A Spanish teacher instructs others on how to speak, write, read, and understand the Spanish language properly. Making lesson plans, preparing full lesson units, and daily instruction of students in the fundamentals and advanced aspects of Spanish are common examples. A Spanish teacher can work in areas where other languages are spoken and teach Spanish as a foreign language, or in Spanish-speaking countries where Spanish is taught as the primary language. Students in a Spanish class can range in age from young children learning the basics of speaking and writing Spanish to adults who want to specialize in the language or learn it as a second language.
Fundamental aspects of the language, such as gender, noun and verb placement, and proper spelling and punctuation marks, may be covered in lessons prepared and taught by a Spanish teacher. Extensive verb conjugation, understanding of grammatical concepts such as verb tenses, and dialectic differences between different regions of Spanish speakers would be among the lessons taught by a Spanish teacher at a higher educational level. These lessons would be taught to students as their primary language in a Spanish-speaking country such as Mexico or Spain, just as English is taught in the United States.
The teaching of Spanish, like any other language, entails daily lessons, consistent practice, and exposure to the language. It may be easier to enforce these rules with real-world examples in areas where Spanish is the primary language, but this can be difficult in places where Spanish is a foreign language. To compensate, many Spanish teachers will have to find examples of the language in use in entertainment media such as television and movies, music, and literature for their students.
A Spanish teacher is most likely to be found working in a school of some sort. Teachers of Spanish may be found working in other places, such as military bases, to assist soldiers with their comprehension of a second language. A Spanish teacher may also work in the private sector, such as for a major corporation, assisting businessmen and women in conducting transactions with citizens from other countries, or with actors as dialog coaches to help them pronounce Spanish or sound like someone from a specific region. Although there are fewer opportunities for foreign language teachers in the private sector, those who do find work will almost certainly be paid more than scholastic teachers.