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Velvet School

Who we are

It is a wholly independent private school run by a general manager and a director of studies and supported by an expert team in different fields; education, administration, marketing etc. etc. and it is not a franchise. Our expertise and skills are all resident

Over the course of the years Velvet School has become a point of reference not only in Bilbao but witing the province of Vizcaya.

The school is member of ACEIB and FECEI and is a University of Cambridge ESOL Authorised Centre.

What we do

Velvet School teaches English – and many more languages – to all age ranges from Younger Learners to adults in small homogeneous classes.
In our School our adults can take general English courses or a wide range of more specialised courses leading to international certifications.

We prepare our learners for an extensive range of examinations, which can be found in the section entitled “Certificaciones” The full range of study options is listed in the section called “Cursos” we also provide specific training for company, analyse their needs and fulfill them. Velvet School has a long-established and well founded learner-focused language education policy which is reflected in our Mission Statement below.

Our Teachers

Our teaching team are experienced mother-tongue qualified teachers. We invest in, and train, our staff on a continuous basis. In this way our staff can enjoy employment with continuous professional development which, in turn, provides the learner with the certainty of effective quality teaching.

Where we are

Location & Background

You can find us only in the Basque Country. The contact details for our school are listed below:

Velvet School has been teaching English in Bilbao since 1988. The school is located on the first and Fourth floor of a modern building in Calle Simon Bolivar 7. It is a member of ACEIB And FECEI – Asocioción española di academias de idiomas, the Spanish quality association for language providers: designed to maintain educational standards by protecting both staff and students. It is an Authorised Centre of preparation for Cambridge ESOL.

Velvet School is an equal opportunities employer

Organisation of Academic Management

There is a Director of studies whose job is to coordinate teachers, and give them the support and provide specialist knowledge and support for specific subsets such as Young Learners, Adults, Examinations, Testing and Assessment, ICT, and so on.

Teaching staff are assigned a 1:1 link who acts as both a mentor and the first port of call for support and advice. Teachers and their assigned 1:1 link meet on a regular basis.

The Autonomous Region of Basque Country

Bilbao is the main city of the Autonomous Region of Basque Country. It has a population of about 500,000 and is situated on the Cantabrian coast about 80 miles from the France border. It also has the advantage of mountains within easy reach of the city. Swimming and skiing are therefore both easily available. Bilbao usually has comparatively mild winters punctuated by the famous “siri-miri”. Average summer temperatures are in the 25°-30°C range.

It’s a really warm and friendly town, a place to walk from home to work, a place where you can have a “pintxo” and a “zurito” with friends while meeting local people. Bilbao has an opera house, theatres among many other attractions but we should point out that the Guggenhem Museum is our most important and internationally renouned symbol.

Requirements

How to apply

Minimum requirements to apply for teaching positions at Velvet School should:

• Be native speakers of English or have native speaker competencies in all language skills and eligible for employment in Spain – i.e. EU nationals or holders of a “permiso de residencia por motivos de trabajo”.
• Have a degree.
• Have a qualification in teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language – Cambridge CELTA or a TESOL Certificate. Preference will be given to candidates who have a PGCE or DELTA.
• Have previous relevant experience of teaching EFL, including a period abroad. They should have already taught a range of levels and age groups – previous experience of teaching to Cambridge ESOL examinations and/or young learners is an advantage.
• Be enthusiastic and motivated.

Terms of appointment

Teachers appointed in Spain are employed on open-ended contracts with security of tenure (“Trabajador con contratos a tiempo indeterminato/fijo discontinuo”) as provided under the “Spain National Contract”.
Their principal duties are to teach English as a foreign language at all levels (A1 – C2) up to Cambridge ESOL Proficiency and sometimes beyond, to all ages from children to teenagers, from adult beginners groups to ESP groups and business courses.

Resources

Syllabuses are thought between commercial course materials and in-house syllabuses which are benchmarked as appropriate to the CEFR, and/or Cambridge ESOL exams, or which relate to examinations from other boards such as Trinity or IELTS. The school uses commercially published course books as “core materials” as well as specially prepared course materials for many of the adults’ courses and some of the children’s courses. The school has a Teachers’ Resource library which will give you an extra support for the preparation of your classes.

Ongoing Training

The school places considerable emphasis on continual staff training and development, particularly as it encourages staff to take up careers in EFL. CPD (Continuous Professional Development) is a cornerstone of the school’s ongoing training policy.
Teacher development is broadly and supported by 1 to 1 meetings with the Dos, Cambridge Esol exams workshops, motivation and class control seminars etc. inside and within our School.

Application process

• Send your CV to the address below. Your CV should include the contact details two referees – usually your most recent employer and a Director of Studies or teacher trainer who has observed your lessons. We will notify you before taking up references.
• Receipt of your CV will be acknowledged.
• If there is no suitable vacancy we will keep your CV on file for a year unless you inform us otherwise.
• If there is a vacancy which matches your teaching qualifications and experience the first part of the interview procedure will be by phone/skype and if this is satisfactory to both parties references will be taken up.
• Candidates who are shortlisted are invited to attend an interview in Bilbao or via Skype.