spainwise.net             info@spainwise.net

Home Page Getting Qualified Applying for Jobs Job Opportunities A-Z of Language Schools A-Z of Places in Spain Daily Life in Spain Paperwork & Legalities Events

Chester
Madrid

CHESTER is a medium-sized, and growing, privately owned language school, located in Barrio de Salamanca, the most select residential and commercial area in Madrid, near the city-centre.

It first opened in 1986. It draws most of its students from the area in which it is located and, in some ways, it has a strong local identity. It is well-connected with other parts of the city by three metro lines, and several bus services.

We count on a wide selection of materials to be used in class, for reference or for borrowing. Every teacher is loaned personal copies of books and cassettes for the courses they teach. Other materials are clearly labelled or numbered to facilitate replacing after use. Each Teachers' Room has a photocopier and a computer with a word processor. There is a large resource bank of materials, clearly labelled and data based, available for use by teachers. All staff are invited to contribute good quality materials for use in class. There is a library of books for reference, ideas, theory as well as other alternative courses. Any suggestions for new acquisitions are encouraged and welcome. There is also a large collection of audio cassettes, multimedia software and video courses.

The school has its own training department: TED, Teacher Education Department, with a varied programme of seminars and courses for our teachers and, of course, our Trinity TESOL Certificate.

THE SCHOOL

The school teaches all levels from absolute beginner to Cambridge Proficiency, and all ages from seven years upwards.

There are a maximum of ten students in each class.

Students choose courses of three, six or fifteen hours per week. Our students come from a wide variety of social, educational and cultural backgrounds, but among the adult groups there is a preponderance of students and young professionals.

Motives for learning English are equally varied but the majority cite my job, either the one they have or the one they hope to get. We also offer the most complete and successful programmes of intensive courses in Madrid, all year round.

The school has a library of readers for the students, where books can be loaned for a period of 15 days. Every term children contribute material for a magazine, The School Herald, which is distributed without charge to all junior students in the school. As part of the school's commitment to first class concern for our students, we introduced a tutor system which ensures that every pupil is contacted at least once a term by his tutor. In this way we can check that students are happy and offer advice if they are having any difficulties.

Virtually all students come to the school after a full day working or studying. It is therefore essential that classes are varied, lively, interesting, friendly and effective. We aim to offer good value for money.

HOURS

The school is open six days a week: Monday to Friday from 8.00 am to 10.00 pm, Saturday mornings from 8.30 am to 2.30 pm.

The bulk of our classes take place during the week between 2.30 and 10.00 pm and on Saturday mornings, although there is some demand for early start classes at 8 am. Every attempt is made to block teachers' hours and to take personal preference into account but it should be clearly understood that in this type of school most work is inevitably outside a normal 9 to 5 timetable. A fair degree of flexibility and an ability to organise your planning time efficiently is therefore essential for the job.

PROSPECTS

Within Madrid, CHESTER enjoys a very high reputation, and experience with us on a CV is a solid advantage in the local EFL market. There is always a great demand for teachers in Spain but very few places offer our level of professionalism and devotion to our pupils and teachers. We know that our staff is our greatest asset, and for this reason we look after them, we encourage them, investing in training as much as possible. In a growing business sector, CHESTER is making the most of its advantages. In 1993 we opened The Executive Centre and introduced multimedia as guided study in some courses and we also offer Internet facilities to our pupils. In 1996 we introduced a new tutor system,... In the future we will need the best professionals to continue and increase our expansion with the criteria of effective quality teaching.

Search again

Location Directory

Job Information

Although the base of our salary system is the industrial agreement for the sector, CHESTER aims to reward each teacher above and beyond this according to their skills, experience and their contribution to the school. Some points to bear in mind:

All salaries quoted are gross: the amount you actually receive each month before taxes and social security payments have been deducted.

Requirements

Basic wage: For all teachers working at CHESTER who fulfil these conditions:

• Relevant Degree
• RSA Certificate in TEFL
• 1 year experience
• Basic Spanish

Supplement to wage: Other variables are taken into consideration to determine this part:

• Good experience in CHESTER (most important point)
• P.G.C.E. or other relevant teaching qualifications
• TEFL Diploma or equivalent. Experience teaching children's groups
• Experience teaching all levels in adult groups, including External Examination Preparation
• Ability to teach Business English, ...

Standard employment scheme:

• 24 contact hours per week
• Your wage and the rate for extra hours is fixed for the academic year. It is not negotiable afterwards and no changes will be considered during the course of a contract.
• Full medical insurance is covered by the Spanish Seguridad Social
• On commencing work an advance of up to fifty per cent of your salary is available each month between October and December to assist with settling in. Individual needs of a specific nature are considered sympathetically on their merits.
• Other social benefits, including financial support towards Spanish classes and meal vouchers.

How to apply

If you are interested in a solid, developing career in EFL, we think you'll enjoy working with us. Send your C.V. to:chester@spainwise.net