Teaching English in Greece

Greece Overview

Main Cities/Areas	Salary range (USD/month)
All major towns and cities	$800 – $1500

What better place to go to teach than the land that gave us Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle? When combined with the wonderful people, culture, cuisine, and whether it can seem like the perfect destination.

In many ways it is, but salaries are not huge and opportunities for professional development are fairly slim. A new law requiring all teachers to pass a Greek language exam has made things rather more difficult but this could be overturned at any moment by the EU.

TEFL teachers in Greece have mixed experiences when it comes to dealing with employers of language centers. Needless to say, it pays to do your research before signing anything.

Typical Requirements and Tips

Degree?	TEFL Certification?	EU National?	Experience?
Yes	Yes	Yes	No

Even if the present law that requires all teachers to pass a Greek language exam is abolished, it is still advisable to get learning Greek as soon as you can.

Experienced teachers who are EU nationals should consider finding in-house Business English work via an agency. The payment is often much higher than if you sign a regular contract with a language center. You may even consider setting up in business yourself.

Take your time when making decisions. It is considered strange for people to rush into things in Greece – especially where contracts are concerned.

As with most countries in Europe, it is a lot easier for EU nationals to find work as the paperwork required is significantly less than when applying to employ non-EU nationals. The present requirement for all teachers to pass a Greek language exam is a real annoyance for first-timers but may well be a temporary issue if the EU actually debate the topic.

The accommodation, food, and transportation prices are so-so. This is reflected in some degree in the salaries but certainly not enough to enable the average TEFL teacher to save much money each month.

Employers generally pay your income tax for you and as usual, you should expect to be paid on a monthly basis. Many EU nationals (particularly British and Irish) decide to become self-employed tutors as the profit margins and flexibility can be attractive when compared to working for a typical language center.

Pros and Cons of Teaching in Greece