Spain

Spain is a great place to work but check out the links below for more explicit advice.

The country. Geography, climate and culture.

Before deciding where (or whether) to live and work in Spain a little background knowledge of the country is necessary.

Many British people have a very distorted vision of Spain, having an opinion based on short package holiday visits to tourist hotspots. the country is, in fact, remarkably diverse in both its geography, its climate and its cultures. Compared to the UK its geography and climate are far more varied and it probably boasts a greater variety of native cultures as well. These factors make generalising about Spain somewhat difficult.

Geography

Spain is a very mountainous county. In terms of average height it is the second highest country in Europe after Switzerland, and it is also a lot bigger.

The Cantabrian mountains stretch along the northern coast; the Pyrenees extend this line and form the border with France; and the centre of the country is dominated by the vast central plateau, or "Meseta".

Climate

The climate is naturally influenced by the mountains, the latitude and the distance from the sea.

The areas along the northern coast (green Spain) have a maritime climate with relatively cool summers, mild winters and frequent rain. The climate and scenery is not wildly different from that of the United Kingdom.

The "Meseta" has a continental climate with boiling summers and freezing winters. Heavy winter snowfalls are common and it is not unusual for villages to be temporally cut off and for even major roads to be closed.

The Mediterranean coast has a Mediterranean climate.

Apart from these main climate areas, Spain also has smaller areas with more distinct climates. For instance the south east boasts the only deserts in Europe (where the spaghetti westerns were shot), and the highest parts of the Meseta and the Pyrenees have an alpine climate.

This article is a stub and may need expanding. If you feel you can help improve it please click the "Edit" link at top to edit it. If you need help editing, simple guidance can be found here.

This message should only be placed on talk pages, not main namespace.

External links

• TEFL teaching in Spain - dispelling myths
• An Overview on Teaching English in Spain
• Barcelona's teacher's association
• An account of the problems of working illegally in Spain
• TESOL Spain TESOL Spain is an organisation for English teachers in Spain.
• An alphabetic guide to food in Spain. Useful for both teachers and ex-pats.