Case studies : English teacher in Spain: Sara Metcalfe

Sara graduated with a BA (Hons) Spanish and Geography before moving to Spain to enrol on a Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) course

Following my degree I decided that I wanted to move to Spain in order to teach English and improve my fluency in Spanish. I enrolled on the TEFL in Spain course as it was the only one that promised a guaranteed job and because I had always wanted to live in Malaga.

Upon graduating the director of the language school where I had been studying offered me a job. I am currently working as an English teacher in this language academy.

I think that having knowledge of Spanish has undoubtedly helped me in this line of work. Especially, when working with children or beginners when there is a high-level need to translate in order for them to understand. The fact that I understand the difficulties of learning a language also helps me to connect with my students.

I am now working 25-30 hours a week as one of the main teachers in the language school. Furthermore, I am subcontracted to work in a private school, in which I am employed to teach not only the students but also the teachers. I have just been made a key holder at the academy. A usual day consists of three hours work in the morning in the academy and then three or four hours work in the evenings, either in the academy or the private school.

I am a people person and I really love the fact that it is a highly sociable job. I like the fact that every group is completely different and I love it when you can see real progress in your students.

I think that the hardest part about teaching is finding your own style and rhythm. Once you have found a style that works for you and your students you will automatically feel more confident as a teacher. Obviously, there are some difficult groups but you quickly learn how to deal with these situations. Teaching can be a bit of trial and error as you are learning how to tailor your classes to the individual needs. Similarly, there is a lot of behind the scenes work with teaching. It is also difficult for native speakers to learn how to explain grammar, as we have never been taught the rules.

I would recommend the TEFL in Spain course to anyone who is serious about teaching. In order to be a good teacher you need to have passion for the job and you need to be prepared to put the hours in, as teaching is definitely a job that you take home with you. If you have this kind of passion for people or languages then it is a really fun, varied and rewarding job.