Frequently Asked Questions

If you are a European Union citizen then you are free to work and study in any of the EU countries. If you are a non-EU citizen then you can stay up to three months as a tourist and you are free to study and do private classes during this time. If you would like to stay longer and obtain a work permit, the easiest way to do this is with a student visa, which will allow you to work up to 20 hours per week (which is full time for an English teacher). TEFL Iberia can process a student visa for you, for more detailed information please contact coordination@tefl-iberia.com.

If you apply for a long-term student visa (more than 6 months), yes, you can work through a “convenio de prácticas”, which is like an agreement between us (your school) and your future employer. It states that you are studying with us and doing paid work experience at the school, which allows you to get a work contract and register with social security, etc. The only limitation is that you can only work a maximum of 20 hours per week (which is perfect for English teaching jobs).

Officially up to 20 hours per week.

It varies from country to country but on average you should give yourself 2 months from start to finish.

Yes, in order to be approved for the visa you must show that you have paid for the full course. You can pay for the course in instalments, but the full amount must be paid before you apply at the consulate.

If your visa application is denied due to error on your part (incorrect information, missing paperwork, etc) you will be entitled to a refund of the course fees, minus 350€. If your visa application is denied due to error by the school you will be entitled to a full refund.

Yes, no problem at all.

Yes, if you have a long-term visa (7 months or more) you can extend from within Spain by signing up to further courses.

No, not with a course in our category, which is 'professional training'. It is possible to apply from within Spain if you sign up for Spanish lessons at a Cervantes-accredited Spanish school or a university, as long as you do it within 30 days of arriving.

Yes, you should make an appointment at your nearest consulate. Here you have a list of all the consulates around the world

Yes, but your previous course must be related to teaching or Spanish. You need a certificate of completion from your old school (certificado de aprovechamiento) and an enrolment letter from us to take to the administration office.

Nowadays it is very difficult. The sponsorship process is a large commitment for an employer and it is very hard to find a company willing to take it on. Even if you do, you would have to involve costly immigration lawyers and prove that someone from the EU can’t do the job, which is extremely difficult.

Yes, but you would have to leave the EU for a minimum of 3 months.

No, your visa has a fixed start and end date.

They are effectively the same. NIE: 'número de identidad extranjero' = your ID number. TIE: 'tarjeta de identidad extranjero' = your ID card. Your ID card has your ID number on it.

No, in order to work you need to be on a long-term student visa (7 months or more).

You will be based within 30min walking distance or public transport of the school. Barcelona and Seville public transport systems are very well developed and cheap, so you’ll usually be within a ten-minute walk of a metro station.

Yes. If you choose our pre-arranged accommodation then we will house you with other students, ex-students, or English teachers already living here. If you’re keen on practicing your Spanish, then you can also request to be housed with a local. Living with people who already know the city is a great way to get to know the neighbourhood and meet a few people too.

Our flats are all modern, clean and in good areas, with fully-equipped kitchens, washing machines and high-speed Internet. You will have your own bedroom with a double bed, clean bedding, a desk and complete access to the common areas. As soon as your accommodation is confirmed, our coordinator will send you all the details with photos of the flat and a map with directions to the school.

Yes, all bills are included. Electricity, gas, water, wifi, etc are included. Food, meals and public transport are not included.

No, they are not.

As soon as possible!* The earlier you confirm you’d like us to organize you a room, the more likely we’ll be able to find you the perfect place according to your preferences. *Please note students must confirm and pay for accommodation at least two weeks before their arrival date, otherwise we cannot guarantee we will have a room available.

We organise all check-ins for the Sunday before your course start date, and check-outs on the Saturday after you finish. If you wish to arrive earlier we can share some hotel or hostel recommendations. It might be possible to extend your stay once your course finishes, depending on availability.

Yes, you will be required to pay a refundable security deposit upon arrival, preferably in cash, which will be returned to you when you leave. It will be no higher than €200.

It is possible to arrange accommodation for two or more people. Let us know as soon as you can so we can make arrangements.

Normally no, but it is possible to come to a private arrangement with your host.

We are able to organize a single flat for you but there will be a significant price increase. If you don’t mind sharing a flat but would prefer a private bathroom, we can also arrange this.

This depends on your host, you will need them to sign a form that says you are living in the flat.

English is the only language used in our classroom, and throughout the program, we will show you how to properly teach English without the usage of any foreign language. That way you can teach everywhere from Barcelona to Beijing. With that said, learning some basic Spanish will certainly enrich your Spain experience outside of the classroom! Check out Iberia Language Academy for quality Spanish courses.

No, we provide you with all the resources and support to find a job, but ultimately the onus is on you to contact schools, send your CV, etc.

Normally two weeks of continued job searching. We run our job finding workshop early-on in the course so you can start looking for jobs before the end of the course.

The average rate of pay nowadays for new teachers is 15-17€/hour. Working for an academy full time (20 hours) you can expect to earn 1300€/month after tax. If you add on 2 private classes per week (it is easy to do more) you can increase that to 1600€/month.

It varies. Some people obtain a full-time teaching position in one academy and teach 16-22 hours per week. Others start on a smaller timetable of 6-12 hours per week then gradually build up their timetable with other academies and private classes.

Very easy. The English teaching industry is very stable; spoken English is a highly sought-after skill so there is still a large demand for English teachers. Job websites are updated daily with numerous job adverts ranging from private classes to full-time teaching positions.

You can expect to pay 550-600€ for a quality double room in a shared flat in the city centre, then about 150€/week on food and entertainment – this money will stretch quite far as Barcelona can be very cheap compared to the UK / US / Canada / Australia.

Seville is even cheaper than Barcelona: you can expect to pay 350-400€ for a quality double room in a shared flat in the city centre, then about 120€/week on food and entertainment.