With jer's permission of course, I would like to start a directory of schools here.
Post a message with a brief outline of work conditions at any school you may have worked at. Of course, if they pay very well SAY SO!! (We all want the ���s)
I imagine jer wouldn't appreciate dealing with a libel action, so we should probably avoid saying anything TOO negative. On the other hand, if you do want to heavily criticise a school, you could add "PM me for more details on this school" to a posting.
Hopefully if people post on here regularly, it will become a searchable database before long.
(By the way, does this kind of thing already exist somewhere?)
I'll start.
WINDSOR IDIOMAS- A very nice school to work for. Sadly it is out in the suburbs (Mirasierra), so commuting time is a problem, but they are great to work for. Pay is fairly standard.
TRANLAN- A very legit, small company that pays on-time for company classes. The boss leaves you pretty much too it. Problem is that the academy is a million miles out of town, so all you see is one textbook and a meeting with the boss in a cafe once a month to collect your pay.
WINDSOR INSTITUTE - Big company which has lots of contacts (Windsor TEFL, the training college is on the same site, so they will help you find other work) Classes are in-company. Pay is standard. They expect you to do a fair amount of extra work though - examining, reports, etc.
Well, thats my (limited) knowledge of Madrid schools shared, now to you all!
Cervantes, sorry but I find that much too formal!!!!! You ask whether this database already exists!!!! This whole board is a database if you want to search!!! But I agree, an easy topic for people to search on.
IMO this board is a fun place to come and chat, argue, give opinions etc, look for information, and then feel that you actually belong to mm, which helps when you do eventually arrive in Madrid!!
________________________________________ Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional
hey Cervantes, like the initiative and will leave this up as long as you promise to stop destroying my trademark lowercase "multimadrid" by writing "MultiMadrid"
and if is not too much to ask (or too anal on my part:jeje, let's stick to "jer".
i have removed the "multimadrid official" from the title of this thread, as you said, i prefer the site to remain neutral.
ok, my additions from when i was an english teacher...
THE BETA GROUP (EL GRUPO BETA): eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek, stay the hell away if you know what's good for you. aweful boss who does not care in the least about her teachers. pays late and makes you feel guilty about charging for your teaching there. my last day there she made one of the lady teachers cry from the stress and yelling. STAY AWAY!!!
they have changed locations since i was a teacher there about 5 years ago but the owner is the same.
in my early web design days, i also was "chosen" to design their website ( www.betagroup.com ) at slave wages. felt i would be fired if i did not agree to do it (although my boss never said it in those words).
this made up derectory of schools to teach at in spain may help out me for later usage because iam planning on moving to spain that is after i graduate from my university here in the states. people are telling me that spain is always looking for english teachers what kind of a degree associates bachlers? to teach english in spain will i need? jer should be able to answere this i just want back in spain!!! but i want a joib while iam there so i can live decently in a small apartment maybe rent with someone ok now sorry if i have taking the topic a bit off. thankyu in advance for the responce to my questions i have.
Dios es mi salvador y todo lo que hay dentro de mi
Posts: 118 | Location: EEUU y Madrid | Registered: 03 April 2004
originally posted by jer: [qb] long as you promise to stop destroying my trademark lowercase "multimadrid" by writing "MultiMadrid"
and if is not too much to ask (or too anal on my part:jeje, let's stick to "jer".
[/qb]
Geez... "trademark lowercase"? Didnt k.d. lang start that? Quick, better copyright that idea jer, you might be able to sue thelostprophets for it.
I'd just like everyone to know that my name is spelt with a capital 'C', and the rest is all lowercase. Thank you for listening.
So as to keep this on the subject of a schools directory and not A Pedants Guide to Trademarks, I forgot to add the summer camp I am currently working at, so here goes.
TECS (Cadiz) - Don't work here. Excessively long hours, less than 4 hours off a day, a nonchalant attitude to staff and camper sickness. PM me for more libelous comments.
what kind of a degree associates bachlers? to teach english in spain will i need? jer should be able to answere this
not sure why i was only an english teacher here for under a year. i think of all the members here i am the least qualified to answer that. oh, my background is also as a spanish teacher, not an english teacher, i only taught english here to get by until something better came along although i was good at it and liked it ok.
also, that topic (teaching here) has been covered to death on the board, please do some SEARCHES (espcially on the work and residency forum).
don't want this thread to get off topic so let's stick to the original topic and ONLY add schools we have worked for.
Rocco, i deleted your post as it only linked to a page that lists schools and places to work. that is not the idea of this thread, the idea here is for people to give their personal opinions on schools they have worked at.
if you want to take from this thread and add to your list, that's cool too
thanks for understanding.
Cervantes, mucho apreciado on the lowercase thang amigo :jeje:
Well, I'm disappointed in the lack of interest in this directory. We are all going to job interviews right now, and discovering that we don't want to work for them because of whatever reason. I've wasted a good 5 or 6 hours on interviews that were really pointless to go to.
I haven't given up on this directory, so I am going to share with you all what I have learnt from a week of interviews, hopefully someone else will add their knowledge too.
Here we go. Note: these are only from INTERVIEWS - terms and conditions mentioned in a brief chat - I have NOT worked for any of these companies.
INTER-COM - good place, nothing after 6pm, and can give you 15hrs - pretty good if you can get privates to subsidise yourself in the evening. Lots of catholic school work at lunchtimes and before class starts in the morning, which is interesting. 14�/hr
OPEN SCHOOL - 10.50� - take it or leave it. I left it. I would advise you to as well. Interview in Spanish too, which may not be good for some of you.
PARANINFO - not a sex maniac in a wheelchair, but a school run by a French lady who speaks very little English. She offered me 12�, I asked for 15�, I got it. Business classes mainly, I think.
THAMESIS - Only 12�/hr, but you get full holiday pay and even insurance - in my experience you don't usually get holiday pay for business classes, but here you do. The DOS was also really keen to find me exactly what I wanted, which was good.
ASTEX (or something like that) only 12�/hr and you are running around Madrid going to businesses.
CEE - pay is only 9.5� (although I think I can push it a bit further) but for those of us who live right in the centre it is handy. I managed to get classes at 11.00, which nicely fits a timeslot you'll never find elsewhere. I can also teach the same thing on Tues and Thurs as I taught on Mon and Wed, as they are different classes with the same levels.
Erm... I think thats all the interviews I've been to!
Now c�mon guys, give us all a hand with this job search lark and tell us what you know!
I�ve worked with Emerson Language Resources. Run by two American ladies. Been in the market for about 5 years now. They do primarily business English sending out teachers, but they also teach some classes onsite in their new offices. They prefer to work with legal folks. Looking for TEFL trained teachers. They are hiring now. If interested check out their website for the contact info.
They hire both freelance teachers as well as offer laboral contracts (por obra y servicio).
Hi guys. I just wanted to give you some positive reinforcement since it seems only a couple of you are posting your opinions and there are a ton of schools to learn about. Moving in to teaching english as a foreign language is something I'm considering and a directory like this is invaluable.
Posts: 1 | Location: UK | Registered: 13 September 2004
Hey there, my only experience with an academy in Madrid is with American Language Academy. It's pretty standard, some company classes, some in house, etc, and the pay is monthly, or hourly as you decide, but it is the same as all over, the average about 12 I think if you do the math. The more time you're there, the more say you get in your schedule, etc. I have had a good experience there, no major complaints! Hope that helps!
Posts: 541 | Location: Madrid (but from Boston) | Registered: 16 December 2002
When you worked for the ALA, did they get you working papers? I ask because I am a non-EU person and it looks like you are too, since you mention you're from Boston.
Thanks for your help,
Marsha
Posts: 78 | Location: Back in the States, in a boring suburb near Philadelphia | Registered: 08 July 2006