[:en]A few hours ago a teacher has asked a good (as in useful) question in one of the Facebook TEFL groups on Facebook:
Hello! I’m a British citizen and moving to Madrid to find work as an English teacher in January. In need of some advice! Is it common for employers to ask for a DBS/Criminal Record Check? Would it be advisable to obtain one of these checks before I arrive?
Since the 1st of March of 2016, every teacher in Spain who works regularly with minors (not occasionally or when just dealing with the general public) needs to get a (negative) sex offender certificate. This certificate is free, has no personal data and is just a positive or negative resolution which indicates if the person is listed in the Spanish sex offender registry.
The way to obtain it is easy. Go to this website and access with one of the three online- authentication methods: digital certificate, Cl@ve pin number or DNI-e.
Teachers can download their own certificate (it is unique) and hand it in to their future employers, or delegate on them and allow them to download the cerficate in grouped requests.
It does not expire, although employers can ask for a more recent one if they consider it appropiate.
Although the correct procedure is online (and I do recommend to either get the certificate or a register in the Cl@ve system), you can also ask for this official document in:
- Offices of the Ministerio de Justicia
- “Delegaciones y subdelegaciones del Gobierno”
- “Oficina central de atención al ciudadano en Madrid”
More information here.
However: this certificate gives a positive or negative result only for the Spanish legal system (and is only valid in Spain). So non-spaniards have to ask for a Criminal Record Check or Disclosure & Barring Service certificate from their country of origin and attach it to the Spanish one. This clears them on both countries.
“El Registro Central de Delincuentes Sexuales contiene únicamente información sobre los delitos de los que tiene constancia la Justicia Española, por lo que los ciudadanos extranjeros deben solicitar un certificado de antecedentes penales en el país de su nacionalidad, que deberán adjuntar al emitido por el Registro Central de Delincuentes Sexuales”
[:]