Andrea Furneaux

Teaching English in Spain – A great way to fund your travels! For many, the allure of living in far-flung corners of the world is enough to take the plunge into teaching English as a career. But why elect Spain as your destination of choice? I first moved to Spain in 2015 after graduating university in the UK. Although I certainly hadn’t always dreamed of becoming a teacher, I always knew the travel bug, which I acquired as a young girl, would lead me to living abroad. Spain is known for having one of the highest qualities of life in the world for expats - and for good reason. In Spain, you don’t need to earn much to live like a king (or queen). Imagine yourself perched at a beach bar, listening to live flamenco music and sipping on a cold glass of sangria as you watch the sun set over the Mediterranean Sea. You can see why so many choose to call this wonderful country home. Becoming a teacher in Spain is a relatively straightforward process. Although some teachers have TEFL qualifications, it certainly isn’t a necessity. In a country where speaking English is becoming such an essential requirement to work and where so many locals can’t, simply being an English speaker will get your foot in the door. With possibilities to teach anyone from infants to lawyers and enormous flexibility with working hours, ample time is left to pursue your passion in travel photography or your expat blog. Not to mention the three-month holidays in the summer, giving you oodles of time to explore the magnificent sights that Spain has to offer. You may even find some unique opportunities to travel. For instance, last summer, having only been teaching for two years, I managed to secure a once in a lifetime job teaching a family of Russian millionaires on the Russian State Yacht. We sailed around the stunning Balearic Islands and ended our trip sightseeing in magical Barcelona. I quite literally got paid to speak in my native language and live like a member of their family for 10 days. Luckily for me, this entailed racking up obscene tabs in Ibiza’s finest restaurants (all paid for by them of course), having a private 14-course meal inside Antoni Gaudí’s ‘Casa Battlò’ and not to mention jet skiing around the crystal clear waters of Formentera. Did I mention I got paid – a lot in fact! The English teaching community in Spain is like a bubble. Without even trying to, you network with so many other teachers. By nature, those teaching English abroad love to travel. You can hear so many stories and tips on where to travel next, where to avoid, and how to afford travelling whilst teaching English. It’s an invaluable source of not only information but also community to make you feel at home, when you may actually be very far from your loved ones. As well as getting a fantastic year-round tan, finally acquiring some semi-adequate dance moves and making friends for life, there’s one more skill I’ve learned here that has made a significant impact on my life – learning a second language. Coming from a country that doesn’t focus on learning languages at all, it’s never something I considered. But learning Spanish over the last few years has opened up uncountable doors for me. Besides now being able to communicate with 50 million more people in the world, I can also travel to 20 more countries and live and work like a local. My job opportunities have grown infinitely as the world internationalizes further everyday and the need to communicate across borders and cultures greatens. Apart from all of the practical advantages, it’s incredibly rewarding and satisfying to gradually feel yourself becoming more and more fluent in a language, often without even trying to. You get to know the people and the culture in a completely new light when you’re speaking to them in their native tongue. It’s truly magical.