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Studies & Degrees in Teacher Training for Foreign Languages

Teacher training for foreign languages prepares people to teach a language to learners who do not speak it at home. That may be English in a language academy in Madrid, French in a Spanish primary school, or Spanish to visiting students in Granada. The training has two sides: knowing the language well, and knowing how to teach it.

Courses cover language analysis (grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation), lesson planning, classroom management, materials and assessment. Almost all of them include teaching practice with real learners, observed by a tutor. Trinity College London, for example, lists planning and delivering lessons, analysing grammar and pronunciation, and identifying learner needs among the skills of its entry-level certificate.

Qualifications and levels

There are two broad routes. One leads into the school system and is regulated by each country. The other leads to work in language academies and private teaching, and is based on short professional certificates.

  • Primary school teacher (Spain). Teachers need the official bachelor's degree (grado) in primary education, which has 240 ECTS credits. Universities may add a specialisation (mención) of 30 to 60 credits. Foreign languages are one of the official teaching specialities for primary schools: English, French and German. The law requires that speciality to teach a foreign language. The Universidad de Jaén and the Universidad de Murcia both offer menciones in English and French.
  • Secondary school and official language school teacher (Spain). These are regulated professions that require an official master's degree in teacher training, taken after a bachelor's degree. The master's has 60 ECTS credits and includes a school placement. Students must also show CEFR level B1 in a foreign language.
  • English teaching certificates (TEFL/TESOL). The Cambridge CELTA includes at least 120 hours of study. It takes four to five weeks full time, or a few months to a year part time, and can be taken face to face or online. The Trinity CertTESOL is a Level 5 qualification on the Ofqual framework in England, with 200 hours of total qualification time and at least six hours of supervised teaching practice.
  • Spanish as a foreign language (ELE). The Instituto Cervantes runs face-to-face and online training for teachers of Spanish, and takes part in an official master's degree in ELE together with the UIMP and the UNED. Some private schools offer their own ELE teacher courses.

A short certificate is not the same as a school teaching qualification. In England, for example, qualified teacher status is a legal requirement to teach in many schools. Before enrolling on a private course, ask the school who awards and moderates the certificate and what recognition it has in the country where you want to work.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 53 active schools for this subject. Spain has 33, the United Kingdom six, the United States four and Canada three. Ireland, Chile, Honduras, Argentina, Colombia, Ukraine and Japan have one each.

In Spain the offer falls into two groups. Universities such as the Universidad de Murcia, Universidad de La Rioja, Universidad de Alcalá and Universidad de Málaga train school teachers, mostly in Spanish. The primary education degree at the Universidad de Alcalá lists Spanish, English and French as teaching languages. Private training centres teach in English and concentrate on TEFL:

  • Oxford TEFL in Barcelona offers the CELTA and the Trinity DipTESOL, and states that both are accredited and externally moderated by Cambridge English and Trinity College London
  • TtMadrid in Madrid runs a 180-hour course that combines online theory before arrival with intensive study in person
  • Canterbury Consulting Spain in Madrid advertises a 120-hour TEFL course combined with teaching work
  • Instituto Mediterráneo Sol in Granada, a Spanish language school, includes ELE training in its course list

The TEFL courses are taught entirely in English. Non-EU citizens should check visa conditions with the school before booking.

Careers

Graduates work in language academies, primary and secondary schools, official language schools, universities' language centres, company training and online teaching. With experience, teachers move into teacher training, course coordination, exam preparation or materials writing. Advanced diplomas, such as the Trinity DipTESOL, are aimed at these next steps.

Employment data depend on the country. For the United States, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects little or no change in the employment of high school teachers from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year, most of them to replace teachers who leave. It also notes that public school teachers there must hold a state-issued certification or licence.

Frequently asked questions

Which course do I need to teach English abroad?

Language academies usually ask for an initial certificate such as the Cambridge CELTA, which has at least 120 hours of study, or the Trinity CertTESOL. State schools follow national rules and normally require a teaching degree or licence.

How long does a TEFL course take?

A full-time CELTA usually takes four to five weeks. Part-time courses last from a few months to a year.

How do I become a language teacher in a Spanish state school?

For primary school you need the bachelor's degree in primary education and the foreign-language speciality. For secondary school and official language schools you need a bachelor's degree plus the official 60-credit master's degree in teacher training.

Can I train to teach Spanish as a foreign language?

Yes. The Instituto Cervantes offers courses for teachers of Spanish and takes part in an official master's degree in ELE, and several universities and private schools run their own programmes.