Since 1984

Albany School of English

www.albanyschool.com

Visit Albany Recruitment Official Web Site

“There are teachers that teach and those that teach and inspire. Be remembered for your inspiration: join our team”

APPLICATION FORM

With more than 35 years of experience teaching English as a foreign language in Spain we have seen a lot of changes. One thing that has not changed, however, is the impact made by an inspirational teacher who can motivate their students. So if you are serious about your teaching and feel you can make a difference, we would love to hear from you.

Working with Albany School of English you will feel fully supported in your role and valued as a true professional. You will be joining a respected organisation at the forefront of Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

Albany School of English is an innovative private language school with eleven centres in Cordoba (Andalusia, Southern Spain),  Castro del Río (a village outside Cordoba) and  Madrid.

Albany School was founded in 1985 and currently employs around 30 full-time teachers. As a member of both The Association of Language Schools for Andalusia (ACEIA) and The National Federation of Private Language Schools in Spain (FECEI), we are committed to maintaining high standards throughout the organisation.

We offer a range of teaching options:

  • Albany Language Solutions for Business: In-company courses offering General English and ESP (English for Specific Purposes) to adults in-company with face-to-face and online components.
  • Albany Language Schools: General & Exam English and French from beginner to advanced levels. Ages range from 3 to adult. Courses are two or three hours-a-week from mid-September until June.
  • Albany Language Centres: General, Exam English and French and Teacher Training in mainstream schools to school children, adults and teachers. Courses are usually two or three hours-a-week from October until May orJune.
  • Albany Summer courses: Intensive exam preparation courses for adults and teenagers in July. Children’s summer courses for 3 to 15 year-olds also take place during this month.

Teachers have access to a wealth of resources that you would expect to find in a well-established modern school. Every Albany School is equipped with additional computers so that students can practice regularly with multi-media outside class-time and video cameras are available to use in lessons too.

Albany School regards its teachers as a valuable asset and therefore invests time and resources to ensure that each teacher feels fully supported during their time with us. Albany has a comprehensive Professional Development Programme (PDP) which includes:

  • Pre-course induction sessions (online and face to face)
  • Free Spanish classes (subject to demand)
  • Individually agreed annual professional development objectives
  • A series of Albany-wide PDP developmental workshops
  • Weekly team meetings
  • A formal mid year professional development review
  • A formal end of year appraisal
  • The opportunity to attend the annual ACEIA conference in Seville  in November
  • A peer observation programme
  • A developmental observation providing teachers with constructive feedback and suggestions at least twice a year
  • The opportunity to lead team meetings or PDP/in house  workshops
  • Encouragement, advice and support for those interested in speaking at local, national and international teaching conferences

JOB INFORMATION

Contracts: We offer both full time and part time contracts. A full-time contract (34 hours) consists of 22-24 contact hours per week. The remaining hours are dedicated to class preparation, students’ evaluation, attending weekly teacher development sessions, one-to-one meetings with DOS and carrying out administrative duties (eg: reports, registers, etc).

Contracts are from mid September until the end of June for Albany Schools and from October to May/June for Albany Language Centres. The contract includes Social Security Benefits: full national health and social security cover.

Salary: A monthly competitive salary (above national pay agreements) for a full time contracts is around 1,400 euros gross, based on qualifications, experience and number of contact hours

Holidays: According to the school year’s calendar, there are usually two weeks holiday at Christmas, one at Easter and up to one week at the end of the contract.  All national and local public holidays are honoured

Assistance on arrival: We offer assistance on arrival, help with finding accommodation and legal paperwork.

Albany Centres: Classes start on the 15th of September. Term finishes at the end of June. Classes are from Monday to Friday between 16:00 and 22:00. Friday mornings training and team meetings. Maximum number of students per class 10. Teachers are expected to be in the school around the 12th September in order to attend teachers’ meetings and induction sessions.

Albany in Schools: Classes start on the 1st October. Term finishes at the end of May or June. Classes are from Monday to Friday from 13:00 to 20:00 approximately. Friday mornings training and team meetings. Maximum number of students per class 12. Teachers are expected to be in in the school around the 26th September in order to attend teachers’ meetings and induction sessions.

Teacher Training and Professional Development Programme (PDP): Ongoing training and development sessions, paid attendance at external training events and conferences (ACEIA/FECEI). Free optional Spanish classes.

REQUIREMENTS

Key Qualifications and Experience

  • A proficient speaker of English (C2)
  • Education to degree level or equivalent
  • A recognised, relevant teaching qualification (e.g. CELTA; CELTYL; Cert. TESOL; PGCE (TESOL+QTS); BEd./PGCE) or equivalent qualification from another country
  • Two years relevant teaching experience
  • Ability to work with young learners and teenagers
  • A competent computer user (specifically MS Office and Google Drive)
  • A track record of professional development and a continued interest to develop and grow as a teaching professional
  • Professional, friendly and approachable manner with the ability to adapt and be flexible
  • Good organizational and planning skills

Desirable Qualifications and Competencies

  • A working knowledge of Spanish
  • A recognised, higher level teaching qualification (e.g. Delta)

Key Job Requirements

  • A valid International Child Protection Certificate
  • EU passport or Spanish Work permit holder
  • At least 2 satisfactory references from the most recent teaching positions

VACANCIES

If you think we sound interesting for the next stage of your teaching career, Please fill in the online application form and upload your CV by clicking on the following link Albany Application Form.

We aim to give a reply to all applications, however, during busy periods applicants that do not meet the minimum requirements unfortunately may not receive acknowledgement.

Albany School of English will be conducting interviews for the 2019-2020 academic year at Spainwise TEFL jobs fair in Córdoba (Spain) on Saturday 18th May 2019. You can visit us at stand 25.

TESTIMONIALS

Having worked at both large and small private English schools around Europe for over 10 years, I feel I have seen quite a variety of management systems. When I joined Albany last year I was a little concerned about its size, and being “just another cog in the machine’s wheels”. I was wrong. Here you are part of a constructive process which is entirely based on feedback. In other words, your opinion counts and is democratically weighed along with that of your colleagues in order to define teaching methods, to share resources, knowledge and experience.

Learning is what I strive for, and I can firmly state that I have been given the chance to learn a lot here, as well as share my tips. The fact that the company has managed to stick to small centres means the familiar and friendly atmosphere of small schools isn’t warped by the amount of colleagues and students which would be around you if Albany was in one big building.

Here we have relaxing music in the corridors, so when I prepare classes I feel at home. Colleagues are extremely professional, rules are clear and the team is solid. The fact that at end of term parties we dance with our lovely cleaning lady just swept me off my feet.

We work very hard, but we work together and weeks simply fly by.

Last, but not least, if you like nature  Córdoba is the place to be. The mountains around the city and the river pumping green energy through its heart are a breath of relaxing peace whenever you need to recover from screeching teenagers. There is also a local birdwatching group which is highly welcoming to foreigners

I have worked for various English schools and academies in the past but never have I worked in such a positive place as Albany. Sometimes owners of English Schools and Academies can be quite aloof and distance themselves from you as a teacher, from day one I was welcomed personally by the owners and have received and still do receive continual support, encouragement and general warmth, Albany has a real family feel to it. Professionally, working for Albany has improved my teaching through the various professional development workshops and the conferences they encourage (not insist) you to attend to further your professional development. My DOS has been hugely supportive, approachable and kind from the very beginning always there for help and support, I can’t praise her highly enough. When arriving in a new city the paper work and documentation needed before you start work can be quite daunting but Albany were so supportive during this initial time, accompanying me to banks and helping me to fill out various paperwork.
Albany has a number of schools yet you don’t just feel a connection to the one you work in and your colleagues there, through their ongoing attempts to bring all their employed staff together through meetings and sharing of ideas, social events etc. I have met some great friends in not only my school but the others too. I believe it is no coincidence that Albany do retain a lot of their staff, I have always felt valued as a teacher and feel lucky to work in such a warm, friendly and professional English academy.

Over the last 3 years I have been fortunate enough to work with Albany and form part of their team of teachers and I can honestly say that it has been a wholly positive experience. Albany is not only a school that is passionate about offering an excellent service to its students but it is also a school that understands that the welfare and development of its teachers is at the heart of everything it does. I remember that my first lesson was with a group of very excitable 4-year-olds and it was one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life but as soon as I left the classroom my colleagues and my DOS were there to offer advice and support; and the support didn’t stop there! Albany has helped me with everything from finding accommodation to processing legal paperwork, from lessons to improve my Spanish to days out to conferences organised by Cambridge. It’s a school with a calm and friendly atmosphere where teachers are encouraged to share ideas and grow. I’m sure that if it weren’t for Albany, my experience here in Spain wouldn’t be the same.

My year at Albany was actually my first year of working at an academy abroad and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience! My DOS has been incredibly supportive, approachable and kind from the very beginning and I was impressed by the amount of resources readily available around the school – this makes lesson planning much easier and less time-consuming. I have a lovely classroom space which is my own and contains pretty much everything I need – anything I don’t have, I’ve always been encouraged to ask for.  Friday meetings enable teachers to come together, during which I feel like my voice can be heard and my opinions matter. I think this is a really important factor in creating a pleasant working atmosphere. I find the working hours at my academy great and the workload manageable. Extra workload periods (e.g. termly reports) are discussed weeks before the deadline, enabling me to prepare well. Overall, the school has a lovely, family feel to it and certainly feels like a very teacher-centred, flexible yet professional place to work. My reasons for leaving have nothing to do with Albany or Cordoba – I just need to explore to a new city! Albany, I will miss you!

APPLICATION FORM
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