The complete guide

How to keep growing as a teacher

Your certificate gets you in the door. What you do next is what makes you a great teacher, and a well-paid one. Here's how teachers in Spain keep developing.

The best teachers never stop learning. That's not a motivational line, it's just how this job works: the more you develop, the better your classes, the happier your students, and the more doors open to higher pay, exam classes, in-company work and training roles. Here are the avenues worth knowing about, the same ones we point our own graduates towards once they're out teaching.

Training courses

Once you have a year or two under your belt, a higher qualification is the clearest way to level up your teaching and your earning power.

Teaching diplomas (DipTESOL or DELTA): the next big step after your initial certificate, aimed at experienced teachers. A diploma opens the door to teacher training, academic management and materials development, like writing coursebooks.
Extension courses (TYLEC or CELTYL): shorter add-ons to your CertTESOL or CELTA, focused on teaching young learners. Worth it given how much of the work in Spain is with kids and teens.
TKTs (Teaching Knowledge Tests): modular exams covering different areas and specialisms. A flexible, lower-cost way to formalise what you know.

Workshops, talks and conferences

Getting in a room with other teachers is one of the fastest ways to pick up fresh ideas, and it's often free or cheap. Worth putting in your calendar:

In-house training

Some schools run their own continuing professional development, and it's a real perk. Ask about it in the interview. A school that invests in its teachers might offer:

And if your school doesn't have one? Consider setting something up yourself. Organising a small materials swap or a monthly session marks you out as someone worth keeping.

Observations, mentoring and feedback

This is where teachers grow fastest, and where many hold themselves back out of nerves. There's a difference between a "performance" observation, which can feel like a test, and a development observation, which is there purely to help you. Lean into the second kind.

Don't suffer in silence. If a class isn't going well, tell your Director of Studies, ask to be observed, and get some pointers. The fix is often simpler than you fear, and a good DoS will always back their teachers.
Ask to be mentored by an experienced teacher. Being keen to learn always looks good, and it's how you find your blind spots.
Buddy up with a teacher in a similar position. Share lesson plans and materials, and reflect together after classes.
Keep a teaching journal. What worked today? What didn't? Talking it through with a mentor turns a rough class into a lesson learned.
Set yourself small, achievable goals, like "this term I'll get comfortable using phonemic script".
Ask your students for feedback. What worked today? What did you like? What do you want more of? They'll tell you things no observation can.

Blogs and social media

Plenty of brilliant teaching ideas are free online. A few worth following:

Useful websites and tools

These are the sites our teachers reach for again and again, for planning, games and quick wins:

ClassDojo, a discipline and incentive system that works wonders with young learners.
BusyTeacher and freeenglishlessonplans.com, huge banks of worksheets and ready-made plans.
Kahoot, a multiple-choice game students play on their phones, and Quizlet and Cram for flashcards and games.
Film English and Movie Segments to Assess Grammar Goals, ready-made lessons built around short films and clips.
PlayPhrase.me, a searchable database of film and TV clips for language in context.
PhonTransEdit, which transcribes text into phonemic script in a click.

Books worth reading

If you want to build real depth, a handful of books come up time and again:

Frequently asked questions

When should I do a diploma like the DipTESOL or DELTA?
Most teachers wait until they have a year or two of classroom experience, since the diplomas assume you already teach regularly. They're the natural next step if you want to move into teacher training, management or materials writing.
Do I need more qualifications to earn more in Spain?
Not always, but they help. Specialising in young learners, exam prep or in-company work, and adding a diploma later, all push your rate up. So does building a base of private students. See the salary guide for the full picture.
What's the single best free way to improve?
Get observed and ask for honest feedback, then act on it. It costs nothing and nothing else moves your teaching forward faster.
I haven't started yet. Where do I begin?
With an accredited initial certificate that includes real teaching practice. See what you need and which certificate to pick the right course.

It all starts with the right course

Every avenue on this page builds on a solid foundation. Take the free check and we'll map your route into teaching, starting with the qualification that opens the door.

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