Language Teaching Schools and Programs in Spain

Language Teaching Studies in Spain

Language Teaching covers the training of people who teach languages: Spanish to foreigners, English and other foreign languages to Spanish learners, and languages in Spanish schools. In Spain, teacher training for Spanish as a foreign language sits close to the universities and language schools that teach Spanish to international students. The routes range from a four-week certificate to an officially recognised master's degree, so the first step is to know which one fits your goal.

Qualifications and routes

Official master's degrees. Under Royal Decree 822/2021, officially recognised master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. A search for "Lengua Extranjera" among master's degrees in the ministry's Register of Universities, Centres and Degrees (RUCT) returns 65 records. Most are in teaching Spanish as a foreign language (ELE), but there are also master's degrees in teaching English, French or Portuguese as a foreign language. The Instituto Cervantes, which offers teacher training both on site and online, also runs an official master's in ELE together with the UIMP and the UNED.

Teaching in Spanish schools. Teaching in secondary schools, vocational training or official language schools (Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas) is a regulated profession in Spain. It requires the official Máster en Profesorado, a 60-credit master's. To enter it, students must show command of their chosen specialisation, through a university test unless their degree matches it, and prove a foreign language at CEFR level B1.

Certificates for teaching English. Outside the university system, the most common qualifications are TEFL certificates. The Cambridge CELTA requires at least 120 hours of study and lasts 4 to 5 weeks full-time, or from a few months to a year part-time. Private schools also run their own courses, such as the 120-hour TEFL course of Canterbury TEFL, a Madrid language school founded in 1994. These certificates are useful for language academies, but they are not official university degrees.

Where to study Language Teaching in Spain

Madrid, Granada, Barcelona and Valencia have the most schools in our directory. Examples of official master's degrees in RUCT:

• Spanish as a foreign language: Universidad de Salamanca, Universidad de Granada, Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad de Valladolid, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, and Universitat de Barcelona with Universitat Pompeu Fabra
• English as a foreign language: Universidad de Alcalá, Universidad de Jaén, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya and, online, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja
• Other languages: French at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and Portuguese for Spanish speakers at the Universidad de Extremadura

Shorter courses are also offered outside the universities. The Cursos Internacionales de la Universidad de Salamanca run training courses for teachers of Spanish as a foreign language, and Escuela Montalbán in Granada, accredited by the Instituto Cervantes since 2002 according to the school, offers Spanish teacher training. Spanish schools such as Proyecto Español and Intereuropa state that their own teachers hold qualifications in teaching Spanish as a foreign language or degrees in Hispanic Philology. This gives an idea of the profile that schools look for.

Admission and recognition

An official master's degree requires a bachelor's degree, and each university sets its own admission criteria and language requirements. Teachers trained abroad who want to work in Spanish public secondary schools or official language schools need homologación of their qualification, the procedure for regulated professions. Private certificates such as CELTA or TEFL do not go through this procedure; their value depends on the employer.

Careers

Graduates work as teachers of Spanish in language schools, universities and Instituto Cervantes centres abroad; as English teachers in academies and companies; and, with the Máster en Profesorado and a public competitive exam, as language teachers in Spanish secondary schools and official language schools. Others move into course design, teaching materials and exam preparation.

Frequently asked questions

What do I need to teach Spanish as a foreign language?

There is no single compulsory qualification for private schools, but an official master's in teaching Spanish as a foreign language (ELE) or a teacher training course is the usual route. Spanish universities offer dozens of these master's degrees.

How long does a CELTA or TEFL course take in Spain?

The CELTA requires at least 120 hours and usually lasts 4 to 5 weeks full-time. Many TEFL courses in Spain also last 120 hours.

Can I teach languages in a Spanish state school with a TEFL certificate?

No. Teaching in secondary schools and official language schools requires the official Máster en Profesorado (60 credits).