I know little Spanish, but I've heard that there are a good number of jobs available (In Europe and South America) as either a tour guide or an English teacher. Does anyone have any experience or know someone who has done this?

where are you from Albert?

if you live outside the EU, you'll find it very difficult to get a job inside the EU as anything, unless you have a particular skill.

which by the sound of it you don't.

there is a qualification called "TEFL" [Teaching english as a foreign language] which most reputable language schools would probably want.

and not speaking Spanish won't help you either. how are you going to apply for a job if you don't speak a reasonable level of spanish?

I suggest that you go and rethink you ideas.

The only people I know who taught in Spain were very fluent in Spanish, as well as speaking English, of course, and they had degrees in teaching. I would think tour guides would have to be at least fluent in a couple languages, not just one. Really, if you are a tour guide in Spain, not only will have to speak to the people on the tour, you will have to deal with locals, arrangements, officials, etc. as part of your job, you would have to be fluent in Spanish, also, I'm sure. At least to be hired by a Spanish company.

I don't know about South America, but just getting the job would require you to be able to speak Spanish to the companies more than in Spain, I'd think.

Where did you hear that there are lots of jobs like that for people who can speak English and have no other credentials? Maybe you should ask them for the details, because I just don't know of anything like that. It might be easier to do that in some country where no one wants to go and they have a real shortage of English-speaking people. Maybe you have some teaching experience or degree, if so, that's important to note. I know someone who did it in the czech Republic, but that was quite a few years ago when there weren't so many people there who could speak English, and even then, he had to get at least 6 months experience teaching to be considered. He did that by volunteering at a local community center where they teach Spanish to immigrants, so he got good experience that way.

There are jobs available as couriers or resort reps working for British tour operators to Spain, but openings have decreased lately becaue of drop in visitor numbers, recession and many people going independently. Also they only take people with British or EU passport.
If you are from outside UK or Ireland, try contacting tour operators in your country sending tourists to Spain or Latin America.

Spain has the highest unemployment rate in the EU, close to 20%. I don't believe the hiring environment is very good at the time.

Whatever kind of job could you do in Spain without speaking Spanish? And how would you live/cope with daily life.

There is teaching English as a foreighn language (not necessary in Spain but spossible in some third world countries for room and board and a tiny stipend - but they will want you to have at least a basic 6 month course to qualify).

Unemployment is rampant all around the world. Why would people in spain hire an American with no qualifications for anything?

But- my company is looking for interns. You need a BA or BS and reasonable computer skills (word, ppt and excel) and you can be hired at $12 per hour - $2 better than Mickey D's. If it works out you get a real job. If not, at least you have something to put on your resume.)

To get paid well with no knowledge of the local language but teaching English, Korea has some good programs, like $20,000 for 6 months plus housing. Yes they offer them to people who are non-military and have no degrees, so look into it. You could do it in Italy too, but job security is.....iffy.....

Are you American? This isn't going to happen. Spain doesn't want you. They have their own citizens, who speak the language, to employ. And have you noticed the economy sucks and unemployment is rampant everywhere? It's hard enough finding a job in your own country; finding one in another unless you join the Peace Corps (which now has a waiting list of 2 years) or volunteer somewhere, is totally unrealistic right now. You have no qualifications to work in Spain and no American company sponsorship, so unless you go "under the table," which is really, really risky, sorry.

I had a friend who taught English in a school in Frankfurt. She had no teaching experience but did speak German, though she wasn't truly fluent.

Come to think of it, when I took a fairly elementary Spanish course in Spain, the teacher spoke only Spanish to us. The same was true of German at the Goethe Institute a young friend attended. He was a rank beginner, had never studied a foreign language before, and the teacher spoke only German to the class. That was necessary because there were people of many nationalities in the class, so there was no common language.

If you are outside of the EU it will be hard but not impossible, read through this forum as it has a section about teaching English.
http://www.notesfromspain.com/forums/index.php

the daughter of my american friend has just started teaching english in Saudi Arabia.

she speaks no arabic but has a UK teaching quaification, two degrees, etc.

she has taken BOTH her passports, UK and US, "just in case"!

I don't know what the pay is like but it would have to be pretty good to get me to go there.

guess our OP left us?

nancicita I guess your right.
it seems the golden rule for forums if you post a question, do not like the answer(s) you never come back.

nancicita I guess your right.
it seems the golden rule for forums if you post a question, do not like the answer(s) you never come back.