Course Information Guide
1. What does the tuition for the program include?
Total course fees:
Comprised of: $500 non-refundable deposit (paid directly to TEFL International Seville) 920 Euros Final TEFL Course Payment
Accommodation: 350 euros for single room or 250 euros for double room (upon request, if available)
*Please note that the course fee does not include flights, meals or other living expenses.
2. Who are the TEFL International Seville staff?
Shelia Istif: Course Coordinator; manages administrative and academic side of the course including financial aspects along with student correspondence and arrivals; teaches grammar inputs.
Hollie Raven: Trainer; teaches phonology along with numerous teaching techniques, coordinates teaching practice for TEFL students.
3. Where is the course held?
The course is held in our offices located in the Los Remedios district of Seville, on the west side of the beautiful Guadalquivir River. Along the nearby streets are a variety of cafés, restaurants, banks, services and internet cafés.
4. What is an average program day like?
The course is an intense, challenging, and fun experience. The school day begins at either 10:00 or 10:30. During the first sessions of the day grammar and theory are discussed. Trainees teach from 17:00 to 18:30. Thursdays and Fridays there is no teaching practice, so your weekend starts at 15.00.
5. How many students on average are in the program each month?
On average we have about fifteen students enrolled in each program, most of whom are American or British.
6. What are the students and classes like with whom I’ll be doing my teaching practicum?
Our practice students are adults of all ages and professions. They usually stay on from course to course and form good relationships with TEFL trainees and staff.
7. What are the program accommodations like? Where are they located?
The accommodation is in 3 bedroom apartments. You will have your own room (unless you request to share), and two other trainees as flatmates. The flats are comfortable and simply furnished. The kitchens are equipped with basic cooking utensils, stoves, refrigerators and washing machines. Blankets and sheets are provided, but bath towels are not.
The flats are not equipped with either air conditioning or heating, like most homes in southern Spain. In winter, it is actually often much colder inside the houses than out. Please bring appropriate clothes for cold or hot weather and especially for night time.
Each location is well-equipped with grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, bars, and shops. Our flats are a 5 minute walk from the school. They are also well-connected with the city centre, with several direct bus lines to the main city square. City buses are used by everyone in Seville. They are safe, affordable and easy to use.
8. When are the school accommodations available?
Our accommodations are available from the Sunday before the first day of the course to the Friday after the last day of the course. Our pick-up service is only on the Sunday before the first day of the course, so make your travel plans accordingly
9. Can I have things shipped or mailed to me at the school?
Yes! In fact, we suggest you have things sent to you at school, rather than your apartment, since the reliability of the Spanish postal system can be sporadic. Your mailing address while on the course will be:
Your name
TEFL International
C/ Virgen de Lujan 56,1A
41011-Sevilla SPAIN
10. Can I bring my laptop?
Feel free to bring your laptop if you´d like. However, we have no phone lines available at the school for hooking up a laptop, and there are no phone lines in the provided accommodation. However, there are also numerous internet facilities all over Seville, and should you require a computer for TEFL coursework at school, we have a computer exclusively for our trainees.
The Job Market in Spain; Teaching in Spain; Paperwork and Documentation
1. What is the job market in Spain like at the moment? Will I have trouble securing employment?
The job market in Spain is rather good at the moment. If you are diligent and open to a variety of locations you are likely to locate work. The worst time to be looking for work in Spain is in late summer, since everyone in the country is on holiday and there are no students to be taught, and by the end of September most schools have already contracted their teachers for the year and are no longer hiring.
2. When do I need to start looking for work in Spain? Where do I start?
We suggest you begin setting up interviews and sending resumes in the second week of the program, and we can help you with this. There are a limited number language schools in Seville, but bigger cities like Madrid and Barcelona have over a hundred each, and there are thousands elsewhere in Spain.
3. What will TEFL International do to help me secure employment?
We can give you a list of schools in Seville and elsewhere in Spain and help you with resume and interview preparation. We guarantee job placement assistance, but please note that TEFL International doesn’t “guarantee” its graduates employment in Spain; it is ultimately up to you to “sell yourself” to a school, as they say.
4. What is the average salary like?
The average salary in Spain is about 900 Euros per month, though of course this varies depending on what type of school or company you work for, whether you work full- or part-time.
5. Are most positions contracted? Is it important to have a contract?
If you are a US citizen you will need to secure contracted employment in order to be eligible to apply for a proper work visa. You are not eligible to apply for a visa before leaving the States - you must have contracted employment first. It is difficult to get a legal work contract from a language school in Spain as schools who hire non-EU citizens will do so without going through the proper legal procedures. If you are a citizen of an EU country, you are permitted to work anywhere in the EU, so this is not so much of an issue for you.
6. Do most schools provide accommodations for their teachers?
No, but there are schools that do this. For example, they will provide a room for you, either shared or single, probably in an apartment with other teachers, and provide you with a monthly stipend. However, it varies from school to school.
7. How many of the TEFL graduates actually find work in Spain?
Some of our trainees have had very good luck in securing employment in Spain.
8. Do schools provide health insurance?
No. However, some medical facilities in Seville/Spain accept American insurance plans or you could set up a policy with one of the private Spanish insurance companies. EU citizens need only furnish identification to be seen.
9. Do schools provide work permits?
Very few schools will help you secure a work permit, but some will. In order to be eligible for such a visa you must be contracted by your school, and you will have to return to the States to obtain the visa. You are not eligible to apply to this visa without already having a job in Spain to sponsor you, so it is fruitless to go to the embassy at home before you leave to try to obtain one. (EU members need only their EU documentation to work legally in Spain, as elsewhere in the EU).
10. What is a typical teaching position like?
Of course it varies from school to school, but you may be expected to teach a variety of courses, ranging from children to business professionals at all levels, in groups or in private sessions.
11. Can I return to the States and teach with my certificate?
Yes, though the requirements for working in ESL in the States are different, and tend to require graduate education in ESL.
Questions about Seville; Living in Spain
1. What are the average living expenses in Seville?
Most likely you will rent a room in an apartment or house with other students or Spanish people, and of course it depends on where you choose to live. A nice room in a nice area of Seville is about 300 Euros or more per month, and this usually includes bathroom and kitchen use. Madrid and Barcelona are slightly more expensive. Obviously if you choose to live on the outskirts of the city you will pay less than you would to live downtown in the city centre.
2. How do I find housing subsequent to the program?
There are a number of newspapers that are published weekly with apartments and rooms for rent. We also have several connections with landlords from whom we regularly rent apartments. Depending on the number of trainees on our next course, you may be able to stay on in our accommodation for several weeks.
3. What do I do if I get sick in Spain?
If you find yourself requiring medical attention, Seville has a number of very good hospitals and clinics with well-educated, helpful doctors. The health care system is generally free and available to everyone, and there are pharmacies on every corner throughout the city.
4. What’s the public transportation system like?
There is a comprehensive bus system in Seville which is safe and easy to use.
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