Teaching of Spanish as a Second Language Schools and Programs in Spain

Teaching of Spanish as a Second Language Studies in Spain

Spain is a natural place to train as a teacher of Spanish as a foreign language (español como lengua extranjera, ELE). Universities run official master's degrees in the field, the Instituto Cervantes trains teachers and accredits language schools, and Spanish language schools give trainees a place to observe classes and teach. Programmes are aimed both at native speakers who want to teach their language and at non-native teachers with an advanced level of Spanish.

Training covers how Spanish is learned and taught: grammar and pronunciation for teaching, lesson planning, materials, assessment and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), intercultural communication and classroom technology, usually with a teaching practicum.

How the qualifications are organised

The main academic route is an official master's degree (máster universitario). Under Royal Decree 822/2021, master's degrees in Spain have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. A search of the ministry's Register of Universities, Centres and Degrees (RUCT) returns 48 master's records containing "español como lengua extranjera", some of them discontinued. Current examples include:

• Master's in Training Teachers of Spanish as a Foreign Language at the Universidad de Alcalá
• Master's in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language and Other Modern Languages at the Universidad de Sevilla
• Master's in Spanish as a Foreign Language: Teaching and Research at the Universidad Antonio de Nebrija
• Master's in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language at the Universidad de Salamanca, the Universidad de Zaragoza and the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo
• Joint master's degrees of the Universitat de Barcelona and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, and of the three Galician universities

At the Universidad de Alcalá, for example, the master's has 60 ECTS credits, is taught on campus and in Spanish over one full-time academic year (or part-time at 30 credits a year), and has a coordinator for external placements. The Instituto Cervantes, whose teacher training department is based in Alcalá de Henares, runs an official master's in collaboration with the UIMP and the UNED.

Shorter options are not official degrees. Universities offer their own qualifications (títulos propios); the Instituto Cervantes runs face-to-face and online courses for teachers and the DADIC diplomas, which accredit teaching competences; and language schools such as Instituto Mediterráneo Sol in Granada offer ELE teacher training courses.

Admission, language and costs

An official master's degree requires a bachelor's degree. Graduates from outside the European Higher Education Area do not need to have their degree homologated: the university checks that it is equivalent to a Spanish bachelor's degree and gives access to postgraduate study in the country where it was issued. Non-native speakers are usually asked for an advanced level of Spanish; the requirement depends on the programme.

Fees at public universities depend on the region and on residence. The Universidad de Alcalá gives an approximate price of €2,736 for the first enrolment of its 60-credit master's for Spanish and resident students, and €5,079 for non-resident students from outside the EU. Private universities and schools set their own prices.

Where to study it in Spain

Madrid and the nearby university city of Alcalá de Henares have the most options in our directory: the Universidad de Alcalá, the Instituto Cervantes, the Universidad Antonio de Nebrija and the Fundación Ortega-Marañón. Andalusia follows, with the Universidad de Sevilla, the Spanish courses of the Universidad de Málaga and language schools such as Instituto Mediterráneo Sol and Educatrip in Granada, Idiomas Carlos V in Seville and Tenidiomas in Jerez de la Frontera.

In the north there are the Centro Internacional de Español of the Universidad de Deusto in Bilbao, El Aula Azul in San Sebastián and the Fundación Comillas in Cantabria; on the Mediterranean, ADEIT of the Universitat de València and the Ya Hablas school in Alicante.

Recognition and working as a teacher

An official master's in ELE is valid throughout Spain and is recorded in RUCT, but it is not a qualification for a regulated profession: the Universidad de Alcalá states this on its master's page. Teaching in Spanish public secondary schools and official language schools is a separate, regulated profession (Profesor de ESO y Bachillerato, FP y Enseñanza de Idiomas) with its own requirements. ELE teachers typically work in language schools, universities' Spanish courses, Instituto Cervantes centres and private or online teaching.

Two Instituto Cervantes systems shape the field. Its SACIC scheme accredits schools that teach Spanish as a foreign language, with an evaluation repeated every three years. And it awards the DELE diplomas, official certificates of Spanish proficiency that cover every CEFR level, on behalf of the Ministry of Education; preparing students for the DELE and SIELE is a common part of the job.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a master's in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language take?

Usually one academic year full-time. The Universidad de Alcalá's official master's, for example, has 60 ECTS credits and can also be taken part-time at 30 credits a year.

Do I need my foreign degree homologated to enrol?

No. For an official master's, the university checks that a degree from outside the European Higher Education Area is equivalent to a Spanish bachelor's degree; this does not homologate it.

Can non-native speakers train as ELE teachers in Spain?

Yes. Programmes are open to non-native speakers with an advanced level of Spanish, which each university or school sets in its admission rules.

Is a master's required to teach Spanish to foreigners?

Teaching Spanish to foreigners is not a regulated profession, and the Universidad de Alcalá notes that its master's does not qualify holders for one. Requirements for each job are set by the employer.