Teaching English in Europe

It is the dream of many recently-qualified TEFL teachers to come to Europe to enjoy the great local culture – the cuisine, museums, art galleries, and marvelous architecture. Unfortunately it isn’t always easy finding teaching work in Western Europe if you are from outside the EU (America, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa) due to working visa restrictions.

It is still possible to obtain a Working Holiday Visa or a Student Visa but you need to plan well in advance and check Embassy websites for the very latest regulations and they can change on a frequent basis. Many first-time jobs in Western Europe are found in the countries themselves as opposed to online, although there are still many advertised on the internet. Vacancies in Eastern Europe are much easier to find and the cost of living can be significantly lower too. TEFL salaries in Europe are sufficient but rarely generous so the chances of saving money each month are very low unless you find work with a prestigious International School.

For teachers who are looking for a short-term contract, there are many residential Summer School opportunities across the south of England and in Scotland’s beautiful capital, Edinburgh. These generally last a few weeks in July and August and, as accommodation is almost always provided, disciplined teachers are able to save a good portion of their salary (although it can be hard to resist enjoying the nightlife). Flights to and from the teacher’s country of origin are only very occasionally paid for by companies in Western Europe. However, contracts in certain Eastern nations may offer enticing benefits as part of the package.

Most countries require a degree and a TEFL certificate, and some also require 1 or 2 years of experience. At present, to teach in Greece a candidate must pass a Greek language examination (although this may well be contested by the EU and overturned in the near future).

Locations and Salary

Country	Main Cities/Areas	Salary range (USD/month)
Albania	Tirana	$500 – $2000
Austria	Vienna	$1500 – $3000
Azerbaijan	Baku	$1200 – $1500
Belarus	Minsk	$800 – $1000
Belgium	Brussels	$1000 – 3000
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Banja Luka, Sarajevo	$500 – $800
Bulgaria	Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas	$800 – $1200
Croatia	Zagreb, Dubrovnik	$800 – $1200
Cyprus	Limassol, Nicosia	$600 – $1000
Czech Republic	Prague and most towns and cities	$1000 – $2000
Denmark	Copenhagen	$800 – $1500
Estonia	Tallinn	$600 – $1000
Finland	Helsinki	$1000 – $2000
France	Most cities	$1000 – $2000
Georgia	Tbilisi, Kutaisi	$300 – $800
Germany	Most German cities	$1200 – $2000
Greece	All major towns and cities	$800 – $1500
Hungary	Budapest	$900 – $1200
Ireland	Summer Schools on the west coast	$1000 – $2000
Italy	All major towns and cities	$1000 – $1800
Latvia	Riga	$700 – $1000
Lithuania	Vilnius	$700 – $1000
Luxembourg	Luxembourg	$1000 – $2000
Macedonia	Skopje	$500 – $1000
Malta	Sliema, St Julians	$800 – $1200
Netherlands	Amsterdam, The Hague	$800 – $1500
Poland	Warszawa, Krakow, Lodz	$800 – $1200
Portugal	Lisbon, Porto	$1000 – $1500
Romania	Bucharest	$600 – $1000
Russia	Moscow, St Petersburg and most other towns and cities	$1000 – $2500
Serbia	Belgrade, Novi Sad	$800 – $1000
Slovakia	Bratislava	$800 – $1200
Slovenia	Ljubljana	$700 – $1000
Spain	Madrid, Murcia, Basque Country, Canary Islands	$1000 – $1500
Sweden	Stockholm	$1500 – $2000
Switzerland	Bern, Geneva, Zurich	$1500 – $3000
Turkey	Istanbul, Gaziantep, Ankara, Izmir	$1000 – $1500
Ukraine	Kiev, Odessa	$900 – $1200
United Kingdom	Summer Schools across England and in Edinburgh	$1200 – $2000

Typical Job Requirements

Country	Degree?	TEFL Certification?	EU National?	Experience?
Albania	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Austria	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Azerbaijan	Yes	Yes	No	No
Belarus	Yes	Yes	No	No
Belgium	Yes	Yes	Yes	2-3 Years
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Bulgaria	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Croatia	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Cyprus	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Czech Republic	Yes	Yes	Yes or Zivno Visa	No
Denmark	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Estonia	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Finland	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
France	Yes	Yes	Yes	1-2 Years
Georgia	Yes	Yes	No	No
Germany	Yes	Yes	Yes or Work Visa	1-2 Years
Greece	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Hungary	Yes	Yes	No	No
Ireland	Yes	Yes	Yes	1-2 Years
Italy	Yes	Yes	Yes	1-2 Years
Latvia	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Lithuania	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Luxembourg	Yes	Yes	Yes	1-2 Years
Macedonia	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Malta	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Netherlands	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Poland	Yes	Yes	No	No
Portugal	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Romania	Yes	Yes	No	No
Russia	Yes	Yes	No	No
Serbia	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Slovakia	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Slovenia	Yes	Yes	No	No
Spain	Yes	Yes	Yes or Work Visa	No
Sweden	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Switzerland	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Turkey	Yes	Yes	No	No
Ukraine	Yes	Yes	No	No
United Kingdom	Yes	Yes	Yes	1-2 Years