English teacher needed urgently for August children's summer camp

Today (August 3rd) Padre Javier asked me to post an urgent notice about his need for a summer camp English teacher. He’s only interested in teachers who are already in Spain. Below is what he wrote, with my translation below it. He does not speak much English.
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"Necesito un profesor de ingles para la primera quincena de agosto y seguramente para la 2ª. Es un curso de verano para niños de 8 a 16 años. Serían 4 horas diarias declase, las clases son por la mañana y el resto del tiempo le tendrias libre. El lugar es Cervera de Pisuerga (Palencia) está al norte de españa. Es un lugar de veraneo. El sueldo por quince dias sería de 375 Euros más el alojamiento y la manutención que es gratis. Si estas interesado mandame un correo a fjpuebla@inicia.es o llamame al 606 145 045. Padre Francisco Javier Puebla"
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"I need an English teacher for the first half of August and surely for the second. It is a summer course for children from 8 to 16 years old. The teacher would have 4 hours of class daily, the classes are in the morning, and the remainder of the time would be free. The location is Cervera de Pisuerga (Palencia) in the north of Spain. It is a summer resort location. The pay for 15 days would be 375 euros, plus free room and board. If you are interested, send me an email at fjpuebla@inicia.es or call me on 606 145 045. Father Francisco Javier Puebla."
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Although he did not mention it, I believe he can also help with transportation there from within Spain. The photo above is of the cathedral in Palencia, which is the town near the camp. Here is a link to Mapquest showing the location of Palencia.

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

English teacher needed for class the last two weeks of July

To teach an intermediate level businessman in central Barcelona Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 3pm until 5pm. Pay is 15 euros an hour. Contact Carmen of Impact Languages at impact_languages@wanadoo.es or 606 105 351.

Two English Teachers & One French Teacher needed for Summer Camp in Palenica

An acquaintance of mine who organizes a summer camp near Palencia every year asked me to post this on my blog. Of course, he’s only interested in teachers who are already in Spain. I’ve known people who taught there in the past and enjoyed it.

I’ve copied and pasted what he wrote, which is in Spanish, and written my translation below that. He does not speak much English. (I don't know about his French.)

"Necesito profesores de ingles [y un de frances] para el curso de verano. Los niños tienen de 8 a 16 años. Están en grupos reducidos según nivel de conocimiento del idioma, como máximo 15 niños por aula. Los cursos son en Julio y agosto. Los niños vienen por mes completo o por quincena. Los profesore tendrían 4 horas diarias de clase por la mañana, el resto del tiempo lo tienen libre. Además del sueldo, yo les doy el alojamiento y la manutención gratis, además pueden ir a las excursiones que hagan los niños. Los interesados pueden enviarme su curriculum si es posible en español al correo fjpuebla@inicia.es o llamarme al 606 145 045. Cervera de Pisuerga está enclavada en la montaña palentina dentro del parque natural de Fuentes Carrionas y Fuente Cobre, un lugar de veraneo. Padre Francisco Javier Puebla"

I need English teachers [and one French teacher] for the summer course. The children are from 8 to 16 years. They are grouped according to level of knowledge of the language, at most 15 children in a classroom. The courses are in July and August. The children come for a whole month complete or for a two-week period. The teacher would have 4 hours of class daily in the morning, the remainder of the time would be free. Besides the salary, I give free board and lodging. In addition they they can go on the excursions that the children take. Those that are interested can send me a résumé, in Spainish if possible, to fjpuebla@inicia.es or call me on 606 145 045. Cervera de Pisuerga is located on the mountain of Palencia, inside the nature reserve of Fuentes Carrionas y Fuente Cobre, a summer resort. Father Francisco Javier Puebla

P.S. He just called me and told me the pay is 750 gross and that he could probably help with bus or train fare to Palencia.

P.P.S Here's a link to a Mapquest showing the location of Palencia.

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