If you want to work at the Instituto Cervantes, you will have to know that, being an institution created to promote the teaching and use of the Spanish language and spread the Hispanic culture, it has many offices in different countries where you can choose a position. Contracts are made through a public call and here we will explain how you can access and prepare to participate.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Find Open Calls
Step 1. Visit the Instituto Cervantes website
Although it has several locations around the world, the job offers published by the Institute are centralized on its main website, which you can access by clicking here.
- On the websites of each representation you will also be able to see the calls to apply for positions at that headquarters, but on the main site you will find them all and you will save the time and effort that it means to search the website of each one.
- You can locate the offers by entering the "About us" section and then looking in the menu for the "Job offers and scholarships" section.
- Job offers are discriminated by “In Spain” and “In the centers”, referring to the Instituto Cervantes centers located in different countries.
Step 2. Look for an offer, even if you are not a teacher
You do not need to be a Spanish teacher to work at the Instituto Cervantes. Most people believe that only Spanish teachers can work at the Institute, but the reality is that it is a large institution that, like the rest of the institutions, needs personnel trained in different areas.
- In the Institute they can open offers requesting personnel for administrative support, marketing specialists, specialists in international relations, scholarship holders, professors, etc.
- Job offers are opened both to work in Spain and to work in the different offices of the Institute abroad.
- If you want to work as a Spanish teacher, you must prove an approved bachelor's degree, teaching experience of Spanish as a foreign language, communicative competence in English or French.
Step 3. Examine the available calls
Once you have entered the job offers section, review the available options. Remember that the job offers for Spain and for working abroad are separate, so in order to be aware of all the calls you must enter both sections.
If only by reading the title you are not clear about the characteristics of the offer, we recommend that you open the document so that you can clear your doubts. The characteristics may suit your skills and preparation, but the position is known by a different name
Part 2 of 3: Prepare participation in the call
Step 1. Study the offer
If you have seen an offer that interests you, read and analyze the characteristics, so you can determine if you meet the requirements to apply for the position and you will obtain important information to be able to develop the curriculum that you will send.
- At the Cervantes Institute, a job offer can be accompanied by several documents related to the offer, so it is important that you pay attention to the reference numbers of the different documents and their relationship with the main offer.
- The clearer you have the information on the type of call that interested you, the more likely you are to better adapt your curriculum and prepare for the selection process.
Step 2. Verify that you meet the requirements
In the calls published by the Institute, the positions and the way in which the credentials of the candidates will be evaluated are described very well, so that by reading the call you will be able to have a rough preliminary idea of your score.
- Some job postings require candidates to take different types of tests depending on the position, such as computer science test, general culture test, etc.
- In general, the interview is the part of the selection process that is given the most weight in the evaluation.
- The level of knowledge of a language may be accredited with the nationality of a country in which that language is the official language, or by means of a degree, diploma or certificate indicating the overcoming of the level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Step 3. Take into account the application deadline
This information will be contained in the document of the call and it is very important that you take it into account so that you can determine if in the stipulated period of time you will be able to comply with the requirements.
- There is generally a fairly long time between the time of publication of the call and the final deadline.
- If you have seen the offer late or if you have to prepare some type of documentation that must go through long bureaucratic procedures, take into account the date of the final deadline to establish if your application is feasible.
Part 3 of 3: Participate in the process
Step 1. Run for office
Once you have read all the documentation of the job offer that has interested you, begin to carefully prepare the information that you must deliver, carefully following the instructions established in the call.
- In the offer document they will provide a telephone number or other contact information so that you can communicate in case you have any questions about the process.
- In the call there will also be the instructions on the way in which you must send the documentation.
Step 2. Consider the stages of the selection process
The phases of the selection process may vary depending on the position for which you are applying, some processes will be longer than others.
There are processes in which the requirements are assessed, tests are carried out, merits are valued and interviews are conducted; while in others it is only necessary to go through the assessment of merits and the interview
Step 3. Wait for the results of each phase
The first phase is the verification of the requirements, so that once the term has ended, compliance with the required requirements will be evaluated and a list of admitted and excluded applicants will be published who will continue in the selection process.
- In case you have not been admitted and you consider that it was due to an error or defect, you will have a period of time to present your claim.
- Depending on the type of offer, you will have to go through different phases until you reach the final phase, which will be the interview. After completing each phase they will inform who has gone to the next.
Step 4. Research the Instituto Cervantes in more detail
During any selection process it is important that you have knowledge about the characteristics, objectives and values of the place where you want to work, this will show that you are interested and that you are clear about what your contribution to the institution could be.
If you know who your interviewer will be, try to find information about their position and resume, this information can help you during the interview
Step 5. Prepare for all phases
The entire selection process and the phases of which it consists will be exposed in the call, there are longer processes and others shorter, but it is important that you prepare yourself for each of its parts.
- If the process includes general culture tests, for example, try to find sample tests and solve them. Doing an internet search you may find information.
- The interview is one of the phases that will always be present in the process and which is generally given more weight, but to get to the interview you will have to have passed all the previous phases.
- Prepare for the interview by informing yourself well about the position, about the institution and studying possible questions. Practice answering common questions and research the kinds of questions they can ask you so that you are prepared. The less you improvise, the more confident you will feel.
Step 6. Wait for the answer
The position will be awarded to the candidate who has obtained the most points and the result of the selection will be made public, mainly, through the notice boards of the Institute and its website.