Why Spain’s bilingual schools are full of teachers with poor English skills

María is a 33-year-old geography and history teacher at a public secondary bilingual school in Madrid. It’s not a position she feels comfortable with. “It doesn’t make me anxious, but I don’t think I’m doing a good job,” says María, who did not want to use her real name. “I use irony and humor to get closer to my students and I can’t do this in English because it is not my native language.”

In 2013, after struggling to find work, María decided to get the certificate in advanced English (C1), which is required to teach English in the region of Madrid. It took two years to prepare for the exam and cost her €3,000 in classes. Since then, she has worked full-time as a substitute teacher.

The boom in public bilingual centers in Spain has been remarkable. In the 2010-2011 period, 240,154 students were studying in a bilingual program in one of Spain’s regions (except Catalonia, which does not provide data). In the 2016-2017 period, that figure had jumped 360% to 1.1 million, according to an EL PAÍS study of data from the Ministry of Education. Some 95% of Spanish students at bilingual schools have chosen to be taught in English.

But experts say there is not enough analysis or objective data on the effect of bilingual learning. They accuse regional governments of using students as a testing ground to meet electoral promises.

“Families are often making misinformed decisions and choose these centers because they are socially prestigious. They set learning expectations that are not realistic,” Rubén Chacón, professor of English language at the National Distance Education University (UNED), said at last week’s Biuned congress, where over 100 national and international experts discussed the issue of bilingual education.

“Bilingualism is here to stay and teaching professionals must adapt and educate themselves to move forward,” he added.