Teaching English in Spain Part 2

This article has been updated and is now on my Newsvine column.
Here is a link to it: Teaching English In Spain: Practicalities From Someone Who Is Doing It, Part 2

Teaching English in Spain

This article has been updated and can be found on my Newsvine column. Here's a link to the article:
Teaching English In Spain: Practicalities From Someone Who Is Doing It

Ha pasado mucho tiempo...

It's been a while since I've written. I've been working a lot -- both as head teacher and English teacher. I am teaching 20 1/2 hours a week and am spending between 10 and 20 hours each week on head teacher related tasks. That doesn't count lesson planning time, travel time to/from classes and the occasional language audit.

Working for only one school is an interesting change from the last academic year, when I taught for 6 different schools. Then I taught 28 hours a week and did a lot more travelling around town. To get to/from one of my classes I had to travel each way for over an hour by metro and bus. Another couple of classes required 30 minute metro rides -- plus the 5 or 10 minute walk it took to/from the metro station. This year all of my classes are centrally located, thank God.

My sink or swim head teacher training has been continuing. Now I am able to do more than just tread water. It'll probably still be a while before I can do something like the backstroke.

All things considered, things are going well and life is good. But I wish I had more time for blogging.

Chao amig@s,

Carloz

What is a Head Teacher?

I'm still asking myself this one month after officially becoming one!

Wikipedia describes a Head Teacher as, "the most senior teacher in a school in the United Kingdom...While some head teachers still retain some teaching responsibility, other than in very small schools, most of their duties are managerial and pastoral."

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Pastoral?! Well, here we come to a difference between US and British usage. In British English pastoral refers to the the part of the work of clergy and teachers that involves giving help and advice about personal matters, whereas in US English this word is associated only with work done by clergy.

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Well, my head teacher work doesn't involve pastoral duties, but it may lead me to personally seek the assistance of someone whose work does! To say it has been challenging is putting it mildly.

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I am sure the work of a head teacher can vary greatly from school to school. At the school I work for it involves being an administrator, coordinator, supervisor, supporter, mentor, advocate, negotiator, organizer and trainer as well as an EFL teacher.

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Yes, I have "retained" my teaching responsibilities -- AND HOW! I was originally told that the job would be mostly teaching and a couple of hours administrative work a week. So far it has been mostly teaching and mostly administrative work. I have put in around 10 to 20 administrative hours each week -- and this does not include the time spent on "language audits" that I have continued to do for the school on the side!
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In all fairness, this is a new position for a growing language school, which makes predicting the work load a challenge; September / October is the beginning of the school year, a time which typically involves a lot of extra work; the Director of Studies, who is responsible for all of Spain, is located in Madrid, not in Barcelona, which requires a lot of telephone and emailing time (for both of us); and the Director of Studies has been on a well deserved vacation for the past couple of weeks. In addition, as with any new job there is a learning curve that can seem overwhelming at times. Therefore, I am hopeful that things will settle down as the school and I learn to develop and adapt to this new position.

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¡Ojalá!

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Carloz

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P.S. Any advice would be appreciated! Prayers, too!!

Adios julio. Hola agosto.

July's been an interesting month. Starting at the end of June, I began saying goodbye in stages to the students I've been teaching this past year. The last ones were this week. Of course for many of them it was really, "hasta luego" ("see you later") rather than goodbye. But it's still a parting.
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It feels really good to look back and see the progress most have made, although a few have really only maintained. In some cases these are the folks who miss lessons and don't do work outside of class. However, for some others maintenance was the goal and it is good that they met that. In the former cases, there includes the occasional student who seems to think a teacher can implant the language into their head. In the latter, these are usually students at pretty advanced levels who take advantage of the lessons to practice and build confidence. Other than the few implant seeking individuals, I am blessed with students who are bright, stimulating and interested in learning.
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This month I have been fortunate to start with a couple of new students. Although pleasurable and interesting, it can also be a little stressful to start teaching someone new. In some ways, it is comparable to a blind date -- for all parties involved. Well, now that I've met and spent a little time with them, I can say they both seem like they will be excellent learners and a pleasure to teach. The fact that, rather than waiting until September or October, they want to start in August, which is practically a synonym for VACATION in Spain, speaks volumes about these two.
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In addition, I have been doing the language audits that I wrote about previously. This is really interesting work, because it's something different and involves speaking with individuals from around the country who have varying levels of English proficiency.
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What about my vacation, you may be asking. Well, we are blessed in Spain to have a good amount of time off. For example, Semana Santa (Holy Week) and the nearly month long Christmas / New Years / Epiphany break, in addition to a host of local, regional and national holidays. So, for August I will only work part time, will see some local sights (there are always things to discover and re-discover here), spend more time at the beach and will more or less take a week off in the middle of the month. (I say more or less, because although I won't be teaching, I will probably still do language audits that week.)

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Some of the Spaniards I know probably think I am just another workaholic American. Well, how about this? To acknowledge that I do live in a country where August is practically a synonym for VACATION, I will also post a little less on the blog.
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I mean, one has to adapt, right?
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Chao amig@s,
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Carloz

Language audits, summer work, summer vacation (not)

I haven't had much time to keep up with the news lately, much less to post something here, because I've been a little busy doing "language audits" for one of the schools I work for. The audits are on incoming students, mostly for the next school year, but occasionally there are students who want to start right away and do some studying this summer.

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The language audit is essentially an interview to verify the level students have been tentatively assigned according to a written examination they have taken. Usually their final level is right at or very near the level they tested out at. However, some people do much better in an interview situation than on a test and vice versa. Therefore, at times a bit of an adjustment may be required.
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It's interesting work, as I get to talk to different people all over Spain (the interviews are done over the telephone) and find out about their careers, their perceptions of English language learning and a variety of other subjects. One of the things that actually touches me is how important this is for most of them. It reminds me that there is real significance and value to teaching English.
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On the practical side, finding administrative work like this is one of the ways an EFL teacher can earn money during the summer months, when the school year is technically out. This is important because while some English teachers in Spain get paid vacation, many do not.
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So, this summer work has been taking up a bit of time, along with the few students of mine who are continuing with lessons through July. Of course in August EFL opportunities will lessen again.
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One thing I don't like about teaching English in a situation like this, is that I don't get much of a summer vacation, if any. After all, when there's no work, there's no pay coming in.

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On the bright side, it's a such a wonderful place to live that the lack of a lengthy vacation away is not so bad. Plus, there are a lot of public holidays in Spain. And with that, I'll count my blessings and go out for my evening "paseo."
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Chao amig@s,
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Carloz

Thanks to the students who…

…took me to lunch today and told me that “cava” is Catalan for ”cave” — and that the delicious sparkling wine we were drinking was fermented in an underground cavern or cellar – and that good cava is never more than a year old – and that the finer the bubbles, the better the quality — and that Barça’s president is elected by a vote of all club members (including one at lunch with us) — and that there are people living in Barcelona who support Real Madrid (including one at lunch with us) — and about the antecedents of the Spanish Civil War which ocurred in 1934 — and that politicians are pretty much the same whether they are in Barcelona, Madrid or elsewhere — and that dates wrapped in bacon make delicious appetizers — and that mandarin sorbet makes delicious desert!! But mostly I thank you for reconfirming what a pleasure it is to be an English teacher who has students like you to share learning with. ¡Muchisimas gracias, amigos! Hasta otoño…

Originally posted by Carloz on June, 2007 at http://myspainblog.wordpress.com/

Brownies for English class!

Copied from original http://myspainblog.wordpress.com/ posting by Carloz on June, 2007

Today I am finishing up one of my intermediate classes, so I have baked brownies to bring along as well as prepared a lesson on the History of Brownies. Students are often interested in the culture and cuisine of their English teachers, so I periodically use something from those areas as a basis for a lesson. In the past I’ve brought peanut butter sandwiches to class, had a ”pot luck” luncheon with a group where I brought a special dish made according to one of my mother’s recipes, prepared lessons on the history of Thanksgiving and Halloween, and, of course, used American music to get students using English. Once I even brought in a bottle of aspirin to class because students here had commented on only having seen people taking aspirin from a bottle in Hollywood movies. (Here aspirin comes in little boxes of about 30 pills.) Whatever it takes to get them talking — even if it means having to endure eating brownies! ;-)

The Spanish School Year

This is the final week of the Spanish school year, which runs from October through June. Therefore, this week I will be teaching year-end lessons for many of my students and giving tests to others. (Which means I’ll be grading tests, too.) In a few of my classes we will have a special little party of sorts. For example, one of my mid-day groups that I taught the expression “pot luck” to for a Christmas luncheon we had, have decided to have a pot luck luncheon for the year’s end.

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It is not good-bye to all of my students, however. Some I will see next year and a few are continuing with classes through July - some with a more intensive schedule and others with the same schedule they’ve had all year.

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What do teacher’s of English as a foreign language (EFL) living in Spain do during the summer? Well, those who work for the public school system and some who work for private schools (e.g., high schools) get paid vacation. Those who work for language academies or work on their own as private teachers usually have to work at least part of the summer, as they do not get paid vacation.

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Probably the biggest area of summer employment available in the EFL sector is Summer Camp work. Camps (usually referred to as ”colonias” in Spanish) often hire teachers under 30 to teach English. Teachers may also be expected to supervise the children during breaks and to participate in sports and other activities with them.

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It’s supposed to be exhausting work, but the pay can be good at the better camps. Most camps are residential with room and board usually provided. Since they are often located in rural areas, there is little opportunity for teachers to spend money. For these reasons, many teachers who work in colonias can actually save money.

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Teachers who do not work in Spanish colonias may work in Summer Camps in nearby countries. Italy, Switzerland and the UK seem to be particularly popular for this kind of work. Those teachers who do not want to work in summer camps, or who can't find such work (perhaps because they are over 30), usually find non-teaching work here or in their home countries and/or look for private students who want intensive classes during the summer.

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August is a particularly difficult time to find private students, because so many Spaniards take a good part of August off. Even those who do not go out of town for August vacation may be reluctant to take lessons during the hottest month of the year.

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Then there is September. Although the school year starts officially in October, there are language academies that start classes the month before. Many students who want private lessons are also willing to start-up early. So, some income usually starts to trickle in during the month of September. Then comes October and the cycle begins again.

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Copied from my original 25 June 2007 post at http://myspainblog.wordpress.com

An English Teacher’s TGI Friday in Spain!

This article has been updated and can be found on my Newsvine column.
Here's a link to the article: An English Teacher's TGI Friday in Spain!

Comment By: leoshere on June 22nd, 2007 at 3:37 pm

hey … the libraries. People have been telling me to check out the library for years, but I was reluctant as I thought it would be a dark pre civil war dusty archive - but no! it’s modern clean, rows of broadband pcs, dvds, english language reading matter etc….better, infact, by a long way than the parallels in the UK.

Comment By: Carloz on June 22nd, 2007 at 5:54 pm
I don’t know if the libraries in Spain are necessarily better than in the UK, but here in Barcelona the DVDs and videos are free to borrow, unlike my experience with London libraries.

An English Teacher’s Wednesday

This article has been updated and can be found on my Newsvine column.
Here's a link to the article: A Wednesday in Spain for an English Teacher

An English Teacher’s Tuesday

This article has been updated and can be found on my Newsvine column.
Here's a link to the article: An English Teacher's Spanish Tuesday

Monday Morning for an English Teacher in Spain

This article has been updated and can be found on my Newsvine column.


Here's a link to the article:  Monday Morning for an English Teacher in Spain