What I’ve learned from my experiences with bad ESL employers in Barcelona

Although my experience as an ESL Teacher in Barcelona has been positive overall (hence why I started this website!), I would not be providing an honest account of it if I left out the not-so-nice bits. Unfortunately, it’s likely that every EFL Teacher in Barcelona has had a dodgy experience with an employer. In an oversaturated market of English Teachers who are often unfamiliar with the language and local employment policies, it’s bound to happen. 

Although I considered myself well-prepared, my proactivity and TEFL course didn’t quite prepare me for the underhanded tactics that many academies use to take advantage of newly minted English Teachers. I learned some of them the hard way. Hopefully these accounts will help aspiring English Teachers to avoid making the same mistakes.

Barcelona is a very popular destination for ESL Teachers.

The private students ‘representative’

As my first bad experience with what seemed to be an official organisation, this was a real doozy. I was put in touch with them through a friend, who had been ‘recruited’ a couple of weeks before. The ‘school’ worked as a kind of affiliate, connecting teachers with private students. In exchange, teachers paid a €6 commission per class, collected at the end of the month in a lump sum. So after each of my classes costing €23/hour, I was left with €17.

In hindsight, I see how that was a bad deal to begin with (although any private students seemed like a good thing at the time). Decent academies pay €17/hour, and that includes social security, an official employment record (did I mention that no contract was arranged?), and teacher support (such as teaching materials). All the ‘school’ had to do was make the initial connection and then reap the financial rewards for the rest of the student-teacher relationship. This could mean hundreds or even thousands of euros, depending on how many private students they had connected you with and how long the student-teacher relationship lasted. For me personally, a year with them would have cost me over 600 euros, which is a lot to pay for a whole lot of nothing. 

On top of this, I was overcharged in the very first month of our arrangement. I am a meticulous budgeter and easily picked it up. I politely pointed it out and received a non-committal response of ‘You’re right. I need to make a change in the database’. My friend had also been overcharged and had let them know, too … a full fortnight before. Through a rapid and increasingly outraged series of texts, we concluded that we were being had, along with an unknown number of other English Teachers. 

Of course, you can’t just sling accusations around without proof, but I was definitely no longer comfortable working with the school. However, I really liked my private students who I’d connected with, and they really liked me. I explained the situation to them as neutrally as I could, and asked if they would mind continuing with me privately. There were no contracts signed by any party, payments were done in cash, and they had had no contact with the school. I also assured them that I would help them find a new English teacher should our arrangement end. My students agreed. I wrote a polite email to the school explaining the situation, thanked them for the connection, and asked when and how I could pay the outstanding commissions.

If I’d had any doubt still lingering about whether I was doing the right thing, it evaporated very quickly when I received the response. I was lambasted for “going behind our backs” and urged to “reconsider my decision to take this client as your own rather than through the school”. Unfortunately, a quick Google search had earlier revealed to me that there was no school. There was no official place of business for this association, or even a website. All it was was an opportunistic woman with connections in the student community and an official-looking email address.

It’s hard to know exactly how many English academies are in Barcelona. At the time of writing (June 7, 2025), there are 265 positions for ‘English Teacher’ available on the Jobs in Barcelona platform.

The prestigious academy which was less reliable than the local weather apps

Alongside my private students (most of which I ended up getting on my own), I had also nabbed a job at one of Barcelona’s most well-known and prestigious English academies. Unlike the ‘private students representative’, this was all very much above board and official. It paid well (between 18-23 euros per hour), and had excellent facilities, teacher support, team-building events, and a spacious, central location. It’s an industry leader in EFL teacher training and language teaching. So, when did it go wrong? In October 2024. 

Before then, I’d been teaching with the academy for eight months with no complaints. Most teaching contracts last for the academic year, from September-July, and then are renewed again (or not). In May, I checked in with the director to ensure I would still have classes upon my return from an Austrian EFL summer camp. If not, I wanted to make sure that any job hunting for the new academic year happened before I jetted off. She reassured me that they were very happy with me and would love for me to continue in the new academic year. I logged my availability for the new academic year, which showed that I was free on Monday and Wednesday afternoons and nights (prime ESL teaching time) and some hours dotted throughout the weekdays. Another request for my availability in September reassured me again that I would have several classes starting in October. Apologetically, I was told that I’d only get the information about the levels and ages of my future students on the Friday before the classes were due to start. Is that ok? Sorry about that. It wasn’t ideal, but I had plenty of lessons stored away, so I said it was fine. Up to that point, I had turned down several requests for private classes, blissfully unaware of what was to come.

The Friday afternoon before my ‘classes’ were due to start, I received a phone call from the director. Instead of telling me which levels and ages my new students would be, she sheepishly admitted that they had ‘miscalculated the number of students that signed up’ and that I would, in fact, have no classes starting. She assured me in the weakest of terms that I was on the radar for new classes, and they would contact me as soon as they could. A month later, when I tried to log into my company account, I found that my access was denied. I messaged the front desk to let them know, and was told it was deactivated ‘because you no longer work here’.

The heads of staff had not even deigned to send me an email. There was nothing resembling an even half-decent apology for the way they had played with my livelihood. It was a truly shellshocking experience.

The no-show

Thankfully, the demand in Barcelona for learning English is high, and you can quickly find a new opportunity as long as you’re proactive. So after sending a flurry of applications to different academies, I quickly landed a job interview, despite being two months into the academic year. After a successful interview (leaving aside the fact that the director was half an hour late), she invited me to the academy to do an observation as part of my training. After the observation, I would need to attend a training day.

Although the observation was a little chaotic (the director kept popping out to co-manage the rambunctious class next door, along with the frazzled teacher), the academy itself was adorable. Based on books and reading, the syllabus was exactly up my alley. The other teachers seemed lovely, the location was great, and there seemed to be a lot of teacher support, including monthly meetings and check-ins. 

After the observation, I tried to provide my availability for the training day. “Don’t worry, we will be in touch and find a day that suits you”, I was reassured. One week passed by before they emailed: there was one training day for all the new teachers, either a morning session or an afternoon session. I rescheduled my classes which clashed with the morning session and confirmed my attendance for the training, starting at 10:00. 

I arrived 15 minutes early to the training, ready to start the next phase of my TEFL journey. Unfortunately, the academy was completely shuttered. I shrugged it off, figuring they would arrive exactly at 10:00 or, at worst, 5-10 minutes late (I am living in Spain, after all). However, the 10-minutes-late mark came and went as I stood there sweating in the morning sun. Surely not, I thought. Let me just give them a call. Maybe there’s a back door and they’ve not realised that the front shutter is down. Three unanswered phone calls and a triple-check of the email later, I had to face the inevitable. Either something truly terrible had happened, or they had forgotten. I left.

Two hours later, I received a sheepish phone call from the secretary. So-and-so was feeling ill this morning. We’re so sorry. 

I promptly withdrew my application. If I am expected to show up on time and ready to go, and to communicate if I’m not able to, is it not fair that I expect the same from academies? If this is how I’m treated before I even sign a contract, why would I expect it to get any better? These are the types of questions we must ask ourselves.

Although there are lots of English teachers in Barcelona, there is also lots of demand. Teachers can quickly find new opportunities if they’re proactive with their applications.

The place that paid a pittance

This particular experience was limited only to the interview itself, so I’ll keep it brief. The academy is a very widely known, popular franchise. Its big, loudly coloured locations are dotted throughout Barcelona, and it would seem like they have a lot of resources at their disposal. Not enough to pay their teachers sufficiently, apparently. It was very difficult to maintain my neutral expression when my tired, potentially overworked interviewer told me with a straight face that they would pay me just over 900 euros per month for 25 hours a week. Yes, you read that right. And while they also said they paid over the holiday periods (far from a given in the TEFL teaching world), working for less than 10 euros per hour before taxes was something I was never going to do. Needless to say, I never called them back.

For new, inexperienced teachers, I can understand how tempting it may be to take the first job which comes your way, especially when your budget has been stretched thinner than expected. But try to ride it out. There are always more opportunities to be had in the TEFL world, so long as you’re active about applying. Always. We owe it to ourselves and fellow ESL teachers everywhere not to accept these exploitative rates. You are worth more.

How to avoid bad ESL employers in Barcelona

Ask for a contract and check it thoroughly.

Although this may seem like the most basic of things, it isn’t. At least not in Barcelona’s TEFL community. Even the most legitimate of academies sometimes fail to provide a contract, and will allow you to start working and earning even though nothing has been signed. So what, if I’m getting paid?, you might think. Think about having basic Spanish work rights: things like being able to receive sick pay, preventing unwanted overtime, and having access to breaks after a set amount of hours worked. Many bureaucratic processes, such as applying for housing or visa-related processes, will also require a work contract.

Once you have a work contract, make sure you read it thoroughly. They will undoubtedly be written in the local language, but there are more than enough translation tools out there to mitigate this problem. If you really need to, ask a Spanish-speaking friend to help you out. Important things to look out for include conditions of employment termination, payment, and what happens if you need to take a day off mid-term or semester. 

Check that your hours worked match your payslip

Ideally, you will work at an academy that produces payslips (again, this is not something you can necessarily take for granted). Make sure you track your hours each month (as these often vary in TEFL positions) and then ensure they match what you’ve been paid (taking into account taxation and social security deductions). If you have doubts about what’s on your payslip, ask. It’s your basic right. It’s unlikely that your employer will try to rip you off intentionally, but you never know. Also, anyone can make mistakes, particularly when the hours change each month, and each academy has their own quirks. For instance, I recently heard a story from another English Teacher who’d discovered she’d been underpaid for over six months for an extra service she’d been doing because she hadn’t explicitly asked for the extra payment. If that doesn’t scream ‘Keep your eyes on the prize’, I don’t know what does.

Don’t take their word for it

Unfortunately, it seems many academies are willing to bend the truth at best or outright lie at worst to keep their own best interests at the forefront. The sad truth about working as a TEFL Teacher in an oversaturated market is that there’s always more of us. If academies burn their bridge with one teacher, there’s always a fresh batch of new teachers looking for a job, any job, to replace us. The fluctuating nature of classes and demand means it can be in their best interest to string us along just in case they need us, and drop us when they don’t.

My experiences have taught me to take all promises with a generous pinch of salt. If they really do want you to stay on, then get it in writing. Try to get a contract ahead of time, and confirmation of the classes that you will be teaching. I also fully recognise and acknowledge that this sounds nice in theory, but may be hard to achieve in practise.

Be wary of cash jobs

It’s common to be paid in cash by private students or academies that need you for a temporary period (such as covering for a teacher who is on leave, or off sick, for a few days). However, if an academy or any other organisation which pertains to be official is wanting to pay exclusively or partially in cash, be extra careful. Ask yourself: why are they paying in cash? Is there something they have to hide from official channels? And while being paid in cash is technically legal in Spain (up to a limit of 1,000 euros), it’s important to make sure everything is by the book so you don’t get caught up in something illegal.

Do your research

Anyone can seem official if they have an official-looking email address, and even a website. Look them up on Google Maps. What are the reviews like? Where are they located? If you were a language learner, would you be happy to attend the school?

Once you’ve established that it’s a real academy with real credentials, ask around. There are English Teachers all over the world and we’ve got your back. Find a community on WhatsApp, Reddit, Facebook, or other channels, online and in person, to ask about the academy. In Barcelona, there are several Facebook groups, including Barcelona TEFL Teachers Association (BTTA) and TEFL Barcelona, which could help you out (these are also great places to find job opportunities, teaching resources, and private students). Ask ‘Has anyone worked at X?’, then ask the respondents in a private message about their experience. That way, you won’t risk losing face if the academy owner happens to also be in the group. Most people’s experiences with academies are positive, and you’ll receive answers that reflect that. However, it could also help you dodge a bullet.

Taking time to look up an academy you’re considering applying to online, and asking around about it, is worth it. It could save you a lot of pain further down the line.

Hold academies to the same standards that they expect from teachers

I’m not talking about anything crazy. Only the basics. Things like arriving on time, communicating well, and letting you know in advance if any changes are going to happen. Although English academies tend to be informal, relaxed spaces, it doesn’t mean that professionality has to slip. Make sure you feel respected and that your time is valued.

Have a rainy day fund

Unfortunately, the nature of extracurricular education is unstable. Despite your best efforts, you may suddenly find yourself without a job. And while finding another job in the TEFL world can happen quite quickly, it will be a very stressful period if you don’t have some money stashed away to tide you over. With an emergency fund ready, you can also take your time to find something which suits you and your schedule better, rather than just taking the first opportunity which comes your way.

The takeaway from my experiences with bad ESL employers in Barcelona

You might be wondering Why haven’t you named and shamed? Shouldn’t you tell us exactly who the perpetrators are so we can avoid them like the plague?

This post represents my experiences with these academies, but they may not be everyone’s experiences. They represent a range of different academies which are guilty of similar things, but they don’t represent the overall landscape of teaching English in Barcelona. My aim is only to help current and aspiring TEFL teachers to make good decisions about their employment choices.

As for the guilty parties who might somehow end up reading this? Be better, for goodness’ sake. 

Have you had any bad experiences with ESL employers in Barcelona? Or really good ones? Leave your experience, feedback, or advice in the comments!

Further reading:

• How to spot dodgy TEFL employers
• How to Avoid TEFL Scams and Bad Employers
• The best country to TEFL in Europe (Reddit thread posted on January 25, 2025)