School´s Out: Briton Denied Teaching Job Because Of Brexit

April 20, 2023April 20, 2023 Madrid Metropolitan brexit residency spain, spain news

An English teacher has accused Spain’s Ministry of Education of wrongly banning her from public schools because of Brexit.

Teacher Serena Farr claims the Ministry is discriminating against her because of her nationality, despite her being a legal resident of Mallorca since 1993.

She has spent the last 30 years living on the Mediterranean island with her Spanish husband and their two children.

Farr claims she has been unjustly excluded from a list of “available teachers” since 2021 because she is not a citizen of the European Union.

She said that the Ministry was only allowing her to apply for temporary positions, despite her 10-year teaching experience.

Farr currently works as a substitute teacher at the Escola Oficial d’Idiomes in the city of Palma.

After appealing the decision to the European Commission, she was reportedly told it was an act of discrimination.

Farr said in a statement obtained by the Newsflash Agency: “I made a formal complaint to the European Commission who held a meeting with the educational authorities, warning them of the breach of rights invested in British citizens that come under the Withdraw Agreement.

“A result from this meeting was that the European Commission sent me a document that was crystal clear, concerning my rights, not only concerned with teaching, but also concerned with the right to partake in any selection process that was not related to security or issues related to the state (which are exclusively for Spanish nationals).

“I would greatly welcome any support or the opportunity to denounce this situation as it is clearly one of discrimination towards UK citizens living in Mallorca and trying to make a living.”

The Brexit withdrawal agreement was signed in January 2020 and sets the terms of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union.

Over 300,000 Brits are believed to live in Spain.

All British nationals living in the EU are now considered third-country nationals and have to comply with each state’s regulations.