Questions like, can an American work legally in Spain as an English teacher are now frequent.
Can an American work legally in Spain as an English teacher? The short answer is yes, and not only Americans but also other non-EU nationals, including the latest addition to non-EU countries, the United Kingdom, can work legally in Spain as English teachers.
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The days of working off the books have not disappeared, but the thought of being unable to work legally in Spain as an English teacher scares some people because they do not know the facts.
This article explains all available options for working legally in Spain as an English teacher.
To answer the question, “Can an American work legally in Spain as an English teacher?” another question must be asked: “How long do you want to stay in Spain?”. Do you want to stay for a couple of months, six months, a year, or forever?
The student visa route to work legally in Spain as an English teacher
Spanish student visas are issued for attending courses between 6 to 12 months. The courses must be taught by a state-registered organisation (usually a college or university) or a Cervantes Institute Spanish language school.
The Spanish student visa is an odd animal. It allows residency in Spain for its validity period; it is renewable and has a work provision. The work provision states that the holder may work as long as the work relates to the course sector, that the work does not impede studies and that the work is not full-time. Furthermore, it states that the job can be voluntary or paid. Spanish law states that a full-time position is between 35 to 40 hours a week. The language school that hires you is responsible for registering you for part-time work and activating the student visa’s work provision.
Your average English teacher in Spain usually works between 20 to 25 hours a week, whether legal or not.
EBC offers a student visa-eligible, one-academic-year study programme (Road2Spain) in conjunction with Cervantes Institute Spanish schools in Madrid, Malaga, and San Sebastian.
So if you want to come to Spain, study Spanish (course sector “language learning”) and teach without worrying about looking over your shoulder, getting a student visa is an excellent option.
Working off the books
Some people work off the books; others do not. So it is very much a matter of personal choice.
According to government statistics, there are around 500,000 illegal workers in Spain. These people live and work in Spain, off the books. So, as you can see, if you decided to work off the books, you would not be alone.
Spain usually does not arrest and deport illegals unless they have committed a crime. It has its risks. In the unlikely event that you are caught teaching, you will have to move apartments.
You will need to stay in Spain, and if you travel around Europe, make sure it is within the other 29 EU countries that respect the Schengen (SchengenVisaInfo.com) agreement. If you leave the Schengen zone, there is a risk that you will not be allowed back if your period outside the area is less than ninety days.
Working off the books is a well-known problem for the Spanish government. You are an adult; we have explained the situation, and we will not pass judgment. If you want to travel this route, the choice is yours.
Please see the “I’ve been illegal for two years, so give me residency” section below to learn how the Spanish government addresses this problem.
Getting a work permit through “normal” channels
There is no such thing as a temporary or short-term work permit for foreigners in Spain. You must be an EU resident. As an EU resident, you can apply for an English teaching or any short-term job.
If you want to get a work permit for Spain, it automatically means you are here for the long term. If you are not planning to make Spain your permanent home, getting a work permit is not worth considering.
Getting a work permit means full residency in Spain, translating to a long-term commitment.
As you can imagine, Spanish immigration does not permit anyone to walk in and ask for one. There is a long and drawn-out process (many months) and no guarantee of success. The waiting period can be as long as nine months. During this period, you are supposed to be back in your home country and wait for your work permit application results.
Getting residency by the back door
Parents and grandparents
The key to a work permit is EU residency, which can be with any EU member nation.
All EU residents can work in any country in the EU regardless of the EU country where they were born. It is the same principle as someone from New York who is going and working in California.
Many countries within the EU have a “grandfather” law, which allows people not born in the EU to apply for EU residency because their parents were born in the EU. Some EU countries even allow as far back as grandparents. The rules about eligibility vary from country to country, so if you think you may be eligible, contact your nearest consulate.
Fiancé, partner or spouse
Spain officially recognises couples regardless of gender. This means a couple with an EU and a non-EU partner (common-law or married) have official state recognition.
Spain also allows residency for non-EU partners to officially consummate common-law partnerships and marriages. The marriage procedure needs no explanation, but there is a standard process for creating a common-law partnership. This is called a “pareja de hecho “in Spanish and is another road to residency, but it has serious personal implications and commitments.
The “I’ve been illegal for two years, so give me residency law.”
I often refer to this as the “Outer Limits” law.
Please investigate this to the last syllable because it genuinely sounds like the “Outer Limits”.
Spain has a law called the “arraigo social”. A section of this law is the “arraigo laboral “. This section of the law offers people not from the EU the possibility of residency if they can prove they have been living and working in Spain for at least two years. But, of course, implicit in this is that they have been working illegally because, as we all know, non-EUs who are not EU residents cannot work in Spain, right?
Hold on a minute! Everyone says you cannot work in Spain without a work permit.
Spain is full of contradictions, and this law is possibly the most evident example.
To cut a long story short, the law gives residency to anyone who can show they have been living and working illegally in Spain for at least two years.
There is also a formal procedure for registering with the town hall. When you register, your illegal residency clock starts. The process is called “empadronamiento“.
NOTE: If you come to Spain with a student visa, you cannot use the “Outer Limits” law for the simple reason that by having a student visa, you are in Spain legally. The “Outer Limits” law is only for illegals! A similar section in the direction applies to common-law partnerships (“arraigo familiar”).
Brexit and the removal of the British monopoly on English teaching jobs in Spain
Brexit means the British no longer have an automatic right to live and work in Spain. They also now have the same problems as Americans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, and other countries that are not members of the EU.
The British are out, so who fills the vacuum concerning English teachers?
Well, no one right now, so teaching vacancies are rising. The Spanish economy is still not the same as six years ago, but according to all official channels, including the IMF, it is on the right track. Moreover, significant investment firms like Morgan Stanley have recommended Spain to their investors for over a year.
A summary of how to work legally in Spain as an English teacher
So there you have it. There are several ways to work legally in Spain as an English teacher.
- Temporary (one-year) residency with a student visa
- Off the books
- A work visa through “normal” channels
- Residence via partnership or marriage
- Residency through EU parents and sometimes grandparents
- Residency by being illegal
Spain is certainly not closed to non-EU citizens. You need to know where to look. We hope this article has been helpful. Now you have to decide what is best for you.
This page is a commentary based on facts and experience at the time of publication. This page is not legal advice, and EBC accepts no liability for any decisions you make. If you need legal advice, get in touch with a lawyer.
