Course comparison

Every in-person TEFL course in Spain

We run the Trinity CertTESOL in Barcelona, so we know this world inside out. Here's a fair, complete directory of the in-person courses across Spain, ours and everyone else's, so you can choose with your eyes open.

If you want to teach English in Spain, do your training in Spain. An in-person course gives you assessed teaching practice with real students, a group of classmates, and very often a foot in the door for jobs in that city. Below is every in-person initial certificate course we could verify running in Spain in 2026, 23 of them, grouped by region. We have left out online-only courses on purpose, since they are a different thing.

What actually matters when you choose

Here is the thing the marketing won't tell you: every accredited Cambridge CELTA and Trinity CertTESOL course must include the same six hours of assessed teaching practice with real learners. It is the regulated minimum, so among proper in-person courses it is a baseline, not a selling point. What genuinely varies is this:

The qualification. The two gold-standard options are the Cambridge CELTA and the Trinity CertTESOL. They are equivalent, both regulated at Ofqual Level 5 and both recognised by the British Council. A handful of providers offer their own certificates instead, which can be perfectly good but are not always as widely recognised, so check before you commit. We explain the detail in CELTA vs Trinity.
Price. In-person courses in Spain cluster between roughly €1,450 and €1,750. Cheaper usually means fewer wrap-around services, not a weaker certificate.
Format. The classic route is four weeks, full-time and intensive. Some schools run part-time or blended versions over a few months, with the teaching practice done in person.
City. Train where you want to work. A lot of hiring in Spain happens on the ground, so being in the city, course done, ready to interview, is a real advantage (see our guide to finding a job).
Wrap-around services. Visa help for non-EU trainees, accommodation, Spanish classes, and job support after you pass. These vary enormously and are often what you are really paying the difference for.

The full directory, by region

Provider names link to their own sites. Prices are shown only where confirmed on the provider's 2026 page; everywhere else we have put "Check provider" rather than print a figure that might be out of date. Always confirm the current price and dates directly before you book.

Barcelona and Catalonia

ProviderCityQualificationFormatPrice
TEFL Iberia ★ Barcelona Trinity CertTESOL 4-week full-time (160 hrs) €1,650 (€1,550 early bird)
Oxford TEFL Barcelona Cambridge CELTA 4-week full-time or 14-week part-time From €1,650
EIM – Universitat de Barcelona Barcelona Cambridge CELTA Full-time or part-time €1,730
The Lewis School Barcelona Cambridge CELTA 4-week full-time Check provider
Cambridge School Granollers Cambridge CELTA Full-time Check provider

Madrid

ProviderCityQualificationFormatPrice
International House Madrid Madrid Cambridge CELTA 4-week full-time, 12-week part-time, or blended €1,550
Chester School of English Madrid Cambridge CELTA 4-week full-time or 15-week blended Check provider
TtMadrid Madrid Level 5 certificate (Ofqual via TQUK) Hybrid: 2 weeks on-site plus online Check provider
EBC Madrid Trinity CertTESOL 4-week (in-person or online) Check provider

Andalusia

ProviderCityQualificationFormatPrice
CLIC International House Sevilla Seville Cambridge CELTA 4-week full-time Check provider
CLIC International House Málaga Málaga Cambridge CELTA 4-week full-time Check provider
TEFL in Spain (TEFL Abroad) Málaga Trinity CertTESOL 4-week full-time or 6-week part-time Check provider
Active Language Cádiz Trinity CertTESOL 6-week blended (3 weeks in class) €1,500
Tenidiomas (T.E.N.) Jerez de la Frontera Cambridge CELTA 4-week full-time (July) €1,450
CELTA Granada / IML Granada Cambridge CELTA 4-week full-time (summer, in person) €1,450

Valencia and the east

ProviderCityQualificationFormatPrice
Campbell College Valencia Cambridge CELTA 4-week full-time and part-time Check provider
STEM English / Frisby College Alicante TEFL Diploma (CPD-accredited, not CELTA or Trinity) Blended: online plus in-person practice €800

Northern Spain

ProviderCityQualificationFormatPrice
London School of Languages San Sebastián Cambridge CELTA 4-week full-time €1,575
Lacunza IH San Sebastián Trinity CertTESOL Full-time and part-time Check provider
CELTA Asturias Oviedo Cambridge CELTA Full-time and part-time (in person) €1,500
El Centro Británico / IH Santiago Santiago de Compostela Cambridge CELTA Full-time Check provider

Canary Islands

ProviderCityQualificationFormatPrice
The Irish Academy Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Cambridge CELTA Full-time intensive Check provider
Language Campus La Laguna, Tenerife Trinity CertTESOL Full-time and part-time Check provider

★ Our course. We have listed every competitor we could verify, because we would rather you trust the directory than take our word for it. A few schools that appear in older listings are left off on purpose: they are online-only, exam-preparation centres rather than course providers, or have closed.

A note on closed centres

If you are comparing courses from an older blog or directory, watch out for centres that no longer exist. International House Barcelona, IH Palma de Mallorca and IH Zaragoza all closed in 2020, along with several sister schools, when the IH Eastern Spain group went into liquidation. Plenty of lists still show them. They are not options.

Why we teach the Trinity CertTESOL

We run the Trinity CertTESOL in Barcelona because it ticks every box above: a regulated Ofqual Level 5 qualification, recognised by the British Council and by schools across Spain and the world, built around real assessed teaching practice, over four weeks, in person, in a city where a huge amount of the hiring happens. And because we also work with a sister Spanish school, we know exactly what local employers look for.

If you are weighing the Trinity against the Cambridge CELTA specifically, the two are equivalent, and we cover the detail in CELTA vs Trinity. If you are not sure you even need a course yet, start with what you actually need to teach in Spain.

Frequently asked questions

Should I train in Spain or back home?
If your goal is to teach in Spain, training in Spain is usually the better move. You finish the course already in the country, with local job leads, a network, and in many cases visa and accommodation support built in.
CELTA or Trinity CertTESOL, which is better?
Neither, they are equivalent: both are regulated Level 5 qualifications with the same six hours of assessed teaching practice, and both are widely recognised. Choose on city, dates, price and the feel of the school. See our full comparison.
How much does an in-person course cost in Spain?
Most in-person CELTA and Trinity courses run between about €1,450 and €1,750. The difference is usually in the wrap-around services, not the certificate itself.
How long does it take?
The standard full-time intensive course is about four weeks. Part-time and blended routes spread the same content over a few months.
Are all these courses equally recognised?
The Cambridge CELTA and Trinity CertTESOL courses are the two the British Council automatically recognises, and they are accepted everywhere. A few providers offer their own certificates, which can be good but are not always as widely recognised, so check what employers in your target city expect.

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