Needed: Spanish teachers down under

Australia needs Spanish teachers. The Spanish embassy in the country made a call for teaching staff on October 29, with the intention of filling a series of vacancies for non-permanent positions, both full-time and as substitute teachers, during the 2017/2018 academic year. Educators who meet the requirements must send in applications by early afternoon November 13.

Teachers who meet the requirements may send applications until November 13

Centers are looking for teachers who specialize in elementary school, early childhood education, foreign languages, music and physical education. Those wishing to teach high school are required to have a specialization in physics and chemistry, math, English, technology and electronic systems. The embassy also made a call for vocational training teachers with specializations in electronics.

In addition, applicants must meet a series of requirements, such as having Spanish nationality or being a native of any of the member states of the European Union, not being currently employed by the government, having at least one year of experience, and being fluent in English.

Spanish has been expanding globally in an evident way. By 2050, the United States will have the largest number of Spanish speakers of any country. As a result, a growing number of countries are demanding more Spanish teachers in their classrooms. In France for example, in September of last year, following a high school education reform, the demand for Spanish-speaking educators skyrocketed. The country needed an additional 1,000 teachers to cover the increasing demand.

Throughout the world, about 2.7 million students have chosen to learn Spanish as a second language in the past decade

Throughout the world, about 2.7 million students have chosen to learn Spanish as a second language in the past decade. The number of Spanish nationals in France is approaching a quarter of a million. There are only 20,000 Spaniards in Australia, but there has been a 5% increase in the last year, according to the latest data published by Spain’s National Institute for Statistics (INE). In terms of fluent Spanish speakers in Australia, the number surpasses 100,000 people, according to the Cervantes Institute.

Interested parties can apply via the Ministry of Education’s website until Tuesday November 13 at 2pm, Spanish mainland time.

English version by Debora Almeida.