What do you need to be a Spanish teacher?

There are different degrees that allow you to be a Spanish teacher:

1- Licenciatura en Letras en la Universidad de Buenos Aires: this is a 6 years university degree that approaches language studies from different perspectives: argentine and foreign literature, linguistics and classical studies. Graduates are basically researchers and critics that teach at all educational levels.

You can also study this carreer at other universities, like Universidad de La Plata or Lomas de Zamora, for example.

2- Profesorados de Lengua y Literatura: these are degrees that take between 4 or 5 years to be completed. Their program includes literature and linguistics and a special emphasis on pedagogy and teaching, like Instituto Joaquín V. Gonzalez

3- There are also many specialization courses: the Language Lab at the School of Philosophy and Letters of the University of Buenos Aires has a 2 year program on Spanish as a foreign language teaching.

Also, the Asociación Argentina de Docentes de Español gives short courses on the same topic. Other universities specialization programs as well.

These three posibilities guarantee that the teacher is well versed in Hispanic linguistics and teaching strategies.

Spanish language schools demand us, the teachers, some kind of graduate studies on Spanish teaching. However, they still pay the same salaries. And they also allow people that have no formal studies in this area to teach. They are just courageous native speakers. Well taught teachers and courageous native speakers receive exactly the same salary for their work.