Helpful, but mostly you're on your own

Ratings
Overall
4
Benefits: 4
Support: 2
Fun: 4
Facilities: 5
Safety: 4
Review

Overall, though the International TEFL academy gave me advice and helpful information on schools and opportunities in Spain, almost all of the work was done by me. I found a way to apply for a visa because I had a boyfriend living in Spain, but otherwise most Americans simply have to stay illegally or find someone to sponsor them for a visa which is a long and difficult process, not to mention rare. However, if I ever need advice or assistance the TEFL Academy does what it can to provide me with information from past alumni that have traveled to Spain.
So far I've really enjoyed myself here-the nightlife is great! Drinks and finger food (called pinchos) are really cheap so you don't have to spend all you earn on going out. The food has a lot of garlic, bread and oil which does get a tad boring at times but if you're in a large city like Madrid you can find plenty of foreign food. I felt very safe-you have to be careful at night in the big cities but I found a shop to buy pepper spray and the Spanish community are very friendly and helpful in general. They don't speak a lot of English, however so you either have to be patient or have a little Spanish in your back pocket.
I would definitely do this again-it was hard to find work at first, especially in a crisis-ridden country like Spain but if you're persistent there is a lot of good paying english teaching jobs out there.
I didn't like my school so much-especially with children they expect you to teach them things that are unreasonable-you don't always see your kids very often and they only want to play games, so its hard to teach them advanced English, the most you can hope for is basic sentences. I've had great resources for teaching exams though, like the TOEFL and Cambridge books-they help a lot and keep the students focused. I wish I would've brought more books on English grammar because books are really expensive here, though. Maybe more clothes too, because those are really expensive as well-prepare to pay much more than you would in America. I wish someone would have told me how expensive things were so I would be prepared with an adequate wardrobe and possible more Spanish. I didn't really bring anything I didn't need-eveything has been put to good use.
My school didn't really prepare me to teach, more thew me in and expected I could swim-it was terrifying at first, but I got the handle of it though. My older students were very well behaved and loved to learn, as well as not being afraid to do some hard studying, but the young ones-horrible! No disciple-they were very used to getting what they wanted, it seems to me kids in Spain remain dependent on their parents longer than in America.
As much as I've had fun I don't think I want to keep teaching English-its an ok pastime but there's not much gratification, I will probably continue learning Spanish and study in Spain. Hope this helped!

Would you recommend this program?
Yes, I would