamie Wells (USA)

“Well… to be honest not being a native English speaker has caused me a few problems so far because most of the academies are looking for native teachers, however, two weeks after I finished the TELF course, I got some work doing substitutions, and I have also been giving some private classes; I am enjoying it so far .

Three days ago I signed a one month contract with an academy near my place. I am currently substituting a teacher at London English school in Sant Celoni, where I am teaching groups of children ages of 5 and 7, and a group of adults too. I haven’t found a long term contract yet. However, the truth is since I got to Barcelona I had been looking for a job and I couldn’t find one although I had various certificates, but two weeks after I graduated from the TEFL International Barcelona course, I started working so I am very happy and the certificate has been helping a lot.

I thank you all TEFL International Barcelona team. Kind regards”. Rams Christopher Bakela (Congo)

“Hello, my name is Daria! I’m one of the people who have done a TEFL course with TEFL international Barcelona. It was an incredible experience! I’ve been teaching English for more than 10 years and I also have been running my own language school. Our motto is ” make learning fun”. So I try to do my best to make the process of education as much pleasurable as possible. But I always felt I should do the course to kind of sum up my knowledge and experience and learn some new methods and techniques. That’s how I found a beautiful place called TEFL international Barcelona. I must say you guys have exceeded my expectations. Every single class was a treasure for me. I couldn’t even imagine how much I would learn. All the amazing techniques to teach phonology, which had been so boring before, interactive games, ice- breakers, and the absolutely wonderful engage- study- activate approach have changed my life forever. Now I really enjoy teaching. I gained so much confidence and I have become such much more creative that every morning I wake up with one thought: How should I plan my lesson!? It’s contagious :)! I see my students making progress in their speaking and it makes me feel so good. I have also trained the teachers who work for me, which makes their working experience fun and gives them a lot of tools for teaching. The course has made a big difference for us! Thank you for your generosity in sharing knowledge and absolutely amazing atmosphere! The trainers are awesome! God bless lovely people!” Daria Glesser, (Russia)

“I secured a job within ten days of finishing the course, and I was one of the last people in my class to get a job (trying to find a job while also finding a place to live… not easy and a little stressful!).

Since the course, my experience has been great and looking back, it has gone really fast. But, I have accomplished a lot and learned more than I ever thought possible, all while having the experience of a lifetime that in some ways has felt like a year-long vacation. I seriously don’t understand why people wouldn’t consider this path! But, I know it isn’t for everyone.

I think in some ways, teaching English is different than I expected. But for better or worse (and mostly better!), it has honestly been one of the best experiences of my life and taught me a lot about myself and what I am capable of. And my students, aged 7 to 70, they’ve been the light of my life and brightened my mood on more than one occasion, taught me a lot, and above all left me with memories I will never forget. Shortly after starting teaching, I saw the below image and feel is sums up teaching quite well”. Lauren Hartley (USA)

“I thoroughly enjoyed my TEFL Barcelona course. The teachers were all really nice and encouraging and I feel as though I learnt so much in a very short time. The course covered all the different aspects of teaching English, from grammar to classroom management, to teaching children and teaching business English. As someone who had never taught, or studied teaching before, it gave me the confidence to be able to stand up in front of a class and teach English.

I do not live in central Barcelona and was worried this would make it difficult for me to find work, but I think it was actually the opposite. I got private lessons almost immediately and I also got work with children in a summer school. I actually had to take my advert for private lessons down in the end because students kept contacting me and I just didn’t have the time for any more lessons!

I am currently working at an academy with children of various ages, I work 20 hours a week there. I am also doing private lessons in the evening over Skype for 6 hours a week, in the future I see myself increasing the number of private lessons I do and decreasing the number of children’s classes I do, this way I can enjoy teaching English without having to worry about discipline and classroom management, which I sometimes find pretty stressful!

Overall the experience has been great. I have learnt loads and surprised myself with what I’ve been able to achieve. I would recommend the course to anyone considering it”. Catherine Burns (UK)

“Dear Erwin, Lisa and Jamie,
I hope you are all well! I have been living and teaching in Barcelona since September now, and am loving it! I’m working for an academy in Viladecans called STP Training with another TEFL International Barcelona student. The experience has been exhilarating. I have been teaching students of all ages – think hyperactive 7 year olds with impressively sponge-like brains, lively (and ever so occasionally moody) teenagers, and adults wise with age and experience – as well as all levels. No two days in the classroom are the same. I am constantly learning new things, tweaking my techniques and improving as a teacher. It is an intensely gratifying feeling to be able to see the progress your students are making week by week. I can honestly say that becoming a TEFL teacher was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Every day presents itself with a new set of challenges and, although it’s not always an easy ride, I’m always looking forward to seeing what tomorrow will bring.” Leah Goldkorn, (UK)

“It has been five months since I graduated from my TEFL course at TEFL International Barcelona. I have to say that it was the best investment of my career. The support staff and my exposure to language teaching skills along with real students were amazingly done. We were taught to put ourselves out there, build our names and I sure did. My very first month of teaching was impressive. I had sent out about 40 CVs and, in no later than a week, 5 days precisely, I was hired. I was doing the thing I love the most: teaching! Being able to work as an English teacher in Barcelona, not only has it been a fulfilling pleasure, but also a way of making money to live my life its fullest in Europe. I’ve been going to extraordinary places, meeting all sorts of people everywhere. A check on the bucket list proudly done!”. Fernando Galvao, (Brazil)

“It’s been 3 months since ending the TEFL course, and the whirlwind that is my life is yet to slow down. I was one of the lucky ones, offered a job at a language academy a week before the course finished. I was working full time as well as finishing the course, and it was only a week after receiving my certification that I found myself uprooting my little world in Barcelona and replanted into another one in Sitges, Spain. I was also recommended by a friend and now teach private English classes to two different groups of children during the week in Barcelona. So twice a week I’ll make the short commute to the city and teach my classes, and I couldn’t ask for a better view during my ride either. I’m still very close to all of the friends I’ve made in my TEFL class, some of which have become friends for life. If they’re not coming to visit me here then I’m visiting them there, where we continue our never-ending adventures!”. Monica Brodeur, (USA)

“Doing the TEFL course was one of the greatest ideas on my way to finding my dream job. During the course I learnt a lot, grammar, language awareness, etc. I found the teaching practice especially helpful, which started on the third day of the course. It happened to be the best way of learning how to teach; just by doing it. I was a bit nervous and excited when I had my first class, all the time being observed by one of our trainers. But this turned out to be one of the greatest experiences. The whole course I felt really supported; even though I wasn’t a native speaker, I felt I belonged there, thanks to the nice atmosphere and the people I met in my class.

One week after graduating I found a job. I work in an English Academy where I teach students from beginner to upper intermediate level. The method they use is similar to the Callan method. I’m really satisfied; not only do I work doing what I like, but I’m also improving my knowledge about English and teaching, as well as getting important experience, in case in future I would like to look for another work place. The salary is 1000 euros, which is ok and enough for my needs and a comfortable life in the small coastal town where I live. I definitely recommend the TEFL course, and even more I recommend doing it in such beautiful place like Barcelona“. Sylwia Durmowicz (Poland)

“I consider teaching a foreign language not less of a creative process than acting or composing songs. When I started my TEFL course, I had already been involved in this constantly challenging profession for about 5 years. When you‘ve been teaching for a while, you almost get a phobia of how not to turn it into a routine. The TEFL Barcelona course gave me a whole bunch of priceless ideas, both for groups and individual students. I really appreciate learning how to manage my time during lessons by dividing them into short stages, how to pay adequate attention to all the students in the group, how to lead my students on the one hand, and yet , on the other hand, not turn into a control addicted teacher, and lots and lots of other helpful recommendations.

For me, as a non-native speaker, it was also very important to be practising together with prospective teachers from The USA, Britain, Australia, Africa, etc. I really appreciate and miss this fun and useful experience; I miss my group mates and trainers!”. Elena Larionova, (Russia)

“After completing the TEFL course, I moved to Madrid to work. I applied for an appointment to obtain my NIE straight away which really helped when applying for work. For some jobs, they will carry out a formal interview, other places will just be happy to have people to fill in their busy work demands. There is ample work in Madrid so you can afford to be picky. With the current economic situation, people want to learn English and move abroad. I am working for a teaching provider that is also a publishing company, so they print a monthly magazine which acts as the ´textbook´ for my students; the most interesting and relevant text I´ve ever used. Most of my students are with an international television company. They also offer me block hours which means I don´t spend too much time travelling. My pay ranges from €13 per hour to €17 per hour depending on location etc. My block hours offer less than the lessons that involve me needing to travel. I´m teaching about 23 hours a week which gives me enough money to escape on the weekends, eat out, live comfortably and save. I have weekends and evenings free because most of my classes are company classes. I have been working in education for 4 years and I can honestly say that I am the happiest I´ve been!”. Rick Fan (UK)

“I’m doing great! I’m teaching A LOT and I’m really happy about it. I’ve always felt really thankful to you and the teachers at TEFL because if it hadn’t been for the course I wouldn’t have discovered my passion 🙂 I had an amazing time there, I always told Jamie and Lisa that I learned a lot from them, and also from Jane and Suzanne. I will be grateful forever!

Actually, I found your career guidance very helpful, I believe Michael does a great job. I emailed the list of schools that he provided and made the changes he suggested in my CV and I got several calls within 3-4 days. Within 10 days I had a job at a School in Terrassa, called Salt Idiomes. I worked there from February to September, non-stop, intensive summer courses included. Now I’m working at a School in Cerdanyola called Yes Si Language Centre. I teach English there to children, teenagers, and adults, basically all ages and all levels.In Salt idiomes, I taught (only adults) Intensive conversation courses (3h per day, Mon Wed Fri, upper interm.), intensive summer courses (3h per day Mon,Tue,Wed,Thu upper interm.) and I also taught intensive courses (3h Mon, Wed, Fri) to pre-intermediate and intermediate sts.

In general the pay is ok, 15 euros per hour is what I’ve been making at these places. I can’t complain.

Moreover, I have been using the websites that Michael provided to find private lessons and I have been teaching both Spanish and English from the advertisements I put there. At the moment, aside from working at the school I mentioned before I am also doing a masters degree programme in teaching Spanish as a foreign language. You guys really changed my life! haha 🙂

In my experience, there is MUCH MORE work in the schools outside/near Barcelona than the in the city. All the calls I got were from schools outside the city, but I guess that is normal, too many teachers in the city!

Best Wishes and please send hugs to Jamie and Lisa 🙂 Danae Lebrero (Spain)

“After I finished my TEFL course I moved outside of Barcelona centre and came to live in Sitges. I was a little worried as I have never taught before, so was not sure how easy it would be to find a job. However, I had a lot of interest and went to numerous interviews and ended up having to turn down jobs. I started working in an academy with children and private classes getting paid 15 Euros an hour. It was great to gain experience there but the hours weren’t the best having one morning class then a huge break, then going back to teach at 6 until 9.

I then got asked by another school if I would like to teach for them as they just needed an exam practice class for their teenagers. The hours are less and the pay is more. (20Euro) I really enjoy it and I have my own private students in my own home too! TEFL is a great way to try something new and go somewhere new. I really am glad I did the course as it has opened many more doors for me.

I am now looking at going to Asia to teach for a year over there. The options are endless and once you start to meet people it’s easier to find the work that is more suitable for you”. Jasmine Sumner, (UK)

“I found out about Tefl by coincidence, and so far it has been the greatest coincidence in my life. The experience is amazing, meeting new people, getting to learn about different cultures and realising that being a teacher brings great joy.

For me, Tefl was the perfect mixture between fun and school. I have learned how to be a teacher while meeting new people and developing relationships. The hardest moment was when I had to teach for the first time in my life, a few days after the course started! I was terrified just to discover that everything I had been taught applied! You are there to do something you already know.

It was never my intention to become an English teacher, but now I have a job as an English teacher and translator, and guess what? I love it.

Thanks to Mike from career guidance, I got a job on the same day I applied for it, 4h/day and a few private classes, just enough to allow me to support myself while discovering all that Spain, and Barcelona in particular, has to offer”. Poliana Ringheanu (Romania)

“Not only is TEFL Barcelona an excellent academy to study at, with a friendly atmosphere and great teachers, but it has also helped to prepare me for life as a teacher in Barcelona.
Having recently completed the course I have found it easy to find work and I am currently working in an academy, as well as giving private classes around the city. I would most definitely recommend TEFL Barcelona to any prospective teachers!”. Will Barrett (UK)

Hi Erwin!
Good to hear from you. I’m very well thanks. I’m still loving life in Barcelona and have never once regretted my decision to move there! The TEFL course was a fantastic and invaluable experience which introduced me to new friends and greatly assisted me in finding work after the course. I had no problems finding work – after sending out my CV it didn’t take long before offers started coming in. I am currently working for a language academy in Gracia. I’m working 21 hours a week, teaching a range of ages and levels (including children and in-company classes), and mostly one-to-one or small groups. I also attend Spanish classes there which is great! The last few months have been exhausting getting used to the teaching, but the more experience I gain, the easier and more enjoyable it’s becoming. It helps that all my students are a pleasure to teach as well!

I’m currently back in cold wet and windy Scotland for Christmas and, while it’s nice to have a rest and see friends and family, I’m already keen to get back to Barcelona!!!!. Dorothy Cassidy (Scotland)

Hi Erwin,

After the TEFL course I moved right to Madrid and immediately started my job search in early September. I thought most classes started in September so I was a little discouraged when I wasn’t receiving much feedback. I did, however, get numerous responses inviting me for interviews if I could present working papers, which I unfortunately cannot.

After two weeks and a few interviews, I took a good job with block hours teaching children. The salary would definitely cover all of my living expenses, but it wouldn’t provide much extra for traveling or saving. I decided that I would just have to pinch pennies.

And then, October came. Job offers and interviews flooded my inbox and I got to be picky. I filled my schedule, while keeping Friday through Sunday free, and only agreed to classes that paid well and were in the city center.

Right now, I’m earning over 1,000 Euros per month and only working an enjoyable amount. Most of my hours are spent teaching professors and staff at CUNEF, ColegioUniversitario de EstudiosFinancieros. I never would have imaganied that I would be teaching college professors! And if I decide I want to take on more classes, I don’t believe I will have any trouble finding more work through my current employers.

For me, LingoBongo.com is where I found the majority of my jobs. And once I had accepted classes with a few different “brokers” and academies, they kept giving more. Although I never paid the 10 Euro fee to have the site send out my resume, I have since met the creator of LingoBongo and discovered it is definitely a good deal and timesaver — but make sure you have a “stand-out” resume.

So, everything is going well for me in Madrid! And I definitely use the methods I learned through TEFL every day. Hope all is well. Kelsey Ohleger, (USA)

Hi Erwin,

I am now working for STP Training, in Viladecans, I work 22hrs a week, pay is 15hr and 18hr for business classes. I have 2 groups of children 4, 2 groups of upper intermediate, 1 FCE student, 3 speaking one on one and 2 business speaking classes. This company offers yearly contracts and I do have benefits- like paid holiday if you have your paperwork. It is a wonderful company and they have great clients, my business classes are with employees from Pepsico and I have worked with Undesa and Bacardi. I work Monday-Thursday in the afternoons, I have classes in the academy as well as inside the business.

The people I work with are great and they have every resource available for us teachers. Also my students are amazing from the little ones to the business ones, they are all dedicated enthusiastic and eager to learn.

I am incredibly thankful for the lessons learned during my course at TEFL and would – and often do- recommend the course to friends and family. Warm Regards”. Lisandra Bayliss, (USA/ Spain)

“Hi there!!! I came back to my work as an English teacher in the Marine College of the technical fleet. I teach boys from 16 to 18. I liked my job before your course and like it now even more!

Sometimes, I use some of your methodology, but I want to use it more often, but as there is a lot of paper work (unnecessary), I don’t have much opportunity now.

By the way, today I’ve asked my students, for home work, to find songs with verbs in Past Simple and Past Continuous, and they liked this task very much!! In future, I want to implement more of the games that you showed us.

Life in Ukraine is difficult, but my roots are here and that’s why it’s not so easy to change my life here and my job here for something in an unknown and strange country/city..But as I have been to Lisboa this summer and liked it very much, so I decided that if my life hasn’t changed in the next 4 years, I’ll go and live and teach there”. Katya Chabaniuk (Ukraine)

“After my TEFL course I started providing private lessons at the small town of Mollerussa. I teach individual lessons and/or two people at the same time. I have a range of students from 10 years old to 36 years old. Usually the young students need to review the work that they do at school and the adult people are preparing the ESOL Cambridge exams”. Xavier Vidal (Spain)

Viktoriia Surmatch on her experience with TEFL Barcelona and returning to teach English in Russia“TEFL has improved my teaching a lot. I got my certificate at the end of July, and by the end of August I was back teaching in S-P. Normally after a long 3 months vacation it is a little bit difficult, but I was excited finally performing for my dear students, we had great Engages, Studies and Activates, just like I you taught me.

TEFL made my lessons more active for students. It taught me how to make a lesson great even if there are more than 6 students (which before was stressful for me).

I am very grateful to all my teachers:) Thank you”. Viktoriia Surmatch (Russia)

“I have a lot of private classes, approximately 5-6 hours a day. I work with different ages and now I have children 6-10 years old, teenagers 14-16 years old and adults. Individual classes in Moscow cost 25 -30 Euros per hour (60 mnts).

I use a lot of TEFL materials in my lessons. A new approach for grammar explanations and the ideas to engage and activate students were really helpful and useful. I got a lot of new information and all my students are happy to see something new during the classes. Kind regards”. Natalia Tarasova (Russia)

“When I graduated as a non-native teacher, I was sort of afraid not to get a job. I would say that it is hard to obtain one but it is never impossible. I received a job offer from Turkey and it is the start of my overseas career. The TEFL certificate is what any employer would ask for even before your degree. The job offer was very interesting regarding the working hours, the pay, the contract conditions, holidays and levels to teach. I accepted the job and flew to the land of Ottoman Turks.

I have taught adults and teenager but in Istanbul I had the chance to teach young learns of six years old. I won’t deny the hardships I had at the beginning but recapitulating the TEFL training techniques and put them into practice was rewarding. The training effect will always be there on you. I can now narrow my interests and focus on the Early Childhood Education. The future hides a lot of surprises but we make them. I would thank constantly my teachers from TEFL Barcelona for their informative and instructive training. They are always there for us whenever we needed guidance. By choosing this Center you would not only gain a certificate and experience but a great friendship of TEFL teachers”. Afaf Saoudi, (Algeria)

“After I did my TEFL course in Barcelona and added it to my CV, I got a highly-paid job offer from Kuwait. But I already have a job in my country, so I decided to stay in my current job. This year my success in my classes has been realized both by my colleagues and students. I used TEFL techniques, such as using stories, games, videos…etc in my classrooms and they worked very well. Last week, at our Christmas Party in one of my classes they gave me ‘The Best Teacher of the Year’ Oscar as a present 🙂 I am grateful to all my TEFL teachers and thank them for everything”. Ozlem Karakus, (Turkey)

“I have absolutely nothing but good things to say about this program at TEFL Barcelona; without a doubt, it changed my life and enabled me to acquire the perfect teaching skills needed for the real-life world of teaching. The instructors, Geoff and Erwin, are fantastic – their knowledge is deep and unparalleled. They are patient, understanding, and care deeply about their teacher-trainees. I completed my TEFL in August of 2012 and am happy to report that I have maintained close contact with both Geoff and Erwin after the course was completed.

I would highly recommend anyone interested in teaching English as a foreign language to participate in this course – it is well worth it. It’s hard work, but it is SO worth it. I was actually receiving job offers and interview offers during my third week in the course – it hadn’t even finished yet! With the help of the amazing job guidance counsellors, I was immediately on the right path! Rob and Jade are FANTASTIC – they really go above and beyond to help. I was working within several days of completion of the course and had many offers to teach at various levels.

With my 5-10 years of business experience, I ended up teaching Business English to adult learners of Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate, and Advanced levels. I had some experience teaching children, too; but, I quickly realized that my teaching niche is with adults. In the three months I’ve been in Barcelona, I have worked for some big companies such as Orange, Softonic, GE, and Hospital Sant Pau. I also have some private lessons on the side and I love the flexibility I have with my schedule. The pay is pretty good (starting at 15 euros+/hour), but I know I could make more as an “autónomo”, so that is an option I am considering, as well.

Right now, I am basically a freelance teacher working for three big agencies here in Barcelona. I would be happy to speak to any future students and tell them about my past experience with TEFL Barcelona, along with anything else that could help. If you think it could be something you’re interested in, do it – you will never regret it. Think about it; you can always go back to your boring 9 to 5 everyday job…if not, there will be another similar one waiting for you. If you can take the chance, do it! There is a wonderful and warm teaching community here in Barcelona waiting for you!” Best. Claudia Reissig (USA/ Germany)

“Dear English teacher to-be. Worry not! If you are coming to Barcelona to live here for a while, and teaching English is your plan for paying the rent and making ends meet, then you’re in luck, because there are many possibilities out there. While the Spanish economy might not be at its best, since the recent period has affected all of Europe, the language-learning sector is still blossoming. Most Spanish speakers are looking to improve their CV and their skills, and English is one thing they really need.

I did my TEFL program in August, 2012 and applied for a couple of jobs afterwards. I found a job via word-of-mouth and started work in the second week of September, with a language academy 30 minutes outside of Barcelona, in a lovely town called Montgat. I have been working there since September and I have 22 hours a week and a decent pay that makes me feel lucky. Whether you are looking for private students or a school to work with, there are plenty of people here who need your help.

All you need is a positive attitude, good English and perseverance. You don’t even have to be a native English speaker, even though that obviously helps. I, for one, am from Romania and my boss didn’t think twice when hiring me.

Good luck! Also, if you have any questions, feel free to write me”. Mara Ionescu- Ambrosie (Romania)

“I am currently teaching full time hours to private students, but this has taken time to build up since September. I am enjoying teaching English immensely and wish I had done this years ago! I enjoy the autonomy, the creative aspects of teaching to different learners of different levels, ages, and personalities/styles. My students range in age from 11 to mid 30’s and are of very different abilities. Some are school children whose parents are helping to give them an advantage in life by having them improve their English while others are, for example, adults who need to practise/improve their English for job-related reasons. I really enjoy teaching a small group of highly intelligent and motivated students who operate a guided tours company in Barcelona. They are already at upper intermediate/pre-advanced level and their learning is focused on a specific task – communicating more effectively with English-speaking tourists. They are very enthusiastic and I have learned so much about the culture and history of Barcelona and Catalonia through them. It is also very nice seeing their new company develop and grow.

My rate of pay varies between 15-18 Euro/hour, but an offer I make to students is for 20 Euro per 90 minute session, which I feel is an ideal amount of time for a lesson. I am happy with the rate of pay. I value very highly the autonomy, job satisfaction and just living in this beautiful city/area – this is truly priceless! I haven’t advertised at all yet – I have gained all my students through chance networking and ‘word of mouth’. Often people will notice that a teaching session is going on and, when finished, they come up to me and ask for a business card. Some of these people then become students. I teach in homes, quiet cafes and library study rooms across the city – from Gracia to Sarria, Eixample and Sant Just. It’s great fun! Having worked as an A&E nurse for years in the stressed-out UK, I really appreciate the many fun and pleasant aspects of teaching English in this relaxed and warm-hearted culture.

So I would say that there is a demand for learning English here in Barcelona and that given a bit of patience and perseverance it is possible to tap into that market as a private teacher. I would highlight the importance of being very professional and committed to your students – this means putting a lot of thought and care into lesson planning/syllabus pathway, giving all you’ve got during classes and being 100% dependable and punctual

Thanks again for the wonderful TEFL course, I enjoyed it immensely and it has proven invaluable! I’m still learning the grammar and loving it! 🙂

Best wishes”. Nicholas Azul Alexander (UK )

I’m really enjoying teaching, although it’s a lot more draining than I’d expected! I’ve finished my first trimester at The Language Connection school in Montgat, a little further out of Barcelona than I’d anticipated, but it’s actually nice to be getting out of the city. I work every weekday in the afternoons and evenings (about 30 hours a week in total), teaching groups ranging from nine year olds to people in their twenties preparing for CAE exams. The kids and teenagers were a bit of a shock for me at first, but now I’ve got the whole idea of discipline and distraction down, I’m really enjoying it. There are a couple of other teachers working at the same school who also completed the Tefl Barcelona course at some point, so it’s nice to have people around who like to do things in the same way and are interested in discussing any differences between the techniques and methods we learnt on the course and what we’re using now in the school. My pay is around what I’d expect working in an academy, enough to live comfortably up in Gracia and still indulge at the weekends Scottish-style 🙂 I’m definitely an advocate of working in an academy rather than independently, especially in the first year. All resources, textbooks and exams, are supplied, and we have a really good support system between the teachers that really makes everything stress-free.

If it wasn’t for the Tefl course, I not only would’ve been in way over my head on the first day, I don’t think I even would have got the job in the first place. One of my interview questions was to describe the difference between the conditionals and if I hadn’t done the course I probably would have said “… well, there’s Pantene… Head and Shoulders.. L’Oreal…”.

I use the lesson planning and class management techniques that we learnt from the course every day, as well as trying to incorporate some of the games and activities for the classes with the younger students. I also have some private students (organised by the school), and so the One-to-One was definitely relevant preparation for that. So far, the only downside I find with teaching in the school in Montgat is we don’t have that much room for creativity when planning lessons, especially as the school doesn’t have that many resources (no on-site photocopier, or coloured paper and glue… not that I particularly liked cutting and sticking anyway) but it still seems to be fun for the students and the textbooks are mostly new and very good. Ah, and we use blackboards instead of whiteboards as well; just when I thought whiteboard-writing was my worst skill, enter chalk!

I think one of the strongest points about the course is the fact that it allows, almost forces, you to integrate into the Tefl community, which means you’re certainly not alone when job hunting, encountering difficulties with employers or contracts, or even when you just want to have a drink in the pub and complain about students! I’m still in contact with Isabella, Sarah and Tash (we go out together for lunch or dinner regularly), Cecilie (the Norwegian from the previous course, we meet every couple of days to discuss how we’re not built for the Spanish climate!), and I work with Mara, who I believe was on the course after me, and confusingly lives in the flat Buse used to live in, with Ben, who did the course last year and with whom I also work with in Montgat. It’s a small Tefl word it seems.

Anyway, I don’t really have any more news to be honest. I’m freezing it up in Scotland at the moment, and head off to Edinburgh for the Hogmanay street party tomorrow!

I genuinely struggle to find a photo of myself that doesn’t look like a lunatic tourist lost in a foreign country, but I’ve attached a touristy one from Barcelona, I’m not sure what kind of photo you’re looking for!”. Deborah Kerr (Scottland)

“I got a job in September, at The Corner Centre d’Estudis in Cornella. I work Tuesday-Friday every week and it’s going well! I teach mostly kids and teenagers, but I have one adult group. The pay isn’t fantastic, but since I have everything I need at the school and we use books, it’s OK. I enjoy teaching, and my plan is to finish the schoolyear at The Corner and then move to Japan to continue teaching English in a completely different culture.

I want to add that that doing the TEFL course really opened some interesting doors for me, and it made it possible for me to walk down a completely new and unknown path. I had a lot of fun, and I learned a lot! Thanks!. Cecilie EliseWormdahl (Norway)

“I decided to go on the 120hour TEFL course, as I was desperate for a lifestyle change and I’ve definitely achieved that now! I finished my TEFL course in May 2012 and by July I was already teaching my first intensive course in an academy in Castelldefeles ( I felt like I was thrown in at the deep end, yes, but you know it felt great and proved to be a fantastic step forwards to my new career!). Before I started the course I had no previous experience teaching and had little grasp of English Grammar outside of my secondary school education. The course gives you a real confidence boost as it gives you an insight of how the language works and it also puts you in the position of the students which gives you an overview and experience form both sides. Throughout the course you always have a feeling that help is readily available, regardless of how trivial the request. A special mention to Erwin and Geoff who are always there to help and improve your knowledge, but the whole staff were a pleasure to be associated with.

From teaching the intensive in the summer, I then moved to a permanent position starting in September, working in Castelldefels, Monday to Thursday 5.30 till 10. This gave me the extra teaching experience which made me feel even more comfortable. At this time I was still handing my CV’s out in other schools as I didn’t have as many hours as I would have liked. Now I have three teaching jobs, all within 20 minutes of travelling by train from Sitges. I currently work in an academy in Castelldefeles. I also teach in a commercial Business as well as another academy in Vilanova, doing a total of 28-30 teaching hours per week.

TIP

If you show you are enthusiastic and willing to learn then you will go a long way Teaching Languages in Spain. It’s such a fun, satisfying job. Work doesn’t just fall on your feet! And don’t expect by just sending 100s of emails that jobs will come flowing in. The biggest bit of advice I could give you is to go physically to all of the English schools and hand your CV in personally and introduce yourself. A lot of the teachers are not bothered how much grammar you know, more that you are qualified, have a good personality and a desire to work”. Tom Rix (UK)

“I am still teaching. Starting this month I’ll be working 21 hours a week. It has not been easy; Barcelona is a tough market nowadays. You really have to make looking for jobs your full time job, especially if you want to do mostly private lessons. You have to network and use those relationships to help get more and more work. Because of the relationships I’ve made, I’ve been able to get steady work teaching in-business courses in Sant Cugat. Most of my classes are conversational, which is my preferred type of class. Take what you learn in your TEFL course and make it work for you. Adapt it to your strengths and it makes the whole process of planning lessons much easier. Join the Barcelona TEFL Teachers Association. It’s really been an invaluable resource and support system”. Evan Scott Schweitzer (USA)

“Hi Erwin,

Well as you know I got hired at an English school before the course was finished and worked there until the end of the season. I was teaching mostly children aged 5 – 16, but I also taught one upper intermediate adult course, and one FCE prep course for 16/17/18 year olds. This prep course was by far my favorite course I taught, the kids were really happy to be there, I found their English to be very good, and perhaps because they were a bit older, I also found that they were very open with me and would often tell me about their social lives, crazy things that had happened to them, etc… And in general I always looked forward to teaching this course.

For summertime the school I worked for was only holding limited classes and there were not enough hours for all of the teachers, so I got a nanny/teacher job working for 2 little girls, but was offered a returning position at the school come September.

At the end of summer I felt ready for a change, I have limited time that I can spend abroad (I do need to go home eventually ha,ha), so I started applying for teaching jobs in other countries, specifically the Netherlands and France. I did get a few interviews, but was actually offered a job as a nanny by a Dutch family who offered to pay me about 3 times what I was making in Spain and more than any of the other schools were offering as well. I have been working now in Amsterdam for about 4 months for the family, learning a little Dutch, and teaching a little English. I am very happy with my decision; money is good, the family pays my rent in an apartment, and Amsterdam is just as exciting as Barcelona. Best”. Kyle Erin Ratkevich Aker (USA)

“Hi Erwin,
Well I have been a very lucky boy really. I had secured work within 5 days of finishing the course.  I have 17 hours per week with Exit school in Sabadell.  So I teach two business classes for Fluidra and a range of ages in Santa Clara School. The role came from the CV e-shot from the lovely Jade.  Somebody had just left the school and it was a case of my CV being in the right place at the right time.  My interview consisted of but one question. “Could you teach two classes later this afternoon as we’re a bit stuck.” I could hardly say no.  I obviously don’t look like a child molester and the job was officially mine the next day. As I say, I have been really lucky.  However, it would have been much more difficult to cope without the attention and encouragement I received from you chaps; so I thank you again. I teach everyone from 6 to 17 in the school at the moment and of course the business classes mean I’m teaching mature students too.  My smallest classes have two students but even my biggest doesn’t get past a head count of 12. I have been enjoying the experience and some of the students are really a delight to teach.  I would say that the entire experience from my first day at Tefl Barcelona to securing work has been a challenging but rewarding one. Give my regards to the other trainers and I’ll pop-in at some point and say, Hola!
Best wishes”. Richard Wells (UK)

“My “Tefling” experience has been great thus far – lovely students and lots of hours, which is everything I could have hoped for. After the course ended I was really spoiled for choice – many emails from potential employers looking to fill teaching slots, all thanks to the job networking done through your course. I took a full-time position at BCN Languages only a couple of weeks after the course ended! I’m teaching adults and teenagers at the Sagrada Familia branch for the standard TEFL rate – 14 euro per hour, 24 hours a week.    Starting out, I was amazed at the amount of teaching opportunities in this city, especially in February, which is usually considered a stagnant hiring time. But teachers are constantly leaving posts and taking up new ones, and the demand for English courses is high – I have witnessed the flow of supply and demand! I hope this account helps to reassure somebody out there. I know I needed loads of reassurance before taking the TEFL plunge.  I hope all is well with you! Best wishes”. Sarah Hopkins (American/British)

Hi Erwin! I’m doing quite well, I’ve been working for two months and a week now. My hours have varied, I started off with 2 h 30 m a week, and then they boosted up to 15 or so. And now I’ve got the total of 22, more or less. And also found a couple of private students. I still have two free mornings. I’ve got free weekends and I don’t work in the late evenings. I normally get home at 8:30 / 9pm. I’m really happy I finally found a job. As I’m not English I’ve had some disappointments, but it’s all sorted out now. I’m having a great experience, although I would like to continue studying. I want to grow in my profession.

See you soon. Robert Muñoz Marco (Catalan)

“I have been working for an Academy here in Barcelona since October last year.  I was very fortunate in that I was offered the job just 2 days after finishing my TEFL course with you.  I currently work 18 hours a week and have just been offered an intensive First Certificate Exam preparation class which will be an additional 8 hours a week. I teach Elementary through to Advanced group classes, mainly to adults but I do also have a few one-on-one classes.  I also teach a business English class on behalf of my Academy. In addition to these core hours, I teach a number of private classes in my free time.  There are a number of websites where you can advertise your services for free which is very handy!! Starting teaching only 3 days after completing the course was a slightly daunting experience but I quickly discovered that Erwin and Co had provided me with all the skills required to confidently stand up in front of a class. I am really enjoying my time teaching in Barcelona and I would highly recommend both the TEFL course and staying on to teach in the city. Good luck!!!” Anita Renner-Thomas (UK)

“I now work for a language school where I have 21 hours a week teaching anything from 6 year old kids to business classes on a 1:1 basis and in groups to preparing students for the FCE. I had to prepare my kids classes for a Christmas concert so singing and dancing which I thought I would hate but really loved. Been quite a learning curve with the children but I enjoy every minute of the teaching. The most stressful thing was the period directly after finishing the course. I found that my CV was not in the best format and soon realised that if you were not in the first 10 or so to respond to an advert that you wouldn’t hear from them. It only took 2 weeks (approx) to get full hours but those two weeks were not fun! The pay is ok, but again its being prepared that there are lots of public holidays and you need to makes sure that you can be flexible with your lesson times so that you don’t have lots of cancellations. You also need to make sure that you have a suitable amount of money behind you for at least the first 2 months after completing the course. The best advice I could give future students is don’t give up – there are jobs out there. The schools in particular see so many people/CVs that you have to make sure that you and yours stand out.

Hope everyone is ok.” Nicola Barwick (British)

“Teaching is going really well thank you! I was slightly worried about finding work due to the timing of our graduation (in the lead up to Christmas and with most schools starting with new teachers in September) but within two weeks or so after finishing the course I was happily settling into my new jobs. I work for three different agencies who place me in both students’ homes and at their work. I have managed to land myself with 16 hours per week (I could get more if I wanted to, but I’m happy with this amount for now). I work from Monday to Friday, but with only a one hour lesson to teach on Fridays I am able to enjoy long weekends ?

The students I teach vary in age; from 2 boys who are 10 years old, to managers of companies (I wouldn’t like to guess their ages!). The level of students’ English also ranges; from Elementary to Advanced, and I’ve found it easy to adapt lessons to students’ levels with the help of workbooks which have been provided to my by the agencies. My employers are helpful with any questions I have and I am able pop in to use the photocopier and pick up any other materials I might need.

Happy New Year and I hope all goes well with the January course!

Take care, speak soon”. Lois Gibbs ( UK )

“My teaching has been going very well. I only have about 10 hours right now, but I think that is just because of the time of the year we finished the course, I am fully confident that by the end of January I will have a full schedule. I am working for one school and one agency and I have private classes as well. I only teach adults as of right now (from ages 16 to 60), that has been by choice, I have been a little more picker than other teachers that I know in that fact that I do not take on children, and I do not leave the Barcelona area (so no San Cugat for example) and I do not accept less than 15 Euro an hour. I am enjoying my work lots, it’s much better than my engineering job.
Yes, you can put my comments in your job guidance section.
Hope you are doing well. Saludos!”. Ernie Solis (USA)

After the course I found it really easy to get work, my eyes did not leave Loquo for about a week and it paid off fantastically.
I am teaching a whole range of classes from young kids at beginner level to business English adults! The pay varies from school to school, (15-25euros per hour) I am making more money for half the hours than I ever was back home. I have made lots of friends here in Barcelona…  Life is gooood!

Jennifer Connelly (Scotland)


Hi Erwin,
I found work a few days after the course with an after-school program, 4 hours. I am also teaching private classes, about 16 hours a week. I really like my private classes because they allow me to develop friendships with my students. I am happy with my pay, it’s what I agree to with each client. Also, all of my private classes were organized through misclasesparticulares.com. I think its the best website out there for Tefl teachers in Spain. Most of the jobs I have gotten are with children, 13 years old and younger.
I hope I helped you and you can use this information for the job guidance section.
Best wishes for the new year and happy holidays!

Caitlin Dube (USA) 


Right now, is the happiest and most content i have even been. I absolutely love teaching, i love living in such an incredible city, i have SOO many awesome friends and the group just keeps expanding. I feel incredibly privelaged to have had the opportunity to do TEFL and be where I am now (in a lush flat in the Bario Gotic! woo hoo!)

I have 4 different bosses and I work in 2 different primarys schools, one high school, I work for an agency that gets me private children’s classes at home and I have recently got a job at a government run language school for adults.

Each place I work at is very different but I enjoy being at all of them. One thing I would say to anyone that is going throug the job search/getting a job process…I have found my bosses (although very nice and supportive) a little but slack in providing materials etc…especially for the High School children..so far I have not been given a single book/ciurriculum to follow so I just plan a the lessons according to what they like and what I like to teach because I do not really have another option. My agency however, is really fantastic, my boss there is very supportive, likes to have regular meetings, keeps in touch by email and gives me matterials approproate to the children and their levels.

I teach a mixture of primary school children and one class of 14 year olds..their level is very good – intermediate-upper intermediate. The little children are only between the age of 4-8 so they still have lots to learn.

My schedule is quite random. I work every day but only for 1 or 2 hours per day. When I start working for the adult language school I will have more hours..but also at an odd time 8:30pm-10:30 pm but that is only 3 days per week so I don’t mind. Regards, Kelly”

Kelly Page (England)


“Hi Erwin, I’m all good thanks, still in lovely Barcelona and enjoying doing some teaching! How are you?   I’m more than happy to give some feedback – I found the course so helpful that if it encourages others to do it then even better.

I’m working for 2 academies – 1 for children and 1 for adults (one to one business English lessons) and also giving some private lessons with children.

I feel that the course really prepared me for my work.  I work with adults and the focus of the teaching on the course was adapting and using text books to create lessons which is what I do now.  In addition, the focus on methodology was really useful in giving a structure to follow for lessons, meaning that after your 10 hours teaching time on the course, you’re ready to teach straight away.  The lessons on grammar were great and after the course I feel so much better about teaching grammar.  Although it’s frightening to think you’ll be teaching from day 2 of the course, it’s gives you great experience and it’s amazing how much you know by day 2!

Jade was really helpful with suggestions about places to look for jobs and the 1 to 1 meeting was useful to discuss what jobs you might like.

The teachers were very nice and helpful and taught you without you really realising how much you’d learnt.  The clases you have are relaxed and interesting.  The course is intensive but not impossibly so and the work you have to do is really helpful – particularly the one to one project as you understand how to teach the lesson and conduct a needs analysis of the student.  I would definitely recommend the TEFL Barcelona course.

I’m gaining experience at the moment in the roles and hopefully more hours will come.  At this stage I know that you need experience to get more hours.  I’m not working every day.

I found the relaxation workshops very helpful.  To have moments of quiet and relaxatoion at the start of the day meant you could collect your thoughts before your day’s teaching.

I hope everything’s going well in your new premises! Thanks, Sian”

Sian Merry (England)


I am currently working at a language academy called Didakta, located in the city of Barcelona.  It’s a relatively small school that serves mostly students from the neighborhood it’s located in.

I’m teaching 17 hours a week, Monday through Friday to classes of all different age groups and ability levels, from 6 and 7 year olds to young professionals.  The TEFL Barcelona course definitely prepared me for my current position as it gave me all of the essential tools for lesson planning and classroom management.  I’ve utilized much of what was taught to me, whether it was activity and/or game ideas, different lesson structures, dealing with common, specific problematic situations, and creating lessons catering to different learning styles, all of which are part of a vital skill set needed to teach ESL.

Specifically, the teaching practicum that is such a core part of the course is proving to be invaluable as you immediately are plunged into managing and teaching a classroom, and can therefore adapt and learn through the progression of courses you teach, all the while with the staff observing and providing feedback in order for you develop as a teacher.   My first class teaching for my current school didn’t feel like a “first” class at all!

I can’t recommend the course enough and would encourage anyone who wanted to begin a career in TEFL to do so with TEFL Barcelona. Sincerely.

Adrian Walther (Vermont, USA)


“Hi everyone,

I feel the TEFL course prepared me well with a lot of actual hands on teaching practice with real students.  This was the most valuable part of the course for me to simulate and prepare me to teach English.  The theory and content of the course was helpful and appropriate to prepare me to become a successful TEFL teacher.

The job guidance with Jade Cintron and Jen Wheelen was extremely helpful to give me tips on preparing a good CV and cover letter to send out to schools. I feel very luck to have connected with the job guidance team and the teachers network of BTTA which has been a great support system during my time in Barcelona.  The BTTA has been a great networking resource for jobs and provided a fun social aspect with Happy Hours and other events.

I am working at The Language Family school in Barcelona teaching English to adult students.

The Language Family school teaches English classes for children and adults. Private and conversation classes are also offered.  They also prepare students for the First Certificate exam and CAE exams for English proficiency.  The school is located close to several schools in the neighborhood, so there is a nice community atmosphere.

I teach beginner, pre-intermediate and intermediate English classes to adults.  The students ages range from 20 years old to 60 years old.My schedule: I teach classes on Mondays and Wednesday for two hours and Tuesday and Thursdays for two hours.  I also do some private lessons at a company in Barcelona for 2 hours on Fridays.  I work doing other administrative duties in the school as well for the director. Regards”.

Jennifer Stead (USA)


“After the course I just searched through Internet sites like lingobongo, Loquo, infojobs etc, and also researched language schools and I pretty much applied to everything. I think I was lucky as summer camps were just starting as I finished tefl. I got a job covering a girl who was sick for three days at one, then was recommended by the boss to her friend who needed workers for her summer camp, so I got a four week job and something new for my CV.
I also have just got a full time job starting in September at a language school in Sabadell. So there definitely is work out there, it just takes patience and perseverance to find them!”

Ginny Louise Davidson, (Scottish)


“I have given private sessions so far to prepare a doctor for his ISLES examination (to practice in English speaking countries) as well as preparing a doctor in geography for an interview for the university of London. I have also worked for a month in Euroidiomas teaching groups of 5 to 8 and 12 to 16 year olds. And I also had an interview at Barna House and have been offered work in October working at advanced level.
My experiences have been good with my qualifications; there is a high demand for quality English teachers in Barcelona.”

James O´keeffe, (English)


“We only finished 2 months ago but fair enough. TEFL Barcelona will prepare you for a career in teaching any level and age of student. The post course support is fantastic as Jen, the job Guidance Councelor got me my first job as a substitute in a great school, and since then I have gotten a full time job in BCN Languages and couldn’t be happier with how things have gone for me here”.

Eric Gill, (Ireland)


Hey! I am doing great actually! I am working in a school in Vilanova who called me when I was still doing the Tefl course. So far I have 4 hours, but I am normally getting more in September. I am probably getting a few more hours in a school here where I live. I am teaching French as well! I’m teaching beginners thanks to the Tefl experience on teaching. So far I have 7 private students as well and I am sure I will get more!

Ingrid Sempere, (Spain)


I was working from the end of april until the 15th of june in Wornham school in La Coruna (20 hours a week). And I have been offered work in sept/oct in the same school (35 hours).

Mark Doherty, (Ireland)


I recently got a job at a school here in Barcelona that specializes in teaching children and teenagers English. My class consists of the young learners, ages 3-4. Since they are so young, our lessons are based around art projects, singing and games.

I work 20-30 hours a week and get paid on a weekly basis, 250 Euros/week. The schedule is perfect, usually working from 9am-1pm and some days until 3pm, therefore keeping my evenings free to roam around town!”

Aubrey Feijoo (USA)


“One week after completing the  TEFL Barcelona course I managed to find full-time work in Navarra which surprised me as at that time (January), all positions had been filled but I ended up getting my first job through The English Academy, Peralta.  After my 5 months there I moved on to work at a summer camp in England teaching mainly Italian,Spanish and Portugese students.

There are plenty of summer camps crying out for teachers during the European summer and it´s a good way to save money during the holiday break. I applied for a few jobs just before leaving Navarra and was mainly looking for positions in the South, through TEFL.com I found it relatively easy to find the position I wanted and actually ended up getting too many replies.

I´m now working in Huelva for a bigger language school called Centro Edimburgo which is funny because I´m from Edinburgh ? Having this job has improved my lifestyle and I feel more flexible in terms of where I can move in the world and now I don´t have to worry so much about finding work!”

Richard Stuart-Campbell (Scotland)


“I have been working for a family since March; I teach their two boys English. I travelled to Ireland with them this summer holidays and was helping the children learn English as well as taking care of their youngest baby.

I have been working steadily since finishing the Tefl course.  I teach all different ages and levels.  I work with children and adults both at their homes and offices.  I found jobs through loquo.com and also through websites provided by the Tefl job guidance contact.

I have been teaching mostly one on one classes with the exception of a few two person classes.  I teach children of various levels and these are private and the pay is good.  I also teach adults and the classes are at their offices. Again the pay is good and the classes are all with an array of levels.  I have really been lucky with my students and classes. I enjoy all of them and have actually found additional jobs through referrals.

I have met wonderful people through my classes and have really enjoyed the teaching experience. If you need any other questions answered or more information please don’t hesitate to email me”.

Caitlin Fogarty (USA)


I work as a substitute teacher for one Academy, when people are on holiday or ill and I teach their one-one students.  I have also been asked to teach in an another Academy, but I now have a large group of private students ranging from nine – sixty years old and I don’t think I will be able to take on anymore work. 

With the CLIL Project in schools and the change in the end of year school exams there is a greater need for English and this is being reflected by the amount of teachers who wish to improve their English too – four of them currently in my case!!

I have been teaching every morning throughout the summer, but pupils chop and change.  Mainly I teach one-to-one, but I have a couple of small groups 2/3 people which is obviously far more cost effective.

I think there is always a level of insecurity as there is no guaranteed contract and pupils get ill, have exams or on holiday and the mortgage still needs to be paid!!  However, the real thrill is seeing the difference in the students as they progress”.

Loretta Lacour (UK)


“Hey Erwin! I am working and still trying to adjust to living on another continent, but doing well! 

Job guidance was really helpful! Not only did she offer a lot of sound advice, but the mass e-mail she sent out with my CV landed me my current job. The academy had hired a non-native speaker to teach their advanced classes but it just wasn’t working out, and as it turns out, this school is really close to my apartment. I’m teaching one CAE class, two FCE classes, and two Upper-Intermediate classes for a total of 15 hours/wk. I work Monday through Thursday from 5:45pm until 8:45 or 10:15. I have between 5 and 12 students who are mostly teenagers and young adults.

Looking back on the course, I’m very impressed with how much material we covered in such a short amount of time. All of it has been helpful in these first few weeks of teaching. I had previous knowledge of parts of speech and grammar, but the course was really helpful in teaching me ways to present these ideas clearly to others. I think that all the observed classes were also very beneficial to me because they allowed me to practice my new skills and then receive thoughtful, constructive criticism on how I could still improve.

I took to heart and value the idea that there are a lot of different types of learners, and have already had to vary my lesson plans to suit the variety of learners in my classroom. All the creative ideas that you gave us to help keep learning fun and interesting has also helped immensely. For example, the other day my class was reviewing vocabulary and we played the game where the students form two lines and the team that writes the correct word on the board first wins a point. I loved learning the phonemes too, and have already used them to help my students with pronunciation! Thanks for everything!”

Katie Kleinwachter, American (Illinois)


 “I’m working for a school in Castelldefels called Idealog, and through them also work for a company called Fons Formacio, who send me to teach in-business lessons in a number of companies including Nissan and Volkswagen Insurance co.
The course prepared me very well, and gave me a lot of methods to try so I am never short of things to do! The course also taught me to think on my feel through all the teaching practice time, which is very important now I am teaching little kids!
I did not find a job through job guidance, only because i was late handing in my CV, however Jen provided me with a list of schools for me to contact and offered to send my cv with the next group, she was very helpful. Her help with my cv was excellent, and very beneficial! Idealog is a very good school, with plenty of resources and some amazing other teachers who help me whenever i need it. The director, Nathalie, is very kind and is always very attentive. She frequently asks if i would like more classes too, which is great!

I teach A LOT of classes at the moment, with a wide range of ages. In Castelldefels I teach classes for kids aged 12/13 and 10/11, as well as some “one to ones” with one 10 year old, and two adults. In Nissan, I teach a group of 20 adults!As well as these I teach some in-company “one to ones” and a group of adults at Volswagen. I teach a variety of levels, from Beginner (a one to one in Idealog) to intermediate and advanced too.

In all of the places I work (Castelldefels, Zona Franca and Mas Blau) I have to travel, which takes about an hour total from A to B. This makes my schedule a little hectic! However, this also gives me a lot of quiet time for lesson planning on the trains! In total i teach around 24 hours per week.”

Camilla Allpress, (UK)


 “I am now working 28 hours for Nova Lingua in Gracia, Barcelona. The language school is for all ages. I mostly teach in the mornings and late afternoons. I mainly have individual students and groups of 4.
I think the course prepared me very well. All we needed to know was covered very efficiently.
I think job guidance is the element of the course I most valued of all because I was very worried about how to go about getting a job.”

Pauline Herbommez, (France)


“After completing the Tefl course with TEFL Barcelona I have been successful in getting work. I’ve managed to attain three jobs since completing the course in December. I stayed in the first job for one month after which I decided to leave because the method of teaching didn’t suit me. It was teaching English through the Callan and Helen Doran methods. I didn’t get enough training and also the school was very disorganised so I choose to leave and get work elsewhere. I found work at a language school teaching adults of all different levels using the New cutting edge text books and I also found work in a school called Keiko Dreams where I teach English to children through art and craft workshops. I love this as I have an arts background. I am very happy with both of my current jobs. I feel I gained a lot of useful skills and knowledge in the TEFL course, which has been of great benefit to me since. Teaching English as a Foreign Language has opened up so many doors for me. It is giving me the opportunity to meet new people from all over the world and also the opportunity to travel the world. I have a skype interview for a school in Singapore tomorrow so fingers crossed I will be teaching English in Singapore this summer.

Many Thanks again to TEFL Barcelona for giving me a great start and showing me the door”.

Marie Flaherty, (Ireland)


“I work as a substitute teacher for one academy, when people are on holiday or ill and I teach their one-to-one students. I have also been asked to teach in another academy, but I now have a large group of private students ranging from nine to sixty-year-olds and I don’t think I will be able to take on anymore work.

With the CLIL Project in schools and the change in the end of year school exams there is a greater need for English and this is being reflected by the amount of teachers who wish to improve their English too – four of them currently in my case!!

I have been teaching every morning throughout the summer, but pupils chop and change. Mainly I teach one-to-one, but I have a couple of small groups 2/3 people which is obviously far more cost effective. However, the real thrill is seeing the difference in the students as they progress”.

Loretta Lacour, (UK)


“I have been teaching kids English at a school that focuses on the arts as a major teaching method.It’s “fulltime” and pay is pretty good. Location is at Metro stop Selva de Mar, yellow line.
The kids are eager to please the teacher and get so excited when they learn something new. Classically, some kids in BCN behave poorly and don’t really want to be in the classroom. This school’s teaching method is geared to what kids like to do, so they are better behaved and really want to be in the classroom”.

Phaedora Jones, (USA)


“I am working for The Britannia School, Barcelona. I feel the course prepared me well for teaching adults, I think the techniques learnt at TeflBarcelona have been incredibly helpful for me. Getting straight in there and doing the lessons on the second day prepared me for my first week at work. Going from teaching 3 hours per week on the TEFL course to 5 hours on my first day, I needed to be able to think on my feet. The course showed me that by planning all lessons in advance… and in detail there was never a need to panic. All techniques taught to me have been much appreciated. The only one negative I could have is that there was not really enough teaching help for teaching children- especially with regards to classroom management, however I understand why.” 

“Did our job guidance help you get the job?- Not directly, but the techniques we were taught- i.e. “get yourself out there and meet the schools” definitely helped me.”

“The school I work at focuses entirely on English (i.e. no spanish/ catalan classes etc) They cover for every group, from beginners to advanced, children to adults and the Cambridge Exams.I teach 3 FCE groups (age ranges a~15-17 b~18-20 c~20-25) I have 3 one on one lessons, and then also several other groups of children.
The schedule is very good. I work 22.5 hours from Monday to Friday afternoon. I finish two nights per week at 9 and two nights per week at 7. I have mainly blocked hours.”

Jessamy Hunt, (England)


“I am currently working in a language school in Barcelona called Winter school.
Do you feel the course prepared you well for the job?- Absolutely!
Did our job guidance help you get the job? -That’s how I got my job.
What could you tell us about the school where you work ? – The school is located in Gracia, I work there 5 days a week, the pay is great, and I love my bosses and colleagues. I teach all levels, kids from 6 to 16 years old, adults, and private classes. I do 21hours a week, starting at 4pm is the earliest and finishing at 10pm is the latest.”

Magali Vougeot, (Andorra)


“I’m working in Spain, in Alcala de Henares, Comunidad de Madrid.

The course prepared me really well for the job, I feel much more confident, and have many more ideas of what to do in my classes to encourage students to speak than I would have done without the course.

Did our job guidance help you get the job? – Yes, the job finding tips really helped, I followed them and now have a TEFL
job!

The school I work at is an “academia de ingles” that teaches students from 4 years old to adults,
as well as some private classes and Business English.

I teach a class of 8 and 9 year olds, a class of 10 year olds, a private class for an older man, and a class of advanced adults preparing for the First Certificate. I have 2 hours of classes with each group each week, and one hour with the
adults. I normally start at 5/6 pm, and finish at 7/8 pm.”

Julia Marques, (England)


“Hi, after qualifying in May I have recently moved to Barcelona and started teaching here. I have a job Monday to Friday afternoons and evenings teaching small groups aged from 8 to adult. I work at a lovely language school in Molins de Rey and am really enjoying teaching. I also work 2 hours twice a week at a school where I teach English to 5-7 year olds. This is incredibly hard work and 2 hours a day is quite enough.

I sent of lots of applications for jobs over the summer and it is important not to get disheartened. You will eventually get replies. Also everyone asks for 2 years experience, ignore this. I got one of my jobs after posting my CV on lingobongo.com it costs 10 euros but was worth it. I feel the course equipped me well for the challenges in my new work. Although being very nervous at first I feel I am able to cope with all aspects of teaching and with all the different ages.

I am having a great time, despite being exhausted and can’t believe how much I am enjoying teaching.”

Jacqui Johnson, (UK)


“I’ve managed to land a job over at bcn myself -suckers!! Only joking!. I’m starting on Tuesday over on Sants, a little nervous but looking forward to getting started. Anyway I just wanted to say thanks for the training, ideas and support that helped me to get here and I hope to see you both soon. Good luck, best wishes, and thanks.”

Ross Stewart (Ireland)


 “Hi Erwin! I am actually going to begin working at American Village in about a week and a half. This is the English language camp that you posted the information for on our last day of class. I am very excited and I think it will be a good experience. They were happy to hear about my TEFL experience and my job will consist of ESL classes in conversational English to French children from ages 8 to 17. The pay is not amazing but it is considering that all of my accommodation and food are included and for me. I love working in camp environments and with kids. Prior to this I was at a place outside of Madrid called Vaughan Town for 3 weeks. This is an English immersion program for Spanish business people who want to improve their English listening and conversation skills. It’s a pretty good deal for the native English speakers. The program provides accommodation and meals for 6 days and in return you spend all day speaking in English to Spaniards. It was a wonderful experience and I would suggest it to anyone who was interested in meeting and speaking with many different types of people. I think that my TEFL knowledge and experience made me much more comfortable teaching others and has helped me come up with more creative ways to make the language accessible to others. And also more willing to put myself into teaching situations and more confident when interviewing for jobs. I think it will prove even more helpful once I get to the language camp and back into the classroom. I’m very excited to do so and I already know that having my TEFL certificate will be a huge advantage for me. I hope that you and Geoff and everyone else are keeping well. It’s good to hear from you. Warm regards”.

Mikaela Sugarman (USA)


 “I worked at Elison School in Sant Feliu until Easter. It was a great experience, the bosses and teachers were very motivating and young. Energetic team, modern school with all equipment needed such as a Flat screen TV in every room, with access to internet and it was so much easier to present PowerPoint and use youtube or dictionaries and listening exercises in class. First it was quite a volume of work to get used to, especially the prep and the standing in front of adults (upper) who know a lot and also know that you are German..but I learned a lot about myself as well and my acting classes a few years ago helped me too;) Also my English got so much better, I learned so many new words and my grammar knowledge improved soo much! All in all, the experience was very good, the kids were tiring but I got really attached to some of them… one even gave me a present at my last day, she was seven! I hope the school and you and Geoff are doing fine. Enjoy the spring! ”

Teresa Woischiski (Germany)


“I felt the course covered the essential areas of TEFL well and in terms of content what you would expect from an intensive 4 week course. There was good student monitoring and some really insightful lessons.”

“CSi idiomas is a well-established, medium sized school employing around 25 teachers, teaching in-company English to adults in Barcelona. I have 6 hours weekly and looking for more with the same company and elsewhere.”

Dominic Foster (UK)


“I got a really great job. It’s teaching private lessons around the Lesseps area, I’ve got some really awesome students too. So the one-to-onbe project is coming in useful!”

Gemma Stafford (UK)


“Thank you so much for the course, I work 22 hours for 2 great companies at 18 euros an hour with amazing hours so I couldn’t be happier.”

Jessica Tanney (USA)


“I’m giving a lot of private lessons to people who have passed on my names to their friends. Lots of networking. It’s working out well. Hope the TEFL course is going well.”

Kelly Thomas (USA)


“Hi Erwin!
Yes, Jason found work. He is teaching at Wellington House Idiomas. He was fortunate to have his Masters in Education, Teaching Credential and experience. I’ve been doing private lessons – 10 students now/week.
Sincerely”

Naomi Mintzer (USA)


“The course was very good, helped me a lot with my teaching which I was doing very successfully before. But still, I gained insight into my methods and the student’s needs, which helps a lot to get good results. Also I learned some technical things, like points of grammar and how to teach them, and also phonemes of which I knew nothing. So, all in all, brilliant. (And I met some lovely people and made new friends) Thanks to all the team. Best wishes”

Marian Fradera (UK)


“I’m working for Oxford School, Oviedo, Asturias. It is a large school for the area, with three buildings in the city. It has a nice family feel, some of the teachers have been attending the school since age 5. And everyone knows each other. The pay is fair for the area and they give me a lot of support. I teach a full spectrum of classes from the 4-year-olds to degree students taking first certificate exams this year and even one-to-one classes in a law firm. I work between 20 and 25 hours a week. Schedules are a little crazy the first couple of months, or so I am told! Only afternoons, which suits me fine. I don’t really need any more hours than that, Oviedo is really cheap!

Job guidance absolutely helped me to get my job. I followed Kate’s advice exactly, I emailed every school in the Yellow Pages, I printed CV’s and did a tour of the city, the last school I visited asked me in for an interview right there and then and I am fairly sure that I had the job right from the first minute. (I did wear a tie!)”

Martin Welbourne (UK)


 I am now working for BCN Languages at the Sagrada Familia school (in Barcelona!). I am just finishing my first week at the school and am enjoying it. The course was extremely useful in terms of giving me a range of teaching methods and also as a revision to grammar that I learnt many, many years ago. I have noticed that I am using a lot of the methods I learnt on the course in my job.

The job guidance was especially useful in preparing me for interviews and I was happy to have been offered a job through the same company in which I trained.

The school I work at has roughly 8 classrooms and is open for lessons from 8am until
10pm. It has a good amount of teaching resources and in my experience so far, it also has very helpful staff. I am currently teaching a 25 hour week with classes covering all levels. I am also traveling outside of the centre 4 times a week to teach business classes. This, I especially enjoy.

I apologise if this has been brief, I am due to teach in 40 minutes! Many thanks,”

Al Bridges (UK)


“Job guidance was very helpful. I´m now working in Reus, 25 h/week, teaching kids, youngsters and adults.”

Javier Torras (Spain)


 “I have started my new job in San Sebastian & I’m *happy as Larry*!

I’m teaching both business (Which is a doddle), and children so I get the best of both worlds.

I am finding the PPP structure easy thanks to you drilling it in to me and it takes very little time to prepare lesson. I breathed a sigh of relief at that after the time it used to take during the course.

The best thing is business English lessons are 90 minutes long so I get loads of time to develop a subject and carry out the productions. I even had a couple of chemists playing hangman using the lexis from the last lesson as they were too tired after an excessively busy week!

I hope all is well in BCN,”

Jamal Tamir (UK)


“I currently have two contracts one with a small company who provides in-house teaching to children within a district in Barcelona, alongside this I am working for Urban school in Poble Nou teaching various classes from adults to children to Business English. I also sometimes work for an Irish pub, this is mainly just for fun!

I would have had no idea where to start without the course. The job guidance helped me to get my job. Emailing out our CV’s is how I actually got my first job.

The school I work for is a small local school, it has a good demand in the area for a range of classes. I prefer this to a more corporate environment. The school is very helpful and close, they helped organise private work for me throughout the summer. They’re always offering advice and guidance if needed.

I have done a range of classes from children to adults, Business to conversation. This year I am hoping to teach some first certificate classes to learn more about the structure of this exam.

My schedule is tricky as most classes are in the evenings so once you have filled this time up its difficult to find more hours. I top myself up with some private classes to university students which are often more flexible for times later in the year. Businesses also seem to want some afternoon classes. I’m always busy between 5pm and 8pm. TEFL-ing is great – there are so many opportunities once you get going!”

Michelle Dale (UK)


 Right now I’m teaching two intensive classes at BCN Ramblas. I’m teaching an intermediate and an advanced class. I feel the course prepared me to teach, although I still have a lot to learn.

The job guidance helped me get a few interviews, but in this case I got the job because Erwin recommended me.

The school that I work at is great. There is fantastic support for teachers.

In my intermediate class I have 9 students. Most of them are from Spain but there are a couple Japanese students. I also teach an advanced class with 8 students. All of them are from Barcelona.

Right now I work from 9am-1pm Monday through Thursday.
Thanks”

Evan Stockdale (Ireland)


“It was a great course and felt very personalized. I enjoyed it being such a small class with teachers who were hands on and able to improvise and make it more interesting.”

Katrina Logie (UK)


“I recommend the course. The instructors are well qualified and experienced. I was very satisfied with the overall quality of the course. It was more educative than other TEFL courses I’ve heard about. Job prospects are ample. The city of Barcelona is cosmopolitan and lively.”

“Working as an English teacher has confirmed my initial review of the course. On the whole, participants of TEFL Barcelona seem better equipped to teach.”

Orion Jones (Cedar Rapids, IA, USA)


Hi Erwin! I did get that job!! Thanks a lot! And the best thing is that it’s all companies in my area, Valles Occidental, so it’s very convenient! My classes are going just great! The course coordinator called me to tell me all the students are very happy with the classes! ? Thanks a lot for your help!! How are things going in TEFL Barcelona?

Paula Perez


“I would recommend the course to all my friends. Very good location and course content.I already have a job and started teaching before the course ended, with thanks to Kate @ Job Guidance. The course has put me in really good stead for the future and I found the grammar lessons extremely useful.”

Katie Wright (Sheffield, UK)


“I have been working at a small language school in Mataro since March. I have 8 different classes of various ages and levels. Class levels range from second year elementary to seventh year FCE preparation, and the ages range from 12 – 25 years old. My first day, I was given a 2 minute briefing (how to work the copy maching, where the chalk was stored etc.), attendance sheets, a stack of books, and was simply instructed “to teach”. Without TEFL, I would have freaked out. The TEFL course definetely prepared me for teaching. The TEFL course gave me the foundation to build my own teaching style and methods. Every day is a new adventure in the classroom. The job guidance at TEFL helped me prepare my CV, and I used www.lingobongo.com to send it to hundreds of schools, which is how this particular school found me. The schools director is very busy, and doesn’t give me much guidance, so I am very much on my own, but I like it this way. I teach for about 3 hours a day, and it is plenty of work to live the good life here in Barcelona…– Jeff”

Jeff Davis, (CA, USA)


“I would recommend the course. We all really enjoyed it! I am working about 18 hours a week at the moment between Language and Kingsbrook and there are hopefully a few more in the pipeline too which is good. It’s nice to have the feedback about my lessons. That’s really good :-). I have really enjoyed them so far although 4 9year olds are an interesting group!”

Emma Emma Barlow (UK)


“Hi Erwin!
Things are going well- I am working about 12-13 hours a week and hopefully will get some more). They are in with the same company I started working for before the course ended. Many of my classes are with children in their homes, but I also have a few classes in a law firm and I also teach teachers at a school. I really like the variety of classes I have. I’ve been getting some good feedback from the parents and students too, which is always nice.

Amber Sellers (USA)


“Hi Erwin,
I have found a job teaching with Forum Idiomes (Castelldefels), and they send me every evening Monday-Thursday to teach in IPS. It is a company which makes software for gambling machines, of all things… it is a good position, and I teach all levels from Elementary to Advanced. I will be preparing some students for the Cambridge exam too.

I do still need more hours, however, so I will be phoning up many language schools in the coming days. If possible, I am also planning to take up a bar job or a waiting job somewhere – good Spanish practice!
Great to hear from you sir, and thanks so much for your help and support! “

Tywi Roberts (UK)


“Since the course 3 years ago, I haven’t been doing any ¨TEFLing¨ whatsoever, but instead followed my heart to become a trainer in the Gyrotonic method of exercise (my longtime hobby and passion!).

However, the TEFL course still did benefit me and provide me with certain skills, even if it isn’t for teaching English.

  1. It gave me far more self-confidence in my skills and knowledge
    2. It helped improve my communication skills, to be very clear in what I am saying (both the content and how I deliver it!).
    3. It helped with my patience and problem solving skills as an instructor, and how to tailor my teaching to each student so they get the most understanding out of it.
    4. It showed me that I do really love teaching, and the reward of enriching someone else’s knowledge (in my case now, enhancing body awareness and overall well-being!) and of course having happy students/clients!
    5. And finally (and funnily enough) I learned that I don’t always have to have all the answers,that it is okay to say: I don’t know… but let me find out and get back to you on that. ?

I opened my own studio just over a year ago and teach sessions by appointment only Mondays through Saturdays (sometimes Sundays if requested), so my schedule is always changing… but because I work on my own I still have a lot of freedom, plus I love my clients, and they are all so different, so each session is new, fun, and (with the achieved results) very rewarding.

Wishing you, Erwin and the rest of the team continued success!
un abrazo enorme.”

Amanda Greene


“I undertook the 4 week intensive TEFL course in May-June 2008. The course concentrated on teaching English as a foreign language to a variety of people with different degrees of English comprehension, including elementary, pre intermediate, intermediate and upper intermediate. You are also taught how to teach private and in company lessons as part of the course. The course incorporated 10 hours of teaching practice as well as writing various assignments on specific areas of teaching, such as empathising with the student’s situation and understanding their needs.The course was heavily structured around revising English grammar and thoroughly incorporating this into each lesson, alongside teaching new vocabulary and practicing pronunciation techniques which included phonology.

I thoroughly enjoyed the course and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for new challenges and perhaps a new career, which I had been.Not only have I gone on to work over 25 hours a week in an English school in Barcelona, but I have made many good friends and have set up a great life out here, which was exactly what I was hoping for before arriving.And if you don’t already speak Spanish, then this job is the perfect way to allow you to learn at the same time as working.After completing the TEFL course I was slightly apprehensive as to how I might actually cope with teaching alone, without supervision and guidence, but as soon as I started, I realised that the TEFL course had fully prepared me for what to expect, and even what not!”

Ros Morgan (UK)


“Hi Erwin,
Yeah, I’ve been working for Cambridge school ever since! I work in the classroom next to Barbara Stern who trained with you as well. I really like the job but I’m going back to the U.K in September to do my masters; then to South America, I think .Thanks for all the help. I hope the course and all is going well. This is such a great city!!

Thanks again,”

Rebecca Price (UK)


“Hey Erwin!
So life is going pretty well! I am still in Barcelona, found a new place near Sagrada Familia and its fantastic!! I started teaching at a language school in Placa del Sants on October first and that has been really good. The people there are soooo nice, and incredibly helpful. I teach two elementary adult classes, one that is intensive and 3 days a week so that is a little crazy. I also teach an Upper Intermediate adult class, and so it is nice to have at least one class where the students know a little more English and it can be more conversational. And then I teach a class of 8 yr olds with about 5 students, and then a class of 9-11 yr olds that have about 10 kids. I’m really glad I got an opportunity to teach kids, its been a long time since I have done it and they are so funny! So I work about 17 hours a week there, and then also have another company that offers me private lessons that they find, and so I work a few hours a week for them as well. That one

I actually found searching through the internet. And I definitely use my TEFL knowledge, it really helps to know a lot of the things we learned for when questions randomly pop up in lessons. And I think the experience of it made me ready to just jump right into teaching. And the job hunting didn’t take too long either. Although, it was intense and exhausting to walk the entire city, and then walk into language schools asking if they needed a teacher. I learned extremely early to look really nice, but wear extremely comfortable shoes while on my daily trek. But everything has worked out really well! Thanks Erwin!!”

Megan Heinley (Texas, USA)


“Hi Erwin,
I found work in two schools in Gracia. One is called IEI Formació, where I teach for a company 5.5 hours per week. I have the following groups:
advanced: 7 students
– intermediate: 3 students
– beginner: one student
– First Certificate candidate: one student
– German intermediate: 1 student

Furthermore I work for “Kingsbrook”. There I have one group of 2 beginner students (2 x 1,5 hours) with whom I practice German.

Then I have one private student at home. He is a lower intermediate student and we practise English together.

I am very happy with my groups and particularly German helped me to find work very fast and easy. In fact: I could work full time if I had the time to do this. With my students who I am supposed to prepare for the FC exam I felt a little bit lost at the beginning – I didn’t know the requirements for the exam and started to search the internet for information. (Of course, now
I am fully equipped with exercises).

Ok, I hope I could provide you with all the information you asked for and let me say one more time “thank you” for the great time and personal gain in
the TEFL course :-)”

Elke Schmitt (Germany) 


“Hi Erwin
Good to hear from you again. I am now living and working in Cardedeu.I am teaching 4 levels, N1, N4, UINT and FCE, with a few Business classes, a Speaking and Listening class and a one to one student. The age groups are from about 7 yrs old up to late middle age, though the majority are KFCE – 15-16yrs.

Although I have a 20 hours a week contract, I actually teach more hours than that and including offsite travel, this amounts to about 25 hours a week

Life in Cardedeu is much quieter than in Barcelona but I really enjoy that. Too old for all that night club nonsense! I am about 10 minutes walk from the school.

We get extremely good support from our Director Julia Cross and from level leaders in the Granollers School with weekly seminars and level meetings so we are certainly not abandoned to our fate.

As the weeks go on I see things beginning to get a little less frantic and I am slowly gaining confidence.

The TEFL course was useful, relevant and appropriate and I have used many of the lesson plans, hints, tips and tricks that you and Geoff gave us.”

Barbara Stearn (UK)


“Hello Meghan, Erwin, Geoff and TEFL Barcelona!
Right now I am working at Williams English in downtown Terrassa. I still live in Barcelona, so I take the train there Monday-Friday. I currently have 19 class hours a week with a spectrum of different learners. My youngest students are 4 years old, and my oldest is a 60 year old beginner. I also have 3 groups of teenagers, ages 10 -13, (just four students per group) and one private class with a 13 year old boy. The other classes are private and groups with adult learners, intermediate and advanced, and I aslo teach 2 company classes in north Terrassa. All of my students are Catalans. The focus of this school is conversation practice, but I feel my TEFL training is really put to the test with my beginner student and the children. We act things out, draw them, mime – anything to get the message across while keeping everything in English.

I am so grateful to have had practice with different groups at TEFL Barcelona, and cannot imagine having started this job with no TEFL training at all! I also feel, when speaking with other TEFL trained teachers, that TEFL Barcelona offers something special, more personal, that other programs do not. I often recall Erwin´s Russian lessons when trying to imagine English as an unknown language for my students. It would be impossible to learn everything there is to know about TEFL in 1 month, but I feel that TEFL Barcelona covered a little bit about a lot of topics and I feel very confident and prepared.”

(Name and email of this student available upon request) USA


“I am currently working at BCN Languages, but applied for a summer ESL job at a private academy inSwitzerlandand got it so it looks like I’ll be heading there in late June.As far as testimonials: at the moment I can’t put into words how swelleverything was. I would recommend this course to anyone who is interested. I would tell prospective students that the trainers are highly-skilled and dedicated to their work. The work is intensive yet rewarding.”

Cormac Alexander Symington (Key West, Florida, USA)


“Anyone who has ever taken a TEFL course can tell you that the courses are intensive, and potentially overwhelming. It’s almost like a year’s worth of learning crammed into one month. I wavered before taking the course; I knew several people who were working as English teachers in Spain without having taken a TEFL course. Yes, they had long, sometimes horrific tales of adjusting to teaching, re-learning grammar, cut-and-pasting full time work out of meager contacts, but they were working . . .

Still something told me to participate in the course. I scored a full-time position right here at BCN Languages as my month at TEFL Barcelona ended. Erwin absolutely did not pay me to say this: I couldn’t be happier with my decision to take the course.

The instructors are experienced and knowledgeable not only about teaching English, but also about living and working in a foreign country.Even beyond the course, they care about each student as an individual and the course is designed so that everyone feels personally attended to.All have ‘been around the block’, so to speak, and have shared invaluable advice, encouragement with those of us trying to create lives abroad. The small class sizes allow for the maximum amount of personal attention and guidance. Coupled with the sheer number of teaching practice hours, I graduated with the tools and techniques to be able to plan and execute creative, fun classes with relative ease. I’m getting much more job satisfaction (as well as free time to enjoy life in Barcelona) than I’d anticipated.

That intensive month in the classroom has made my transition into teaching, nothing short of seamless. The course was not only one of my most fruitful educational experiences, it was one of the best investments I’ve ever made.”

Khalilah Ieishah Clelland (Springfield Gardens, NY, USA)


 “I would recommend this course because, through its intense nature, I feel fully prepared to start teaching English (in what’s only been a month’s time).”

Brieanne Friedman (Brookfield, IL, USA)


“I’m teaching for two different schools in Barcelona right now. One is Communicative People and one is Luke’s friend’s school (it doesn’t have a name yet). I’m teaching a bunch of teenagers privately, an FCE class, an intermediate class and a group of adult beginners. This leaves me with lots of time to plan lessons, go on runs, chat with people in the park, go to bars, etc. I’m also starting to write for a few English magazines in BCN.

The TEFL course really helped me figure out how to organize lessons and motivate students.

In other news: I started my Catalan classes today. It’s interesting comparing my teacher’s teaching methods with what you taught us. You would have totally failed him! Too much TTT. I’m also learning Catalan from my three Mennorcan roommates, so it’s not such a bummer!”

Nadia El Yousseph (USA)


“I work for Let´s Learn Formación y Cambio S.A. I have 6 hours/week with Sol Barcelona Language Services and I have 7 hours/week with Humbolt Comunicación Intercultural S.A. The course really prepared me for these jobs. And the job guidance service helped me get a position at Aston Summer camp in July. I like my groups and the company is very flexible and friendly. I have 3 and 4 hour seminars. These are in-company classes but in the school’s classrooms. The school practises a new method called Blended Learning. It seems to be interesting. All my classes are in-company. The level of the students is from elementary (2 groups) to advanced (4 groups). And I teach classes a few hours in the mornings and afternoons.”

Alfia Bogmiakova, (St. Petersburg, Russia)


“Hi Erwin, I just wanted to write and tell you how things have been going. I started work in October with Institut Europeu d’Idiomes. I like it a lot and the resources are wonderful. The directors, James Burnie, and his wife Montse are amazing and the 12 or so other teachers are also nice. I hope you are doing well and that classes are continuing as usual with you. I really appreciated your sensitivity with me and felt very comfortable during my time doing TEFL. I feel that you and Geoff adequately and perfectly prepared me for what I am working with now. Thank you for everything”

Francesca Galicki (Texas,USA)


“I think Jane did help us quite a bit with job guidance. I used my resume that we worked on together in class and fancied it up a bit more. The sample interview questions were awesome to go through since I had an interview that asked some of the EXACT same questions! The best thing though was to come back from a long summer vacation (not thinking at all about English) and go through all my TEFL notes before looking for a job. That way I was refreshed with teaching methods, grammar points, class management notes, and ideas for different games/practices before doing an interview. Hope all is well. The TEFL course helped me a lot! Thanks Erwin, Jeff, and Jane,”

Sarah Catchot (California, USA)


“Hello Erwin,
So, as you now know I will start teaching here at BCN Languages in October.

I would definitely recommend our TEFl course as I think it must be one of the best ones around. Some of the other courses don’t prepare trainees as thoroughly as TEFL Barcelona does. They only have 6 hours of teaching practice for example, they don’t always go through the grammar thoroughly…. 

I felt really well prepared at the end of the course and I felt confident and comfortable about teaching. The methodology I learned seemed to please when I did a couple of demo lessons.

Having the certificate definitely helped me get job offers and interviews. TEFL Barcelona seems to be well known and respected amongst other schools. Getting a good grade helped too of course!

As for working at a school, I couldn’t think of a better school to recommend than BCN Languages, but I am really biased here! Top marks for friendliness, efficiency, organisation and professionalism in my opinion!”

Nathalie Busin (UK)


“I have been teaching in a language school for three months. I was lucky enough to be recommended for the job by the Course Director, Erwin Ebens, and actually started teaching before I had completed the TEFL course. I could not have taught without having studied TEFL, the techniques we were taught have proved invaluable, and I still regularly consult my notes for ideas and games. The grammar section has helped tremendously too, equipping me with the skills to teach complicated grammatical rules. I would certainly recommend this course to people considering teaching English in Spain, it is a great starting point.”

Louise Mackay (UK)


“I am working as a Mathematics teacher in Sanchez-Casal’s TennisAcademy, I also teach one class of English to a lot of Russians! It’s a fantastic school and I love teaching so much. Also hoping to improve my Tennis! Hee hee! But seriously, I would have never got this job if it wasn’t for TEFLBarcelona! You helped me a lot… with everything! I am very grateful!

I love Barcelona, especially when we have a day like today and in Scotland it is miserable and dark! I think that I will remain here in Barcelona for a year or so more, also I have a fantastic new flat and my friends have moved over from Scotland so life is pretty good at the moment!

Well… that’s it really!

Hope you and your family are well!! 

I repeat, thanks for all!”

Kirsty Yoxon (Scotland)


“I am a twenty eight year old literature graduate who decided a year ago to apply for a tefl course; my choices were narrowed down to Prague and Barcelona. I was already leaning towards Barcelona when I noticed that the organisation seemed to be keener in Barcelona (email responses were helpful, friendly and clear) and so I decided. I have now been in

Barcelona for nearly a year!The course itself was fantastic and extremely valuable as not only training for teaching, but as an analysis of the learning process in yourself and your peers as well (pretty handy!).We were a small group of trainees and the atmosphere encouraged was one of relaxed focus; the work load is heavy, but the trainers are so approachable you very rarely feel overwhelmed, though challenged certainly.Following the course I was eager to start supporting myself and seeing if I could stay on.I now have a good job teaching an after school English club an hour and a half a day (Mon. to Thurs.) which I supplement with private classes.Barcelona is a fantastic city to live in and I have no inclination to move on yet. I feel like a key factor to my staying here is the support network that I was supplied with through the course, which gave me a foundation and that initial sense of being part of a new city.

I couldn’t recommend this course enough. I am delighted by all the doors that continue to open to me here and how it really is possible to develop a teaching career from this short period of qualification. Enjoy!”

Laura Smith


Testimonials from past students: Teaching in other countries

Teaching in Italy:

Hi Erwin,
Merry Christmas! I am happy to receive your e-mail, especially as I have good news to share. I am very happy with my TEFL experience. For me, I couldn’t be happier with where I am now. The day after the course ended, I flew to Rome, and within a week I got a full-time job teaching in Rome. It seems that there are many, many opportunities for English teachers in Rome. They recognize that, as a whole, the level of English in their country is not good, and with the economy the way it is, people are increasingly trying to learn English so they will have more career opportunities, both in Italy and abroad. I work mostly at a private school, giving individual lessons to all levels and all ages, from 4-year-olds to retirement age students. A couple times of week, for the same school, I give lessons to classes in middle schools around Rome. The students are wonderful, extroverted and motivated to learn. The pay in Rome is less than that in Spain, and the cost of living here is higher, but for me, the experience I am having here more than compensates for it. Many, many people approach me outside the school for lessons, but most weeks I work 6 days a week for the school, so I don’t have time. So please, assure your future students that they will have no difficulty finding work in Rome.

All the best,
Melissa

Melissa Kerr (USA)


Teaching in the USA:

Even before I attended TEFL Barcelona, I knew that I would be returning to the States to join the AmeriCorps (similar to the Peace Corps but it is within the U.S.). Shortly after my completion of the TEFL course, I was able to become a private ESOL Cambridge tutor while in Barcelona. Private tutoring was nothing new to me and neither was teaching, but the TEFL certificate gave me a competitive advantage when generating new clients. There is money to be earned through private tutoring; it’s great supplemental income. Furthermore, tutoring serves as a networking mechanism. Say, you do not want to teach for the duration of your stay in Barcelona or Beijing or Sao Palo. Well, using private tutoring to network is ideal. For example, it shows that you are dependable, honest, and every lesson essentially is an interview. Therefore, if you have another degree (non-teaching related) you can search and network for employment to apply your degree. Without a doubt, tutoring has brought in contacts that I could not have gotten without the TEFL certificate.

Now to the present. Since August of 2011, I’ve been serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America). An array of opportunities has presented themselves so I can apply my TEFL training. I’ve been teaching a class of Hispanic workers at local churches; conducting computer literacy classes for young elementary Latinos and their parents; and providing private lessons. Most people searching for opportunities to teach English often look outside their country. However, there is ample opportunity to teach English in your home country, as well, and having an income. Truly it is a rewarding experience to teach others and make them more competitive, adaptable, and qualified individuals.

Many of you reading this have performed a Google search to see if TEFL Barcelona is legitimate. Is it? Let’s answer that question: It is a real school and provides all it promises. The training provided will give you the ability to organize your lessons efficiently and teach classes and individuals effectively. There are jobs out there. My current and past employment is proof of that. Most importantly, I can say, is that I am more globally adaptable and competitive with the TEFL certificate.

Calan Charlton (USA)


Teaching in Kuwait:

Hello,

I am back in Kuwait and I’m still working at the school. I am teaching grade 2 now (elementary level) and I’m using a lot of the teaching methods that you taught us! The team lead teacher loves all my ideas and games, they keep asking me for more fun ways to get the students to learn! And it’s all thanks to you, Mr. Geoff and Mr. Lawrence!
I’m planning on doing my MA degree in England soon. Afterwards, I can start teaching ESL English to university students!
I am in contact with the rest of the TEFL class, they are all good you can find them on my friends list on Face Book
Take care and have a good day,
Your Arab student, Fajer.

Fajer Al Qaderi (Kuwait)


Teaching in Thailand:

Hi Jen,

Just a quick word to give you some news, I am about to go to
Thailand and help my friend to set up the school in Chiang Mai…there is a page on Facebook, ELCT
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002754483994

He came to visit me last week to try to convince me to follow him in this new venture…with success!

I’m due to start work on 7th November. So maybe it is interesting for Erwin to know what his old student is up to; took me some time but I’m finally going to teach!!!English, French and Spanish….learning Thaï and after that I guess Mandarin!!

All the best!
Ludivine aka Lulu!

Ludivine Leveau (France)


Teaching in China:

Hi Erwin,

Been quite busy here, studying Chinese 20 hours a week at a university in Beijing. Still, I have some time to do some English-teaching in my free time.

Following completion of the course, I moved to Beijing China, where there is a big market for English-teaching. The certificate equipped me with enough legitimacy, even though I have little former English-teaching experience. More importantly the skills I learned on the course have allowed me to teach anyone from individuals to larger groups, from young kids to professionals.

Initially I taught kid’s groups of less than ten at an English school in central Beijing for two hours on a daily basis. Due to time-constraints I gave up that job and am now teaching business English classes at a Chinese company twice a week for two hours, and give one-on-one tuition to a university student and a Japanese lady in here thirties. As long as one’s English is up to scratch, one will not have a problem finding a job in China. Most younger Chinese have studied English at school for many years, though lack practice, so that the class-room management skills, and the brushing up of my grammar-knowledge during my time Barcelona come in handy. Language schools provide text-books and there is a very vibrant community of fellow-English teachers which is easy to break into and allows for bouncing ideas, experiences and approaches to teaching English back and forth.

The pay ranges from 100 Yuan (12 Euros) to 250+ Yuan (30 Euros) an hour depending on who you are teaching, and if you find your students yourself, or through one of the countless agencies. For the more experiences teachers it is quite possible to earn up to 10000-12000 Yuan (1500 Euros) a month for a full-time job at a school in Beijing or Shanghai; less in the more remote cities. Considering the relatively low cost of living, this is quite
a good salary.

One needs to bear in mind that the one-child policy and the continued opening-up of China means that for the average Chinese parent or young professional, command of English is considered one of the most important skills for thriving in an extremely competitive social environment. The population of Bejing is around 20 million: That’s what I call ‘demand’.

If you want to have a look at an up to date job-seekers web-site check this link:

http://www.thebeijinger.com/classifieds/employment/Employment-Available

This is from today, and it’s representative: A good deal of the ads are for English-teaching related stuff.

All the best

Christian Streil, (Irish German)


Hi Erwin,

I’m living in Songzhuang, an artist village close to Beijing. I’m working on my art production and teaching English too. I just started the
classes two weeks ago. I’m teaching individual students, on my own, private clases. Now I have 5 students between 7 to 17 years old. Some of them don’t know any English and some are in intermediate level. It’s a very good experience for me; the people here only want to learn speaking, they don’t want to use books or study grammar; they only want to practice speaking. It’s ok for me, so I prepare the lessons with a lot of games, and teach grammar, vocabulary, etc., through games.

The clases are well paid, so I decided not to ask for much money because I’m in a village and I would like to be able to teach different types of  students… At the moment I’m only asking for 6,50€/ hour, but it’s ok because everything is much cheaper here, and with this I can survive. I each each student 2 hours a week, so now I’m working 10 hours a week.

Kind regards,

Gisela Ràfols Compte (Spanish)


Good morning!

I’m sitting here doing lesson planning for my beginners. And all of sudden I just reminded myself about our lesson planning sessions in Bcn and the comments of our lessons. When I’m doing this I really remember so many things that we had to do in the lessons. And it’s really good to have that in memory. It was a while since I had beginners. So, thanks to you and Erwin I’m doing my lesson plans now almost as we did on the course. It really helps. What’s the aim of the lesson today? and etc.

The evening course is 1,5 hours two times per week. 15 – 20 students every time. It is a big group so all activities take time, but they are hard working.

Wednesday my full-time students will start, at last. They are then done with their military training. It will be great. But the plans for that group are different as they have 3 hour lessons three times per week. And that means is a lot of lesson plans; 15 students. It will be good to have full days, because it has been a little bit too little to do.

Liselotte Kjellme (Sweden)


Teaching in Singapore:

I really enjoyed taking your course back in 2006, it proved to be extremely useful for me and set a great example of the standard I need to meet as a teacher!

I arrived in Singapore at the beginning of November 2011 and soon after began teaching in the Canadian Education College, a language school in Singapore’s Central Business District. Singapore is a wonderful place to teach English; the diversity here is incredible and it shows in the classroom where even the smallest of classes have an array of nationalities represented. It makes for really fun classroom discussions!

I am currently teaching advanced students and have found what I learnt in the TEFL course to be invaluable. Students are appreciative of my student-centred approach and varied, dynamic classes. All of this I learnt during the 4 week course in Barcelona! (Just by the way, I think the course was of a really high standard and that much of the success I’ve had as a teacher has been down to what I learnt there, so thank you Erwin!)

Best wishes,

Cherith Thomson (UK)


Teaching in Macedonia

“Hi Erwin,

I’m great ?

The course helped tremendously, not just because it helped me develop skills necessary to teach a course, but it also helped me feel more confident standing in front of a class.

I found a job immediately in an academy in Germany, but currently I’m teaching a course in Macedonia! It is an academy for bankers all over the world (Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa…) that need intensive training in order for them to get higher positions. They have courses on English language, management, history etc. I am a teaching assistant, and I assess their English skills, lead discussion groups, and help with their essays and presentations.

I have an 8 hour working day, and I am able to freely organize my time.

Best, Stella”        

Stella Jungman (Germany)


Teaching in Colombia

I accepted a nice teaching job in Bogota-Colombia. I will be living and working thereby September 2011, due to workvisa etc. Although Spain was my first choice, I am happy to move to my beloved South/America again. In fact I found out that there are many tecahing jobs all over South/America.
I will keep you informed about Colombia.

Good Luck,

Johan Blom (Holland)


Teaching in USA

Right now I am back in the United States where I am teaching a reading course to prepare immigrant and refugee youth for the state exams, and I recently finished teaching a series of Italian classes. Even though neither class is directly related to the training I received from TEFL BCN, the things I learned during my training have been instrumental to my success in teaching both. For example, the Italian classes were loosely modeled after the foreign language observation inputs we did with Erwin. In addition, I would have been totally unable to teach the reading class were it not for the lesson planning skills I learned during the training. Both of these classes are temporary, summer positions, but I don’t work long hours and still make great pay. In a way, returning to the US to teach the summer session makes me even more confident to return to Spain in the fall with some great experience under my belt. Cheers everyone and thanks for everything. Hope to see you soon.

Joseph Karman (USA, March 2011)


Teaching in Poland

“TEFL Barcelona was very helpful in guiding me and helping find available positions. Geoff Harwood and Kate Williams were particularly helpful in giving me guidance and I ended up taking a job in Debica Poland with Brytania English Academy for 2 months where they provided me with decent pay (10 American dollars/hr) and a free apartment. They also helped me attain a work permit and visa. I taught mostly adults at a local Goodyear tire factory, and a few after school teen age classes. This was a 22 hr/week job, which was a good work load when you calculate in lesson planning. The adult students were excellent, and I really enjoyed working with them because they had a drive to learn English well. My supervisors were very impressed with how I led classes, which I owe to the training I received from TEFL Barcelona. The experience taught me a lot about a culture I never expected to be in, but I was glad I gave it a try. I had ample time to travel on the weekends to other countries like Sweden and back to Spain, as well as around the Poland. I then attempted to find work in Sweden, but decided to return home and pursue my career in health care which I am currently doing. I still use my certification to volunteer teach for local Hispanic/Latino immigrants in the Minneapolis area of Minnesota. I was hired immediately because of my experience and certification, and required no training to start as the other teachers did. It has been enjoyable to use my skill once a week and assist the underserved community of immigrants in my hometown. TEFL Barcelona prepared me very well to plan classes quickly and effectively.”

Tim Lamanna (USA)


Teaching in Greece

“Hello!!
I am now teaching English in Athens. I think TEFL Barcelona fully prepared me for this role, even though the way of teaching here is very different, TEFL Barcelona provided me with a good grounding to develop on. Without the course I wouldn’t be where I am now. I think this TEFL course gives you the perfect opportunity to combine work and travel.

The course not only gave me the ability to teach, but also the passion..

I teach for 28hrs hours a week in a private language school. Students are age 12 up and are between upper intermediate to proficiency.”

Kate Matthews (UK)


Teaching in Korea

“I’m moving to Daegu, Korea in a month to finally start teaching.I’ll be working with middle schoolers, 26 teaching hours a week, and living in a studio apartment rent-free.My tefl certificate got me a salary bonus, too.The company (called YBM) owns, like, 30 schools all over Korea.I’m pretty pumped!”

Matt Smith (USA)


Teaching in Peru

“Hello Erwin! I hope you’re doing well and enjoying the current group of TEFLers in training.I have wonderful news: I was hired (today) by an international school in Lima, Peru! I am incredibly excited and I’ll be moving there mid-July before classes start in August. Part of my job, as well as teaching, will be to help with the language assessment process for incoming students. I’ll also be helping to integrate the ESL students into their other classes (math, history, etc). Thanks so much for your help and your encouragement throughout the program!!!”

Claire Ohlsen (USA)

Update from Claire:

“Hi Erwin,
I am happy to help out. I have been contacted about 4 times about the TEFL Barcelona course and I’ve responded to each giving some detailed information and impressions of the course. My experience there (and with Barcelona as a whole) was so great that I can’t help but encourage others to do the same.

As for me, I’m on my second year of teaching at the International Christian School of Lima and I’ve just been contracted for a 3rd year. It has been quite a challenge to adjust to an academic setting vs. an “institute” but I’m growing to love my job, my “kids” and the work environment here. There are so many International Schools around the world who are in need of ESL teachers and they typically require less formal schooling than if, for example, you tried to teach ESL in the U.S. And, they more often than not provide all the visas you need ?

I hope all is well with you and the school.”

“The course helped a great deal.When applying for a teaching job here in the United States it allowed me to apply for many different jobs.With an elementary education degree it definitely helped.I will be teaching a mix of students ages 9 to 11 years old (4th and 5th grade beginning August 2008.I will be able to “substitute” for ESL as well.”

Natalie Nelson (Missouri, USA)


Teaching in Europe

“Hello Erwin, I spent the rest of last summer teaching private students in Toulouse and Paris and have already had one job at an adult education college teaching Adult literacy to native speakers in the UK who were never fortunate enough to learn to read. This was an extremely challenging and rewarding job as many of my younger students were from very deprived areas and many lacked (previous to my employment if I may say so!) aspirations or even the realisation of just how fun and useful reading can be.

I am currently working in Manchester teaching several private groups while searching for opportunities abroad.I am running a small private practice and occasionally cover at a literacy school in London.I’m teaching various types of classes and most of my students are business clients, though I also teach several young learners.

During the course the emphasis on job guidance and hours of supervised teaching practice were priceless! And the course helped me to source my clients. Also has helped me to secure work teaching Adult literacy to new deal clients in the UK which has been immensely rewarding.For these experiences and for many others to come I will be continually in your debt! All in all the course has opened the world to me in exactly the manner in which I had hoped, indeed just this week I have had many positive responses from many schools all over the world since I started sending out my CV for summer programmes.

At this moment in time teaching has become a new obsession for me! I’m learning a lot about myself as a teacher and a person and developing skills which will be with me for the rest of my life, so once again Thank you.”

Daniel Bonner (Manchester, UK)


“Hi Erwin, 

I hope all is well and TEFL Barcelona is prospering, I have very fond memories of my roller coaster ride that month in Barcelona. 

I am currently teaching in Ecuador. I have a job working for an NGO targeting sustainable Eco tourism in Indigenous territories, called the Pachamama Alliance. I am currently living deep in the Amazon jungle in a community of Achuar Indians. It is what you could call extreme teaching, as not only are you teaching people from a completely different culture but you also have to contend with jungle life. No electricity, running water and all that that entails. I am however enjoying it very much and it is a great challenge. I am planning on returning to Englandfor Christmas, and want to get a job teaching, preferably in London. I was wondering if you could offer my any advice, or you knew of any job opportunities teaching in England.

Best wishes,
Daniel Combes (UK)


 “I’m working for a company in Sweden with their English education and also with their Swedish education for employees from other countries. Right now I have the CEO from Germany and the financial director from Francefor Swedish classes and for English classes I have 2 groups with 6 people in each. So I do TEFL in both English and Swedish and it works really well. I also work as a freelance teacher and just rent myself out by the hour. I really do like it. I really think it works to use a TEFL course to teach other languages as well, not just English. Next year I hope I can teach in Barcelona, probably both English and Swedish.”

Lisa Kjellme (Sweden)


 “Hi Erwin,
Hope you are well, thank you for the group email. Just thought I’d let you know what I’m up to – I’m in a small indigenous village in the mountains of La Sierra Norte, outside Oaxaca, Mexico. I’m teaching at the high school, I have 125 students aged between 15 and 18. Their English is very basic and the classes can be quite rowdy but it’s a lot of fun nevertheless! I’m also running a youth centre in the village in the afternoons. I’m leaving here end of December and then traveling down Central America, and may look for work in Buenos Aires, but still not sure! Hope you are well and enjoying life in Barcelona! I do miss the city a lot (living here we are four hours away from the nearest cinema or any other sign of civilisation) and hope to come back to Barcelona in the near future.
Best wishes

Lucy Scales ( UK)