Coming to Madrid January 23 and will start looking for jobs and appartments right away (jobs first).

Apart from a general request to anyone reading to let me and others on this forum know about ESL opportunities, (CELTA certified, no work permit by the way), I'm interested in knowing how other people currently teaching English went about their job searches once they arrived.

I've always assumed I'd get to Madrid with my list of adresses of academias and colegios and simply hit the bricks; knock on doors wich C.V. in hand and ask if they need an English instructor.

Is it that simple or do I need more of an 'enchufe'?

Qu� me suger�is?

Hey Rocinante, jer here. Welcome to the board!

Well, hate to sound negative but your illegal working situation will hinder you bigtime here, fewer and fewer companies/schools are willing to hire (off the books) Americans and other non-EU citizens. Plus, with a big step of the Euro on Jan. 1st 2002 and the ever increasing consolidation of the European Union, I fear that this will only get worse for non-EU members

Going to the schools yourself is the more presonalway to go about any job search but is more time consuming as well. It may be your only real option though since you mauy not get any answers by simply e-mailing your C.V. or sending it via snail mail. Many schools here are still in the dark ages when it comes to technology

"Enchufe" ("Connections") always helps as the old "who you know over what you know" is still alive and well here in Spain, but you will find that with a TEFL, TOESL,CELTA, etc... degree your job search will be easier. I will repeat however that the lack of legal working papers in a MAJOR disadvantage.

Also, many teachers here are run ragged by the schools/companies they work for. You may have to run around the city a lot if you work for companies that send you to in-company classes.

Keep an eye on my monthly classifieds section at www.multimadrid.com/classifieds (brought to you by the world famous InMadrid newspaper here, online at (www.in-madrid.com), it usually has a jobs offered section that is chock-full-of teaching job offers.

Another good resource for anyone looking to teach English in Spain is the Ex Patriat Caf� at www.expatriatecafe.com . Maybe Tracy Moral (she runs the site) will drop by this thread and give you some good advice as well

Saludos & Suerte,
jer...

p.d. one thing is for sure, finding a job from abroad is next to impossible so if you are serious about it all, arrive and then search. That is not to say that a lot of pre-arrival research is not a good idea, it is, but the actual job search will not be easy from abroad. The same goes for finding an apartment or room to rent.

I totally agree with Jeremy. I will add though that if you want to get in touch with others already in Spain, The SPAIN-ENGLISH message boards is a great place to start. It's run by (ahem)the Expatriate Cafe and keeps many of the expatriates from the USA in contact.

Also, as tight as things are getting for non-EU citizens, I still have reason to believe that jobs DO exist for people without visas. I know many (through the Spain-English boards) who are sustaining themselves by teaching...they're working like dogs, but it's what they enjoy.

And I do know of several directors of Academies who, if they like the teacher well enough, will take a chance and hire them under-the-table.

At any rate, as with anything, it all depends on how big your dreams are, and how much you are willing to struggle for them.

Come visit us at THE EXPATRIATE CAFE

Tracy