There is not much mystery to teaching English in a foreign country, particularly Spain. But trying to convince someone who is about to dive into the unknown and start a new life for himself or herself is often quite a difficult matter. Most hopefuls need the certainty of facts before taking that leap.

As a starting point, if you are going to make teaching English as a Second Language (ESL, TESL or TEFL) your life's career, be it in Spain or elsewhere, invest in the best certification programs available. International House offers an excellent teacher training program from your country of origin or in Madrid, Palma, Seville or San Sebastian, Spain. The British Council, the mother of English language teaching programs in Spain and throughout the world, offers certification courses worldwide and has eight programs in Spain. Contact them directly here.

Those of you who are more or less fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type people and who do not have experience teaching English, but do not plan on making teaching your career, could try a short online TEFL course. i-to-I Online TEFL has wonderfully priced courses, online or based in London and elsewhere in the UK and Ireland: £195 for UK residents and US$295 for all others. ITC TEFL Training also offers a TEFL training course in Barcelona. It is a little more pricey, but they include lifetime job guidance and the staff are friendly.

If you are going to go all the way, I recommend taking a training course. I also suggest taking it while in Spain. That way, you can also be looking for potential work while you are learning. But keep in mind that a certificate is not essential to landing a job.

Many who have even the slightest experience teaching or tutoring can secure themselves a solid job, especially if they are native speakers with a good grasp of grammar, friendly and determined. The more experience, however, the better. Many directors of studies, in fact, consider solid teaching experience to be far more impressive than any certificate. They will be confident that you will not fall to pieces in front of a classroom, that you will know how to prepare your lessons and that you enjoy teaching.

By and large, try for a combination of both certification and experience, but also be aware that Spain's market for native born teachers and speakers of English is a hungry one. So much so that they are willing to pay teachers "under-the-table." This tends to pique the interest and hopes of non-EU nationals, like Americans, Canadians and Australians who also seek work in Spain, teaching English.

Times have changed and Spain, as well as the rest of the world, is viewing illegal immigrants with a more watchful eye. Yet hundreds, possibly thousands, of Americans go abroad each year to teach or give classes without the proper visa or work permit and ultimately, if they stick it out, overcome this problem and become legal, working residents of Spain. The way to accomplish this, of course, is long and bureaucratic and generally requires a decent starting point.

The Expatriate Café is one of the best resources for free information on teaching English in Spain for non-EU citizens, and is packed with links, news, message boards and an indispensable "TEACH ENGLISH" guide. Among other things, the Café also offers a networking community of 500+ members who are either in Spain or heading there, and who can meet and mingle with other like-minded souls via e-mail or message boards. For more information or to sign up, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spain-english/. The Expatriate Café is a definite must if you are headed to Spain.

So then, if there is any mystery about teaching English it is what has not been laid out for you above. Adventures like these take common sense and an undying spirit of courage and adaptability to make them a success. And without traits like determination, optimism, courage and likeableness, the rest of what you have learned is useless.

If you have questions or comments, please contact Tracy Shields Moral at editors@expatriatecafe.com.

This article copyright©2002 Tracy Shields Moral. Used with permission. All rights reserved.