KELLS SCHOOL has been in the Language School Business for the last 38 years. It is situated in the centre of Santander, in an area with a large number of cafes and restaurants and close to the main bus route which runs along the seafront. The two train stations and the bus station are a 15 minute walk away.


The school itself is located on the ground floor and in the basement of an apartment building and has 6 classrooms, each accommodating up to 12 students. All classes are equipped with CD players. There are also televisions and DVD players available as well as a computer, although this should be booked in advance. The classrooms also have Internet access. There is a resource room where you can find a wide range of resources as well as a photocopier and a computer with Internet access. This resource room doubles as a meeting place for teachers between classes and is sometimes used as an extra classroom during peak hours.

STAFF

A large number of the teachers at Kells School are native Spanish speakers, so the language used around the school is Spanish, however, almost all the staff speak English and are happy to do so if you are having problems getting to grips with the language. The mixture of nationalities (British, American, Canadian, French, Italian, German and Spanish) at Kells School means there is no danger of getting stuck in an English-speaking bubble during your time in Santander. The school enjoys a friendly, relaxed atmosphere, although teachers don’t usually spend much time at the school outside teaching hours.

METHODOLOGY

Kells uses a communicative methodology with the use of Spanish in the classroom to be kept to an absolute minimum and the greater part of written work to be done at home. Teachers are encouraged to find or develop their own materials as part of the extra material which must be authorized by the Director of Studies. Most of the students have a course book and a workbook. Despite this communicative approach, the school also sees it as essential to provide students with a firm grounding in grammar and usage, especially where young learners are concerned.

The amount of paperwork teachers are required to do is minimal, but they are expected to write reports each term for young learners and business classes as well as keeping a daily record of work done in each class. The school provides support for writing these reports, especially for non-Spanish speakers. The main goal of the school is to provide students with the necessary language knowledge to communicate effectively among native speakers. We focus in all aspects of the language: Oral, Listening and Writing Expression and Comprehension as well as Grammar.

STUDENTS

Kells offers tuition to Children (from 3-4 years old), Teenagers, Adults and Professionals (Lawyers, Doctors, Engineers, etc.) in Group Classes, One to one, Mini Groups, both at the school and their place of work, home, etc.

The students do a placement test before the beginning of the course and are placed in a suitable level. Our levels are similar to the Council of Europe’s Framework for Modern Languages (A1-Beginner, A2-Elementary, B1-Pre Intermediate, B2-Intermediate, C1-Advanced, and C2-Proficiency)

The Minimum group size is 4 students and the maximum number is 13 being the average between 8 and 10. The school also offers Language Programs Abroad run by KELLS COLLEGE.

OTHER INFORMATION

As well as English, we also teach French, Italian, German and Spanish for Foreigners.

Kells School is a member of FECEI (National Organization of Private Language Schools), ACCEI (Regional Organization of Private Language School) as well as ASEPROCE (National Organization for Language Courses Abroad).

 

 

 

 

Job Information

Lessons must be taught in the language the students are learning. The use of Spanish in the class must be kept to an absolute minimum. They should fill in the attendance sheets daily, as well as the report of work done in each class. Each Term students do a progress test (prepared by the teacher according to what they have learnt) and teachers have to write reports for young children and Business classes.

At the end of the course, they have to write a general report on each class. There are compulsory meetings at least once a term usually on Saturday mornings. Teachers should tell the Director of Studies everything related to what’s happening in the classes (level of the students, behaviour, material in bad condition, etc.)

Even though students do a placement test before the beginning of the courses, teachers have to check the level of the class and of the new students who may enrol throughout the year to check that it matches the level of the group and inform the Director of Studies either the same or the next day.

At the end of the lesson, classes must be tidy, the board clean, etc.

Kells School understands that punctuality, manners and appearance will be respected at all times.

As far as working hours are concerned, working hours vary greatly among teachers. Some combine part time work at Kells with study or family commitments, whilst those who work solely at Kells often have their day split into two blocks of teaching hours. The first generally starts at 8 or 9 am and would be between one and three hours while the second begins at any time between 2 and 5pm and would usually finish by 9:30pm at the latest. Most teachers do the majority of their lesson planning and preparation at home although they can do it on the school premises during office opening hours.

The majority of teachers at the school teach a wide range of classes including Young Learners, exam preparation (especially for the FCE and CAE exams), English for Specific Purposes and General English. Kells School tries to cater for the needs of individual students, so teachers need to be adaptable and prepared to take on new challenges. Native speakers usually teach higher levels and a lot of classes are either one-to-one or small groups of students who want to practice conversational English. The average working hours per week is 15-20.

Requirements

Teachers are usually recruited in May-June and September although CVs are received all year round.

When recruiting a teacher, Kells School asks for a Bachelor’s degree with TEFL, CELTA, Certificate of Proficiency in English or similar and at least one year experience and references.