Your Gap Year In Barcelona: Teach English & Learn Spanish
Five weeks to six months with other young adults from around the world. Get qualified to teach English, learn Spanish and make the city yours.
From €3,300, with the Trinity CertTESOL, your accommodation and airport pickup included.
- 4.9 on Google from 200 reviews
- Trinity CertTESOL training since 2017
- Gap years since 2012
We have made so many good friends, had countless new experiences and done things we didn't think we were able to do. Barcelona is incredible and the programme gave us the confidence to embrace everything it has to offer.
Erko and Denisa, from the USA, Double Semester
Free Live Event: Planning a gap year in Spain
For students and parents. Tuesday 27 October, 6pm Spain / 5pm UK / 1pm New York. Recording for everyone who registers.
Who You’ll Be With
A small group of 6 to 12, mostly 18 to 25 and all 18 or over, from the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and beyond. You train together, explore the city together and go home with friends across the world.
A Week On The Gap Year
Weeks 1 to 4: become an English teacher
Train for the Trinity CertTESOL: practical sessions in the morning, supervised teaching with real learners in the afternoon. Earn your certification after 4 weeks.
Monday to Friday, 09:30 to 18:30
Mornings from week 5: learn Spanish
Spanish classes at our sister school, in the same building. A level test puts you in the right group.
20 hours a week
Afternoons: make Barcelona yours
Have a long lunch, go to the beach, explore a new neighbourhood. Your time to enjoy everything the city has to offer.
Free time
Evenings: get together
Tapas, social events and your coordinator's tips help you get the most out of the city.
The social calendar
Weekends: explore beyond the city
Montserrat, Girona, Sitges and the Costa Brava with the group.
2 to 8 excursions includedFour Packages
Every package includes the four-week Trinity CertTESOL, your accommodation and airport pickup. Longer programmes include more hours of Spanish lessons and more cultural activities.
Trinity CertTESOL- 1 week of Spanish
- Shared flat, 5 weeks
- 2 weekend excursions
- Airport pickup
- Trinity CertTESOL
- 6 weeks of Spanish
- Shared flat, 10 weeks
- 4 weekend excursions
- Airport pickup
- Trinity CertTESOL
- 8 weeks of Spanish
- Shared flat, 12 weeks
- 4 excursions, SIELE exam
- Airport pickup
- Trinity CertTESOL
- 20 weeks of Spanish
- Shared flat, 24 weeks
- 8 excursions, SIELE exam
- Student visa and work experience
Planning the year with your parents? Accommodation, support and costs, for parents.
Your Accommodation
Accommodation is included in every package.
Your own room in a shared flat
A private bedroom with a bed, desk, wardrobe and storage, in a flat of three or four students on the programme. All flats are managed by the school, with a dedicated accommodation coordinator.
Bills, wifi, bedding: included
Electricity, water, gas and fast wifi are included in the price, as well as bedding, towels and the basics for the kitchen. A fully equipped kitchen and Barcelona’s great restaurants for the nights you don’t want to cook.
Local support when you need it
A resident assistant lives in every flat: a slightly older student who has lived in Barcelona for at least a year and speaks Spanish. They meet you on arrival day and are there for the small things, from a doctor’s appointment to the right metro line.
Make Your Gap Year Count Towards College
Want to keep moving towards your degree while you are in Barcelona? Add the online Life Skills Foundation Course to your programme and earn up to 9 US college credits.
- Three units, worth 3 credits each
- Fully online and self-paced, around 100 hours of study
- Assessed on projects and reflections, no exams
- An official academic transcript on completion
€2,100 alongside your programme. Credit transfer depends on your university, so check with your registrar before you enrol.
For Parents
For many of our students this is their first time living abroad and away from home. Here is how we support them.
Support throughout the stay
A dedicated coordinator from arrival to departure, a 24-hour emergency number, airport pickup, and teacher trainers and Spanish teachers who see them every weekday for the entire stay.
Accommodation arranged for them
A private bedroom in a shared flat with other students on the programme, bills included, a resident assistant in the flat, a short walk or metro ride from the school.
Clear costs & no surprises
One package price. Pay a €500 deposit to reserve a place and the balance is due 4 weeks before the start. The Double Semester requires 50% to be paid before the consulate visa appointment. Flights, insurance and spending money are extra.
Parents: email coordination@tefl-iberia.com or book a call with our coordinator. We are happy to talk to you directly.
Dates 2027
Gap Year Questions
Not for the Summer, Long Summer and Semester packages if your passport lets you stay 90 days in Spain as a visitor, which includes Americans, British, Canadians and Australians. The Double Semester is 24 weeks, so it includes a student visa, which we arrange with you.
Not on a tourist visa. The Double Semester includes a student visa & work experience as part of the programme: teaching at our sister school after your CertTESOL. If you want to stay and work in Spain after the programme, ask us on the call about the routes that do carry a work right.
If the consulate refuses you over paperwork that can be corrected, you appeal or apply again. If the refusal stands, we refund the fees you have paid less a €300 administration fee. If the refusal is for a reason of your own, such as not meeting the financial requirement or inaccurate documents, the fees are not refundable. The full rule is section 5 of our terms, which you read before you pay.
The Trinity CertTESOL, a level 5 teaching qualification recognised worldwide. Spanish, with the SIELE exam on the Semester and Double Semester. Weeks or months of living independently abroad, with a safety net. And, if you add it, up to 9 US college credits.
Yes. The Life Skills Foundation Course is an optional add-on (€2,100) that earns you up to 9 US college credits while you are in Barcelona. Three units of 3 credits each: professional development and communication, personal development and wellness, and financial literacy and ethics. It is fully online and self-paced, about 100 hours in all, with no exams: you are assessed on projects and reflections.
- Tick the college credit option when you apply.
- You get your login for the online platform before you arrive in Barcelona.
- Study at your own pace around the programme: video lectures, interactive content and assignments, no fixed times.
- On completion you receive an official academic transcript to send to your university.
The credits transfer to most US colleges and universities, often towards general education requirements. Check with your registrar before you book.
Flights, travel and health insurance, spending money, the consulate's visa fee on the Double Semester, and the college credit course, which is €2,100 on top. Everything on the package card is in the price: the Trinity CertTESOL, your flat with bills, airport pickup, the Spanish classes and the excursions.
A €500 deposit holds your place after the interview call; the balance is due 4 weeks before the start. On the Double Semester, 50% of the fee is paid before your visa appointment, so we can issue your enrolment letter. A payment plan is available.
Ready for Barcelona?
Apply, download the brochure, or book a call with our coordinator, with your parents if you like.