Schools in Gran Canaria

Hi Sombra. I do not want to go into the details because everything has prity much been said regarding Hispano Ingles. I can confirm that it is as bad as it sounds. You are over qualified to work there and I would fully recommend that you apply to the British schools instead. Hope this helps with your decision.

From the recent posts about La Higuerita it is extremely clear what kind of school this has become. Without anymore being said, any qualified teacher from Britain would have more than enough sense to stay clear. There are many very good schools in Gran Canaria where you would be very happy. Unfortunately in my opinion, La Higuerita is no longer such a place. It is a bad day when even an English Primary teacher who has been there many years is concerned and not happy about putting their own children into the school in the next year or so. Enough said but you have been warned!!

In reply to mrc123, I am sorry if I have offended you I was not slagging off the new head teacher my post was meant as a factual piece from the perspective of the teachers who have worked and left the school in the past 3 months (which is actually now up to 7 teachers since that last post was published). I am sure with more experience and training the new head teacher may turn out to be a good head further down the line and the school may once again become stable and flourish as it once did under the previous headship. However my opinion is not based on the future but is based on what is happening right now and teachers thinking of applying need to be given the heads up so that they know what they are walking into.
Your post however has done nothing more than prove the point I was making about how nasty the members in charge of the school can turn on people who voice a differing opinion to themselves. To say that one teacher is incompetent and jealous may be believed by some reading your post who could think that it was just the ramblings of a disgruntled employee, but to claim that all 7 who have left were incompetent and aren't honest nor care about the children in the school is highly unbelievable and indeed slanderous.
I am not here to start an argument with you on this board, and indeed I will not reply to any further post you make, we are all entitled to our own opinion and clearly we have different views on the situation. Both sides have now been presented and it is up to future teachers to make up their own minds.

You need to update the info on La Higuerita, the head teacher is no longer Pam Ainsworth, it's now run by a Spanish girl (the owners daughter) and it no longer has a good reputation.
I would advise against putting your children in there now as there has been a very high turnover of staff under the new management, 6 teachers (including the previous head) have left the school in the past 3 months alone, which is not good for the children. They are finding it very hard to keep english teachers so I won't be surprised if the english is soon taught by spanish staff or if it stops being billingual altogether.
I would also advise teachers thinking of applying for a job here to be very cautious and not to be fooled by the apparent friendly nature of either the new head teacher nor her dad the owner because that can very quickly change once you have accepted a job.

Hi,
The British schools are pretty good here. Hispano Ingles and the other Bilingual schools have varying reputations so tread carefully. The average salary is from 1500euros upwards,

hope this helps

Mark, Shelley and all, is Hispano Ingles really so bad? I can understand the difficulty of someone who doesn't speak Spanish and everything being done through Spanish but in general? Are all the children so badly behaved and the facilities so bad (no photocopying etc)? Was thinking of teaching in Gran Canaria, I have a PGCE and 10 years experience plus very good Spanish, so maybe a British school would be a better option for me than Hispano Ingles? What would be an average monthly wage for a full time teacher? €1,200 or more? Thanks, advice here may have stopped disastrous move :/

Hi,
I am the mother of a 3 years old girl that is going to collegio Hispano ingles. I am very worried about the comment posted by shelly1986 about the school. I think that is very difficult for a family to know exactly what is happening behind the doors of the school. Every day I left my daughter in the school with a big smile in her face, and the teacher that welcome the children looks very happy also... But unfortunately for us is impossible to know if the teachers are not happy in the school and the smile is only theatre.
On the other hand, maybe the only teachers that write here are the ones that had a bad experience. I will probably never write about my job in Internet unless something really bad happens! For this reason, I would like to know more experiences of teachers from colegio Hispano ingles. And some idea about how a worried mother could know more about the internal matters of the school...
Thank you and please forgive my English, is not my language.
A worried mother

I just wanted to write some information for anyone that is looking at moving out to Gran Canaria and teaching. I moved here with my boyfriend a few months ago and we hate it so much we are moving back to the U.K. We have lived abroard before for 2 years so we know what to expect from living away from home but this literally was the experince from hell. Firstly DO NOT work at Colegio Hispano Ingles. I cannot comment on any of the other schools but from what I can gather they are all very similar. Expect extremely badly behaved children that are rude, lazy and aggressive with each other.Whatever anyone tells you, you cannot work in these schools without speaking fluent spanish, I was continially told this both in my interview and during the 6 weeks that I bared it at CHI, but everything is done is Spanish. There is a whole load of daily paperwork, parents meetings and teachers who either only speak spanish or can speak fluent spanish. I was left isolated throughout the school day even by the english speaking teachers who would choose to speak in spanish, even to each other. I was being told I didnt need to speak Spanish but then I had to communicate with parents, fill in forms and be given information about the children all in Spanish. Now I had every intention of learning the language but I'm not going to be fluent in a few weeks and when the english teachers AND MANAGEMENT are rude enough to not even want to translate things to you it makes things particularly tricky.
Now management, this is another huge problem. Expect them to be particularly helpful before you move out and promptly reply to emails and phone calls however that will all quickly change as you step foot into the country. Expect no help in getting a phone, house or your NIE number sorted. In fact they will send you to all the wrong places to get your NIE number. The place is not run like a school at all and is just like a business trying to make as much profit as possible meaning cutting back on small things like no photocopying up to big things like unqualified teachers who dont have a clue how to work in a school let alone managae a whole key stage. I am not sure who keeps saying that you have to be qualified to work in the british schools but it is certainly not true about CHI. I am certain most of the teachers there had never stepped foot in a school before here.
The island itself poses its own problems adding to our disappointment, its hard to believe you are working in the EU when everything requires so much effort and you constantly have to prove you are an EU citizen because apparently your passport isnt enough evidence. I could write on and on but I just wanted to give anyone considering moving here some real information about what it is like. If you are younger than 30 and not married and without children looking for a good time then this is certianly not the place for you. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions and I will try to help out as best as I can!

Hi. Has anyone worked at Colegio Arenas recently? I am wondering if has got any better since the comments from a few years ago?

i would like to know if with a bachelor's degree in Sociology and Psychology i could get a chance to work in one of the English schools. i would also like to know what the PGCE and its equivalent is all about. Am also currently offering a couse in Auaxial de Guaderia and if wondering if i qualify. i would also like to know who to contact the schools since their email addresses are not available online.

Sanne Michelle Duvier

Just a wondering; is it possible to find work in the english schools, if you do not speak spanish, but speak danish and english fluent?

I managed 6 months at Hispano Ingles a few years ago. I know many teachers who have worked there and half a year is about the longest anyone can stand it. Many people leave after less. Expect to work nearly twice your contracted hours. 12 hour days without breaks. No support from headteachers. Appallingly behaved children (and I work in state schools now!). Horrible atmosphere to work in. Working there made me physically ill - DON'T DO IT!!

Beware of some private schools...they make you work 10-13 hour days and do not have enough personnel, so you will be the receptionist, the teacher, the ethics teacher etc. Do not recommend it!

I worked at Kent College for 5 years and was very proud to do so. Yes it is small, but that is part of its attraction. Because of its size, you can tailor your lessons to suit each child's individual needs and there is a strong family type atmosphere. The staff are very close and are eager to help each other and the children are very polite, happy and eager to learn. The Head is devoted to the school and likes to get involved in teaching the children. She is a good boss and always treated me well. I would strongly advise anyone who cares about the true sense of teaching to apply to work at Kent College (you will need a PGCE).If you are wondering about sending your children there, absolutely!!!