The English School Lugo is a long established, well resourced language school in the Galician city of Lugo. Lugo itself is an ancient Roman city (85,000 inhabitants) in the heart of rural Galicia.

We are situated in spacious modern premises in the city centre inside the walled city. The school teaches all ages and levels from 4 year old pre-readers to Proficiency and operates a strict grading policy with a maximum of 12 students per class. Students are encouraged to take Trinity or Cambridge exams. We are a Centro Homologado de la Xunta de Galicia (local government training centre) and offer courses in Professional English as well as in company classes and courses for Public Administration. The school runs summer courses in Guernsey in the month of July.

The English School Lugo, Centro Idiomas Lugo is a member of the Federación Gallega de Academias (FEGA) and Federación Española de Centros de Enseñaza de Idiomas (FECEI).

As well as classrooms, office space and waiting areas the school has a well resourced staff room with plenty of space for teachers to work in comfort. The school has wi-fi.

Here are some opinions about Lugo and the school from teachers who have recently worked here:

“I spent a wonderful and rewarding 4 years in Lugo. It was a difficult decision to leave Lugo but, in the end, I wanted to return home to complete a master’s in ESL. I am now teaching half-day ESL and half-day high school Spanish. Hardly a day passes in which I am not reminded in some way of my time in Lugo. It was an incredible opportunity for me to hone my teaching skills while improving my conversational Spanish.

The students range from pre-readers (US 5-year old kindergarten) to professional adults. The books used are usually from Cambridge or Oxford University Press and are excellent! By age 15 or 16, students are preparing for the Cambridge First Certificate (similar to TOEFL in the US). The teachers’ editions include lesson plans and plenty of ideas. Plus, as I won Will’s confidence, he afforded me much freedom to be creative and experiment (just ask some of my former students about lessons around episodes of ‘Gilligan’s Island’ and ‘Charmed’ or singing WLS radio jingles!) From time to time the school has contracts from the local government to provide Business English classes. Usually, I was given one such class which met for several months during each school year. I found these classes to be the most difficult to prepare and teach, perhaps the results of the books we were using or the early hour the class met.

As for Lugo, it has its PROS and CONS. If you are coming from a sunny, warm climate it can be a shock! The rainy season begins about mid October and it does not seem to let up until April. There is no snow to speak of, just what seems to be a number of cold, dreary days. On the positive side, Lugo is VERY safe. I walked everywhere be it morning, noon or night. Because I lived in the center (just a few blocks from the academy, banks, supermarkets, restaurants and cafés) I never bought a car; I did not need one. Also, because Spain has excellent public transportation, I could take the bus or train anytime I wanted to ‘escape’ for the weekend.

The cost of living was also most agreeable. As I said, I lived in the center in a modest apartment (‘flat’ I later learned) for a mere 168 euros a month… Oh, speaking of the infamous Ruanova, I feel obliged to mention El Museo, a charming café/restaurant where I first tasted pulpo. Do stop by and ask Manolo and Ana for El Menú de Jess.”

JESS, Current Location: Alabama

“Now that most of Spain is starting to look the same, it is great to be able to find something fresh and original. My five years in Lugo were one of the most interesting, instructive and rewarding times in my overseas life – now I’m in Asia, which is also exciting, but the people, food and atmosphere in the walled city are special. There’s nothing better than getting a good walk then stuffing yourself with some of the best and cheapest bar food in Spain. The English School was like a big family, and the work challenging. Enjoy yourself!”

ANDY, Current location: Brunei

“I really enjoyed my year in Lugo. It’s quite laidback and overall an easy lifestyle. I felt lucky that I was chosen to work in such a great academy. The diversity of ages to teach (I taught ages 4 to adult) is kind of daunting at first, but quite refreshing after you get used to it. As a fledgling teacher, I was able to really get a sense of what age group I enjoyed. The people of Lugo were generous and helpful. Even though people complain about the weather, I found it much milder than where I live (Philadelphia, PA). It never really gets too cold or too warm and the Roman Wall is beautiful in the mornings with fog in the distance. I am still a teacher (teaching French and Spanish) at a private school in Pennsylvania, and I attribute a lot of my success to the great experience I had in Lugo.”

LINDA, Current location: Philadelphia

“Having taught in many places all over the world, including Seville, Lugo can appear, at first, to be an unattractive place to spend time away from home. The climate is a little more “grey” than other more sought after Spanish cities but it makes up for it in other ways.

The people are not so gregarious as in the southern part of Spain but underneath this slight reservation they are genuine people who are always willing to help and generous to a fault – I found it very hard to buy one of my students a drink back. They are somewhat stuck in their ways, especially regarding the clock and calendar but once you get used to the system it isn’t so bad.

Spain is the country of food and drink and Lugo is no exception. On the contrary: it excels. Wine alley, as it is known, is a wonderful way to spend an evening, especially during the festival of San Froilán or the Roman Festival. Once down there you find Lugo’s crowning glory – you still get free tapas.

Now to the school. One of my few nice teaching experiences. The students are hard working and the courses and testing well run.

I only moved away for love. ¡Viva Lugo!”

KEITH, Current location: Germany

 

 

Job Information

25 contact hour working week.
Competitive salary above national pay scales.
2 weeks paid holiday at Christmas, 1 week at Easter, local fiestas.
Accommodation ready for new teachers to move in.
Please note that Lugo is one of the cheapest cities in Spain for accommodation and basic living costs.

 

 

Requirements

We welcome applications at any time of the year for teaching positions from candidates who meet the following criteria:

  • Native English speaker competence
  • TEFL qualifications
  • Ability to get on with a wide range of learners

and preferably

  • University degree
  • Basic Spanish