hi, im looking for some advice. i have an eu passport and i speak fluent Spanish and want to take my family to Spain because my Canadian husband (acupuncturist) loves to surf and the job market for teachers in Ontario Canada is abysmal. we are looking for a one to two year contract to see if we want to live there permanently.
do you think my salary alone could support my family. we are not looking to save money or live lavishly by any means, but we would like to eat and have a decent roof over our heads.
does anyone know if the schools will admit children for free if their parents work there or have some sort of discounted rate?
i have traveled all over the world but never to Europe, not since i was a child. if there is ANY information that anyone could share with me about the cost of living in Spain i would be deeply grateful.
thanks so much,
Monica
looking to take my husband and 2 toddlers to spain to teach
Re: looking to take my husband and 2 toddlers to spain to te
Others will know more - but competition for positions at good European schools are normally quite competitive and you go to Europe not for the money but for the lifestyle. As such - it may be possible for you to work in Spain but it would totally be a subsistence or paycheque to paycheque wage. Spain is also know as having one of the lowest western european wages for teachers and the economy is meant to really be in the doldrums.
As such - it's a possibility but I would not recommend it.
As such - it's a possibility but I would not recommend it.
Re: looking to take my husband and 2 toddlers to spain to te
Hi Monica,
Unfortunately I must agree with sciteach. Supporting a family on one teaching salary at an international school in Spain is really not do-able unless you have funds you can dip into or other sources of income. You would be doing your family a disservice and creating added stress and pressure on them as, as sciteach stated, you would live paycheck to paycheck and most likely would not live anywhere close to the level you currently have in Canada. If you really are interested in teaching internationally on one salary while supporting a family you'll have to look to the Middle East or China.
Unfortunately I must agree with sciteach. Supporting a family on one teaching salary at an international school in Spain is really not do-able unless you have funds you can dip into or other sources of income. You would be doing your family a disservice and creating added stress and pressure on them as, as sciteach stated, you would live paycheck to paycheck and most likely would not live anywhere close to the level you currently have in Canada. If you really are interested in teaching internationally on one salary while supporting a family you'll have to look to the Middle East or China.
Re: looking to take my husband and 2 toddlers to spain to te
I have to agree. Spain, France and Italy are probably the worst countries when it comes to supporting a family on a teacher's wage. In those places, it can be hard for a reasonably frugal singleton to support themselves, much less a family.
Response
It depends on how you really define "live and eat", if all you want is four walls and your happy with chicken, rice and beans you could get by on one salary for a teacher at a lower tier IS. anything more though and you either need to be at one of the elite tier ISs or I would have to concur with the previous contributors. In Spain you are looking at about 1800€ at a third tier IS, 2200€ for a 2nd tier IS 2800€ at a first tier IS, and the elite ISs pay much better than that.
The vast majority of ISs will provide you school places and tuition waivers, however in Spain they are a taxable part of your compensation. You can choose to send your children to a municipal school or Euro School however and avoid the tax burden. Typically an IS will provide 1-2 places per employee, though places are the easiest factor to negotiate in a contract assuming the IS isnt at capacity.
The vast majority of ISs will provide you school places and tuition waivers, however in Spain they are a taxable part of your compensation. You can choose to send your children to a municipal school or Euro School however and avoid the tax burden. Typically an IS will provide 1-2 places per employee, though places are the easiest factor to negotiate in a contract assuming the IS isnt at capacity.