New member- old question.

[Alex12]

Hi to all who might read this.
I've just checked this web-site for the first time and it has a good feel about it with intelligent and thoughtful replies to messages. so, for the first time..here's my situation and I'd welcome thoughts and comment. I'm 45 with 20 odd years TEFL teaching (Dip and Cert), I'm working now in a UK private school preparing overseas kids for UK university, doing all the applications + teaching IGCSE English/History/Art. I want to move to Spain with my Spanish wife and our little boy of 2. London is just getting too toxic for words and the thought of sending him to an inner city school chills me. I've tried applying to English schools along the coast and recieved positive feed-back BUT the big stumbling point is that I do not have QTS or a PGCE..so they come back as unsuccessful. I don't really want to go back to basic tefl..I feel like I've served that apprentice period...it's just seems a problem to find work. I know the area between Alicante and Vallencia pretty well and would like to find something up around Pego. Can anyone offer any tips or suggestions? thanks for reading this..and any reply. Alex

[omeyas]

One of the members here, Greytop, is from Pego, so I´m sure he´ll help once he reads your post.

[Ben]

Hi Alex, and welcome. I'm not sure quite what to say if the schools themselves have come back saying you need the PGCE, except that maybe you need to try busier places, such as Valencia city itself, Barcelona or Madrid, where you are more likely to find that supply and demand makes your experience more valuable, and the extra qualifications less necessary.

[greytop]

Hi to all who might read this.
II know the area between Alicante and Vallencia pretty well and would like to find something up around Pego. Can anyone offer any tips or suggestions? thanks for reading this..and any reply. Alex
Hi Alex from Pego.
I think maybe you are tackling the problem backwards! If you have to work then that is the most important part of it. There are plenty of houses/flats, more every week in fact :)
From the sound of things you need to work in a Spanish university rather than a language school if you want to get away from TEFL basic. I'm not familiar with teaching qualifications so can't help there but you have a couple of years to get more if you need them, before school becomes important for your youngster. Looking at this list (http://www.spanishpropertyworld.com/schools_costa_blanca.htm) of private schools, only Javea (25 mins) or perhaps Alfaz del Pi (30 mins) would be within travel distance of Pego.
Alicante uni has a large language section I think & probably Valencia as well.
I would also suggest that face to face contact is probably going to be essential to get a job (but being idle, what do I know!;)) If you could set up some meetings and spend a week visiting each it might be money well spent.
Good luck and mail me if you need more specific answers & I'll try to help.

[Alex12]

Hi Ben,
thanks for the reply. since signing up this morning I've been looking round the site and understand now your roll and position. Well basically..nice one!! very cool site, + your sister site. This is the first chat sites I've bothered to join...but as I wrote in first message, this has a good feel, seem like nice members, also ordered your book from Amazon and looking forward to reading it. Like many of your members I sit around with the dream to move, relocate to Spain..but allow what appear to be problems to cause inertia..when really they are just opportunities..I hope the personal contact with people like yourself who have sidestepped the doubts and jumped in feet first will give me the equivalent kick up the a*** to get on with it too! As my little boy gets older I think more often of the better quality of life he would have in a more family-orientated society in Spain. Secretly, I have wanted him to be in England to learn English first before going to Spain and learning his second language..selfishly because I have been so useless and lazy to learn to speak spanish myself..despite a spanish wife..Anyway, perhaps a bit too much info as they say. But thanks for setting up what you have.

[Alex12]

Hi greytop (is that aka Brian?) Thank you sir for your thoughtful message. Like I replied to Ben this is the first chat-site I have joined and it amazes me the courtesy and helpfulness of strangers..your suggestion of university contact is very useful and I will start to do some research. I understand from the site that you are Pego based. I'm also scrolling around sites at the moment looking at possible accomodation, property to buy and so on.. I was hoping I might be able send you another message at some point perhaps asking if you knew any of the locations and could offer any advice...anyway I hope we can communicate further.
Regards
Alex