Spanish Teacher

Spanish Teachers instruct students on how to read, write, and speak the Spanish language. You normally work in secondary educational environments–either teaching kids in middle school or high school, or tackling adult education and college-level courses.

The skills you have go far beyond being able to order at your local Mexican restaurant in perfect Spanish, or understanding the plot of a telenovela even without the subtitles. A typical day will find you conjugating verbs, explaining sentence structure, and demonstrating typical conversations with students. Your job is very hands-on and active. It is vitally important that you know Spanish grammar and punctuation inside and out. This can mean knowing the rules of Spanish even better than the rules of English.

Often, what you teach in a Spanish classroom goes beyond the mechanics of the language. You will also teach your students about the people who speak it. This means showing them which countries speak Spanish, and how dialects and cultures differ between the regions. You have the opportunity to create rich lesson plans that bring the language to life. Activities can include screening popular movies from Spain, preparing common South American dishes, chronicling the history of Latin American islands, and observing Mexican holidays like the Day of the Dead.

Most Spanish Teachers find work in the public or private school system, but there are also opportunities for teaching abroad and working as Tutors. Some Spanish Teachers even work for corporations, coaching executives who regularly work with Spanish-speaking nations.