2025 Guide to Teaching English in Spain: From CELTA to the Classroom

Why Spain remains a top choice for English teachers

For many CELTA graduates, Spain offers the perfect mix of lifestyle and opportunity: a warm climate, diverse cities, and an established network of language schools (known locally as academies or academias). These schools can be found almost everywhere, from the heart of Madrid to small towns in Andalusia, and they’re a central part of Spain’s after-school education culture.

Most Spanish schoolchildren study English in state schools, but large classes and a grammar-heavy focus often limit their speaking time. Language schools fill that gap by offering smaller groups, communicative lessons, and a more relaxed environment. Many classes take place in the late afternoon and evening, when children and teenagers come for extra English practice. There’s also a smaller but steady market for adult classes: exam prep, business English, and conversation groups.

Entry routes for UK and international teachers

If you hold (or are working towards) a CELTA, your most realistic route into Spain is the private-sector language-school system.

Visa sponsorship for non-EU citizens is rare, but not impossible. Some larger academies or chains will consider hiring teachers already based in Spain on a student or working-holiday visa, while others prefer EU citizens or those with residency rights. It’s worth contacting schools directly once you have your CELTA, as many hire independently rather than through agencies or posting advertisements on international jobs boards.

Another option, particularly for recent graduates or those seeking experience before moving into full language-school work, is the British Council’s English Language Assistant Programme and other state school language assistant programmes. This scheme places UK citizens in state schools across Spain for 6–9 months, where they assist local teachers with English conversation and cultural exchange. It’s a structured and legal way to spend a year in Spain, though placements and pay vary by region.

For most CELTA graduates, however, the long-term route is through language schools, which offer more autonomy, classroom responsibility, and year-round employment.

Why CELTA makes the difference

Employers in Spain tend to recognise and respect the Cambridge CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). While short online certificates exist, the CELTA’s practical training and observed teaching carry far more weight with school directors.

A CELTA qualification demonstrates that you can:

• Plan and deliver engaging communicative lessons

• Manage classroom interaction effectively

• Teach learners of all ages and levels

• Reflect on your teaching and respond to feedback

In short, it reassures schools that you can start teaching confidently from day one.

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Salaries and cost of living

Language-school teachers in Spain typically earn €1,100–€1,400 per month for a full-time contract of around 25 classroom hours weekly. Pay rates could be higher in Madrid and Barcelona, though rent is too. In smaller cities like Seville, Valencia, Zaragoza, Granada, salaries can be slightly lower, but living costs are much more manageable.

Some schools pay hourly (€15–€20/hour), while others offer monthly contracts that include paid holidays and social security contributions.

Many teachers increase their income through private tutoring or online lessons, charging €15–€25/hour depending on experience and location. That additional income often covers rent or travel costs.

Typical living expenses in a mid-sized city:

Expense	Monthly estimate (€)
Shared accommodation	400–700
Utilities & internet	80–120
Groceries	200–300
Transport	40–60
Social life & extras	150–250

With planning and moderate spending, most teachers live comfortably, if not luxuriously, and enjoy a good work-life balance.

What day-to-day teaching looks like

Most language schools run classes from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., with occasional morning or lunchtime corporate lessons. You’ll likely teach a mix of ages and levels, prepare materials, and mark homework between sessions.

In smaller towns, you might teach at one centre all week. In big cities, you might travel between branch locations or companies. Spanish students are generally friendly, motivated, and used to interactive classroom styles, ideal for CELTA-trained teachers who enjoy communicative lessons.

Holidays follow the local school calendar, with long breaks at Christmas, Easter, and in summer. Summer often brings short-term intensive courses, camps, or exam-prep classes.

Life beyond the classroom

Working in Spain offers more than teaching experience. You’ll quickly pick up everyday Spanish, learn the bureaucracy (and the patience that goes with it), and gain professional confidence in a multicultural environment.

Smaller towns often provide stronger community ties, while cities offer nightlife, travel connections, and professional networks of English teachers. Many teachers stay for several years, progressing to senior-teacher or director-of-studies roles.

A realistic but positive outlook

Teaching English in Spain isn’t about making a fortune, but it’s a genuinely sustainable lifestyle if you plan ahead. With a CELTA in hand, you’ll be employable across the country, free to choose where you live, and able to combine meaningful work with cultural immersion.

If you approach it as both a professional step and an adventure, Spain rewards you with sunshine, language skills, and thousands of students eager to learn.

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