When getting to the end of the month isn’t enough…

Most people in Spain – not just English teachers – have trouble making it to the end of the month. By the last week of the month, people start canceling on their friends, quit making phone calls (forcing others to use up their precious phone credit if they want to be in touch), and switch from Coca-Cola to tap water. The only positive about this never-ending trend is that you can usually shed a few pounds or kilos before the coffers are full once again.

But what happens when the “end of the month” never comes? Unfortunately for many current and former EFL teachers I know, it’s not uncommon to find that their pay slip at the beginning of the month is far less than what they expected. Academies come up with all sorts of excuses – and, in all fairness, sometimes it’s a simple slip-up when they’re counting the hours – but not all are quick to fix their mistakes.

One friend of mine is still waiting for his academy to pay him about 200 euros that was “accidentally” missing from his October paycheck – October 2006, that is. Others have entered an endless cycle with their academies: A payment error one month is corrected the following month, only to be accompanied by yet another slip-up. Although it’s clear that the school is mistreating its employees and underpaying them, the teachers stay in the hopes of getting the money that is owed to them from the previous month… or even the previous academic year.

The sad thing is, there’s not much a teacher can do about it. ESL teachers are a dime a dozen in places like Madrid. If an academy treats one teacher badly or doesn’t pay what they should, one of four things can happen:

1) The teacher puts up a stink and threatens to leave if not paid... to which the academy says “ADIOS!” and quickly calls another English prof eager to snatch up those open hours.

2) The teacher puts up a stink and threatens to sue if not paid... to which the academy says “ADIOS!” and quickly calls another English prof eager to snatch up those open hours. They may be so kind as to laugh as they’re kicking you out the door, knowing that – since you haven’t been paid – you can’t possibly afford a lawyer.

3) The teacher accepts the fact that they’re not going to get their money and leaves to find a more reputable academy. (This is where networking comes in handy.)

4) The teacher accepts the fact that they’re not going to get their money but stays with the school anyways because they – like most EFL teachers in Spain – are too lazy and apathetic to do anything to try to make the business better and more fair for its teachers.