GOAT TEACHER
We are looking for a General Or Adults / Teens teacher, not necessarily the best in the whole world, but someone who wants to become the best teacher they can.
WHERE
We are a medium sized academy in Segovia, Castilla y León, about an hour-bus-ride from Madrid (30 minutes on AVE) and its airport and connections. We have six classrooms, an office and a resources room, and an area outside where safe games can be played according to the weather and syllabus. We belong to ACLID, the regional association of Languages, and also to FECEI, the National Association for Centres Teaching Languages. The membership requisites prove that we meet all minimum pay requirements with legal pay-slips, that all our teachers are quality checked on the Delitos Sexuales Register, and that our buildings are all safe and with the correct ventilation.
Segovia is a small city, with just 13 bus routes, including a nocturnal route during the weekend. It is very easy to walk almost everywhere in the city, and there are numerous parks and green spaces, with river walks nearby and a ski resort just 30 minutes away. It is a very safe town, with regular tourist events, ferias and concerts and has diverse neighbourhoods with housing to rent.
Qualifications
WHO
Job candidates must have at least a C1 English level, with proof and a qualification in teaching, with face to face experience. You have to enjoy working with teenagers, and being creative to plan motivating, interesting classes. Patience, humour and organisation are essential requirements as no two classes behave in the same way or have the same objectives. Either a solid knowledge of Cambridge exams from A2 to C1, or a willingness to learn and discover all the different parts of the exams and acquire strategies for skills development, must be possessed. Another compulsory attribute is the ability to communicate, not only with the students, but also with colleagues, with parents, with visitors to the academy, examining boards, first aid trainers and many more people connected with the academy. We don’t have any ‘pᴈ:fekt teachers at the academy, but all of us are trying to pᵊ’fekt our teaching skills.
WHY
We are recruiting because our standards are high and good teachers are hard to find. For the year 2023-2024, we are looking to employ 2 additional teachers and create more time and space for teacher meetings, team teaching, training sessions, preparation for TKT module 3, more parents meetings and liaison with other academies. With the right balance of experienced, independent teachers, time can be invested in improving quality, creating new up to date materials, and planning extra-curricular events such as theatre in English. We currently have 5 full-time teachers, and 2 part-time ones as well as a long-term secretary.
WHICH
The system we follow is our own. What we don’t do is complete an endless number of worksheets or follow text books for primary classes. What we do do is use a scheme of work, carefully planned for each of the first 7 year groups, which includes songs, film clips, quizzes, investigation, escape rooms, shadow theatre, shaving foam writing, stories, board game invention, crafts, being a weather presenter and performing a fashion show to name but a few activities. The lexical and grammatical content for each unit is set down, along with the timeframe, but the individual teacher has the flexibility to teach in their own style, adapted to the learning styles of the students.
The teenagers’ classes all have a textbook assigned to them. How closely it is followed depends on the purpose of the class – whether it is to pass a specific exam in one year, or to study at a certain level, or maintain interest in and grow in confidence with English. All the text books are complimented with additional exercises, videos and games to stimulate and challenge. The aim is to cover all the material without the sensation of going through page after page of the text book. The exam classes have a skilful balancing of exam parts and content provided by the book, practice at the real exam from supplementary exam books, and sessions of techniques and motivation according to the needs of the class. Our exam candidates have a pass rate of over 90%.
Adults classes include conversation, Business English, B1, B2 and C1, Beginners and English for pleasure. Books and materials vary as do objectives and therefore planning, delivery and reviewing too.
Conditions
WHEN
Abracadabra opened its doors in 2012. From twenty two students it has grown past 600 and the post covid levels are now stabilising. The focus, however, is not on growth but on providing a quality service for the students that we have.
Students can attend classes when they are in 3° infantil at primary school.
Our oldest student is in his 77th year.
The classes run from Monday to Thursday from roughly 16.00 to 21.00. There are also several classes in the morning.
The school year is from mid September until mid June, following the state school timetable apart from Carnaval and el día del docente when there are some classes in the academy.
The local bank holidays are in October, April and June and there are also national bank holidays in November, December and May.
Christmas holidays will run from the 22nd of December 2023 to the 7th of January 2024.
Easter holidays will run from 22nd of March to the 2nd of April 2024.
Salary & Benefits
WHAT
The job conditions are as follows:
A weekly timetable of 34 hours to include up to 22 hours of classes and the rest paid planning time. The salary is paid monthly, with the months of September and June being paid pro-rata.
Depending on experience, the GROSS salary will be between 1420 and 2000 euros.
All holidays are paid, and legal payslips are provided every month.
Uniform of polo shirts and hoodie will be provided.
Training will be given in the form of regular team meetings / training sessions as well as attending regional and national teaching conferences.
TKT module 3 is also scheduled for 2023 / 2024, which the teachers prepare for individually, or in groups. The exam, transport to and from Madrid, and morning coffee and pastries are all covered by Abracadabra.
Regular observations and feedback will be carried out as well as a personal development plan being designed for each teacher.
Teachers responsible for teenage classes can have their own copies of text books at home for preparing there.
The academy has internet and a state of the art printer available for everything to do with academy classes.
Help is also provided with finding accommodation and sorting the necessary papers and documents.
You must hold a NIE or TIE or be resident in a country within the European Union.
