School Details - Barcelona Passeig De Gracia
The school is in a beautifully refurbished 19th century Barcelona historical building. It has 6 comfortable classrooms, each equipped with an interactive whiteboard, MAC computers and air conditioning. It has a bright, airy library with plenty of space, making it the perfect place to study.
Itstarted as a small, independent school in 2012 and trained small groups of new teachers every month. In 2017 we achieved accreditation by Trinity College London and are proud providers of the Trinity CertTESOL qualification, but have maintained our philosophy from the beginning - personalised training in small groups and excellent study experience from start to finish.
Some of the top reasons our graduates give for studying with us include:
- The small groups (8 maximum, not 20).
- The varied teaching practice with real students (big & small groups, beginner to advanced students).
- Being instilled with the confidence to teach.
- The excellent job opportunities given to them afterwards (employers give us excellent feedback about TEFL Iberia graduates).
- The internationally recognised qualification.
Barcelona
Barcelona will go down in history as an essential all-time experience. Different people will be seduced by different things, so take your pick, it will it be the almost arrogant individuality of a city with its own language and history, the effortless juxtaposition of Gothic and Renaissance, Byzantine and Romanesque, the dangerously inviting boutiques, or quite simply that old Spanish knack of bringing out lazy, sangria-filled lunches under a hot Mediterranean sun. Quintessentially Spanish yet unique in so many ways, make of Barcelona what you will. But whatever your vice, don't fight it - because you can be sure nobody else is.
Course Description
Before the course
We send you a pack of pre-course reading material and tasks in order to prepare you for the course. This is designed to raise your awareness of grammar and teaching methodology and takes about 10 hours of study to complete. You will find that you feel a lot more confident in your first few lessons if you prepare correctly! It is especially useful if you have not studied for a while or you want to brush up on your grammar. This is a free, 10-hour mini course included when you sign up.
Class observation
You will observe senior teachers to get an idea of how things work in the classroom. Over the duration of the course you will see how to teach speaking, listening, reading and writing, as well as grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and fluency, to students of different ages and levels. You will carry out a series of observation tasks of both the course tutors and your peers in order to highlight various teaching skills and techniques.
Teaching Practice
The best way to learn is by doing it yourself! You will have the opportunity to teach real learners using only English (no foreign language knowledge required) from day one of the course. You are thrown in at the deep end and you will go on to complete 6+ hours of teaching practice with real language learners. Your progress as a teacher will be closely monitored throughout the course by our experienced teacher trainers and you will be given feedback after every lesson. You will teach students of 3 different levels (beginner, elementary and upper-intermediate) and different groups sizes (4-10 students), in order to make your experience as varied as possible. You will also teach two private lessons with the same student in order to analyse their strengths and weaknesses, which will form part of your Learner Profile assignment (see below).
Lesson Preparation
We train you to prepare fun and engaging classes. Our tutors will show you how to structure an effective lesson and create high-quality teaching material. There are a plethora of resources available and you will learn how to use them to create effective activities for communicative, student-centred lessons.
Grammar & Language Awareness
A good TEFL teacher knows the English grammar inside out. We will teach you to deconstruct the English language so you can teach it in a meaningful way. Our grammar tutorials move at a comfortable pace and the concepts are explained in the simplest way possible, with extra help available for those who are not as confident.
Peer and Tutor Feedback
All of your classes are observed by one of our tutors and a small group of your fellow trainee teachers. This may sound daunting but the atmosphere is fun and relaxed, and allows you to observe what works and does not work in the classroom and learn from your peers. You will learn how to self-evaluate and evaluate other teacher is lessons. After each class you will receive constructive feedback of the teaching session from your tutor
Learning an Unknown Language
One skill of a good teacher is the ability to empathise with the learner, i.e. put yourself in the shoes of a language learner. For this reason you will experience it from the other side and take 4 short lessons in an unknown foreign language, with no recourse to English. In the past we have had Polish, Arabic, Tagalog and Dutch; you will see it is not too difficult!
Teaching in the 21st Century
The traditional classroom is changing and we want you to be prepared. All of our classrooms are equipped with modern interactive whiteboards and audio-visual equipment, so we encourage you to be as creative as possible in creating interactive and engaging lessons.
CV Preparation and Job Finding Workshop
You will be given expert advice on writing a high-quality CV aimed specifically at finding a teaching job. You will also receive guidance and access to a wealth of resources on job searching as well as interview preparation and practice.
Assessment
You are assessed on the following:
- Teaching practice and self evaluation - your teaching skills and ability to reflect on your and your peers performance is carefully monitored throughout the course.
- Learner profile assignment - you will teach two private lessons to the same student and develop a case study of their strengths and weaknesses.
- Materials assignment - you will produce your own teaching material and evaluate its effectiveness.
- Language awareness exam - a 90 minute exam at the end of the course to evaluate your knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and phonology.
Accommodation Options
We can provide you with comfortable, low-cost accommodation within easy reach of the school. Our accommodation placement service is free and optional.
How much will it cost per month?
400-460 EUR per month, depending on the exact size and location of the flat.
Where are the flats?
Various locations around Barcelona, but all very central and within 20min walking distance / public transport of the school.
Who will I be sharing with?
We house you with other students, ex-students or English teachers already living here. Great for first-hand advice on living and working in Barcelona. You can also request to be housed with a local, so you can practice your Spanish!
What is the accommodation like?
You will be in a shared apartment, living with 2-3 other people, with all the facilities you would expect from a modern flat. You will have space to study, bedding, privacy, wifi, use of all the kitchen and a shared bathroom.
How do I book it?
If you require affordable accommodation to be arranged for you before you start then please say so in the additional information box on our application form and we will have everything arranged for you before you start the course.
When can I move in?
We normally organise for you to move in on the Saturday before your course start date and move out on the Sunday after you finish. It is also possible to extend before and after the course dates, just let us know in the additional information box.
Timetable
10am - 6pm, Monday to Friday
Customer Feedback
School staff, course, and facilities = A+. It was an intensive four weeks but I learned SO much. Everyone there is extremely knowledgeable and always there for support. You'll get practice teaching from the very first day and gain the confidence to prepare your own lessons along the way. To the staff: THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP! :)
Estefania Morales, 2017
Great course with supportive tutors and coordinators who help through the whole process. It's intense but well worth it, would highly recommend this school for preparing you and equipping you with all the tools needed to be a tefl teacher in Barcelona.
Parissa Davryan, 2017
I recently completed the 160-hour TEFL course and from the first day until the last I can honestly say it was a great experience. From having no previous teaching experience, the 4 week course has given me the knowledge and experience to feel confident about teaching. The resources and materials are all there to help you along the way but, I owe a lot to the staff. I would recommend this course to anyone. You guys are all gems! I wish you all the best for the future.
Luke Gallen, 2017
Cannot recommend it highly enough. All the team challenge you, whilst supporting and helping you along the way. The teachers are beyond knowledgeable and the course structure is brilliant. Be prepared though...they call it intensive for a reason. Cancel your weekend plans when you are there!
Ben Hayes, 2017
Help for Jobs
Our service is unique in that we have enlisted the help of the an association. This group was set up in 2006 as a meeting point for the numerous TEFL teachers in the area, to make friends, swap lessons, share job opportunities, cover each others private lessons and create a support network for new teachers in the city. Their team is uniquely placed to give excellent advice to new teachers - they knows exactly what it takes to land a teaching job in a good school. Included in the careers service is:
- CV preparation workshop - send in your CV to have it tailored for an English teaching job
- Job interview preparation and practice
- How to find private lessons
- How to obtain the correct working papers in Spain
- A large database of employer contact details in and around Barcelona - we have done the legwork so you do not have to.
How to Apply
1. Choose the start date which interests you. If you’re still unsure, please choose an approximate date for now - you will be able to specify later.
2. Register your details with Cactus TEFL (1 minute) to help us track your application.
3. Download the application form and save it on your computer.
4. Complete it offline in your own time
5. Go back to www.cactustefl.com, sign in and submit your completed form.
You can also submit an application by email. We will explain how to do this on the application form. Please contact us if you have any problems with the application procedure.
