TEFL Requirements by Country [Free Guide]

One of the trickiest parts of moving abroad to teach is figuring out where you should actually go.

(Been there, done the excessive amounts of paperwork…and fallen into our fair share of internet rabbit holes along the way).

At Teach Away, there isn’t a day that goes by without someone asking one of us what the requirements for teaching English abroad are and where the best place to go is. But the fact is, there’s just no one quick answer and no one-size-fits all ESL destination. It really varies from country to country and person to person, especially when it comes to factors out of your control, like visa regulations, education and experience requirements, age and nationality limits…the list goes on.

So, if you’re not sure where you want to teach abroad, our chart below is a great place to start. At a glance, you can see which countries pay the most, what the average salary for an ESL teacher is overseas, what the visa situation looks like, who your students are likely to be, the average contract length, education requirements and information about common perks like housing and flights.

So have a look – maybe you know all about South Korea but never considered options like Bolivia or Costa Rica.

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You just want to get out there and travel the world, amirite?

Our advice is to buckle down, get your TEFL certificate out of the way and move to the next action point on the list.

(And yes, you should get TEFL certified before you teach abroad!)

But keep this in mind while you’re TEFL shopping – most countries hiring ESL teachers want to see a 120-hour TEFL on your application (either online or in-person will do). If you’re planning on investing in a TEFL course (and we suggest you think of it as an investment – this is your future we’re talking about ) you might as well choose one that meets the minimum requirements for most countries.

In short, we like to think of a 120-hour TEFL course as your passport to teaching English practically anywhere in the world.

Now, onto the good stuff – our humongous beast of a chart.

TEFL country comparison chart

Asia

Country	TEFL	Degree	Teaching experience	Age limit	Nationality restrictions	Visa	Typical students	Average salary (USD)/month	Benefits (housing, flights, etc)
Cambodia	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	Not required	Sometimes required	Under 65 years old	None Proof of fluent English	Tourist / Work visa	School children, private tutoring & business professional	$700 – 1,000	Not included
China	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	Most positions Require BA/BS	Not required	Under 55 years old	None Prefer fluent English speakers	Work visa in advance	School children, private tutoring & business professionals	$1,500 – 2,000	Housing,flights & benefits
Hong Kong	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	BA(English major preferred)	Preferred	Under 60 years old	None	Work visa	Business professionals, children (public & private schools)	$2,000 – 3,000	Sometimes cover flights & accommodation
India	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	B.Ed. OR any BA/BS with teaching experience	Experience required If you don’t have a B.Ed.	None	English speakers Proof of fluency required	Work visa	Business professionals, private language schools, adults and children	$680 – 1,400	Not usually included
Indonesia	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	BA required	Not required	Under 60 years old	English speakers	Work visa	Private & public schools, business professionals & children	$700 – 1,100	Sometimes housing and flights are covered
Japan	TEFL preferred	BA required	Preferred	Under 65 years old	Educated through English for a minimum of 12 years	Work visa in advance	Public & private schools, adults & children	$2,200 – 3,000	Usually included
Kazakhstan	TEFL preferred	BA/BS preferred	None	None	No preference	Work visa	Business professionals & children	$800 – 1,500	Sometimes flights & housing
Kyrgyzstan	Required no minimum	BA/BS preferred	Not required	None	English speakers	Work Visa	Business professionals & children	$400 – 800	Sometimes provide housing
Laos	TEFL required 120 hours preferred	BA/BS preferred	Teaching experience preferred	None	Fluency proficiency English speakers	Tourist/work visa	Private & public schools, Business professionals & children	$500 – 1,000	Not included
Lebanon	TEFL required 120 hours preferred	BA/BS required	Teaching experience preferred	None	Fluent English speaker	Tourist/work visa	Private & public schools, Business professionals & children	$900 – 1,500	Not included
Malaysia	CELTA or TEFL required 120 hours minimum	BA/BS required MA preferred	2-3 years’ teaching experience preferred	Under 60 years old	Fluent English speakers preferred Proof of fluency	Work visa	Business professionals, school children, public & private	$1,200 – 2,300	Occasionally provide housing & flights
Myanmar (Burma)	TEFL required 120 hour Minimum preferred	BA/BS required	Some experience required	None	Knowledgeable English speaker preferred	Work visa	Business professionals & children	$1,500 – 2,000	Sometimes included
Russia	100 hour TEFL required minimum	Not required	Teaching experience required	None	English speakers Proof of English fluency	Work visa	Business professionals, school children & private schools	$500 – 2,000	Sometimes included
South Korea	120 hour TEFL required	BA/BS required	Teaching experience preferred	Under 60 years old	English speakers	Work visa in advance	Private & public schools	$1,800 – 2,500	Flights & housing included
Thailand	120 hour TEFL required minimum	BA required	2 years’ teaching experience preferred	Under 60 years old	English speakers South African candidates need an IELTS test	Work visa	Business professionals, children, public & private schools	$950 – 1,300	Usually includes housing & flights
Vietnam	TEFL required 120 hour preferred	BA/BS required		Under 60 years old	No nationality restrictions Proof of English fluency	Tourist / Work visa	Business professionals, school children, Private & public schools	$1,000 – 2,000	Not included

Europe

Country	TEFL	Degree	Teaching experience	Age limit	Nationality restrictions	Visa	Typical students	Average salary (USD)/month	Benefits (housing, flights, etc)
Austria	TEFL required no minimum	BA/BS required	Preferred	None	EU, American & Canadian	EU members can legally work here Work visa	School children, private tutoring & business professionals	$1,900 – 2,800	Not included
Belgium	TEFL required no minimum	BA/BS Required	Not stated	None	EU citizenship, some exceptions	EU members don’t need one, work visas in exceptional cases	Business professionals & private students	$1,400 – 2,000	Not included
Bulgaria	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	Not required	Some teaching experience	Under 65 years old	EU members preferred	EU member or work visa	School children, private tutoring & business professionals	$350 – 650	Not included
Czech Republic	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	BA in English usually required	Preferred	None	EU members preferred Proof of fluent English	EU member or tourist visa change to work visa or work visa in advance	Private schools, summer camps & foreign language schools	$700 – 1,100	Not included
France	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	BA/BS required	Preferred	None	EU members preferred Proof of English fluency	EU members or work/tourist visa	Business professionals, summer camps, language schools, children	$900 – 2,000	Not included
Georgia	TEFL preferred no minimum	Associate’s degree or diploma	Not required	Under 60 years old	UK, EU, IRE, USA, CAN, AUS, NZ, SA nationals preferred	Tourist Visa can depend on nationality	Foreign language schools, private students, children	$220	Accommodation & flights possible
Germany	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	BA/BS preferred	Not required	None	English speakers, proof of fluency required	EU members preferred or tourist visa converted to a work visa	Business professionals, private schools & tutoring, children in summer camps	$900 – 2,200	Not included
Greece	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	BA/BS preferred	Not required	None	EU citizens preferred Prove of fluency in English	Eu citizens with some exceptions for private tutors on holiday visas	Business professionals, private students, public school children	$800 – 1,200	Not included
Hungary	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	BA/BS required	Some experience required	None	No preference stated	Tourist or Work Visa	Business professionals, private students, public school children	$650 – 950	Not included
Italy	TEFL required 100 hours minimum	Not required but is preferred	1-2 years preferred	None	EU members preferred Proof of fluency in English	EU members preferred Tourist/Work visa	Public schools & private language schools	$1,100 – 1,850	Not included
Lithuania	TEFL required 120 hours preferred	BA/BS required	Teaching experience required	None	Fluency proficiency English speakers EU members	EU citizenship required	Business professionals, private schools	$550 – 900	Not included
Poland	TEFL required 120 hours preferred	BA/BS required	1 year of teaching experience	None	EU citizenship preferred	EU citizenship, work/tourist visa	Business professionals, private tutoring	$750 – 1,000	Often include housing & travel allowance
Portugal	TEFL required 120 hours preferred	BA/BS required	Some teaching experience preferred	None	EU members Proof of English fluency	EU citizens	Business professionals, private tutoring	$1,000 – 1,300	Not included
Romania	TEFL required 120 hours preferred	Teaching license usually preferred	Teaching experience preferred	None	Eu citizenship preferred Proof of English fluency	EU member/ work visa	Business professionals, school children & private schools	$600 – 1,000	Not included
Russia	100 hour TEFL required minimum	Not required	Teaching experience required	None	English speakers preferred Proof of English fluency	Work visa	Business professionals, school children & private schools	$500 – 2,000	Sometimes included
Slovakia	TEFL required 120 hours preferred	BA/BS required	Teaching experience usually required	None	EU member preferred Proof of English fluency	EU member or work visa	Business professionals, school children & private schools	$425 – 950	Not included
Slovenia	TEFL required no minimum	BA/BS preferred	Teaching experience preferred	None	EU member preferred	EU member, student visa or youth mobility visa	Business professionals & private tutoring	$700 – 1,200	Not included
Spain	TEFL required 120 hours preferred	Not required	Not required	None	EU members preferred	EU members preferred, work/tourist visa	Business professionals & children, private & public schools, summer camps	$900 – 1,800	Not included
Turkey	TEFL required 120 hour preferred	Not required	ESL experience strongly preferred	Under 65 years old	English speakers Proof of English fluency	Tourist/work visa	Business professionals, school children, Private & public schools	$1,000 – 1,800	Sometimes housing/flights can be included
Ukraine	TEFL required 120 hours preferred	BA/BS preferred	2 years’ teaching experience preferred	None	Proof of English fluency	Work visa	Business professionals, private schools	$600 – 1,000	Sometimes housing is included
United Kingdom	CELTA required	BA/BS required	Experience required	Under 55 years old	EU members preferred Proof of English fluency	Work visa	Business professionals & private schools	$800 – 1,000	Not included

Middle East

Country	TEFL	Degree	Teaching experience	Age limit	Nationality restrictions	Visa	Typical students	Average salary (USD)/month	Benefits (housing, flights, etc)
Bahrain	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	BA/BS Required MA preferred	Usually, need 1-2 years’experience.Competitive	None	Not stated	Work visa(sponsored by school)	Business professionals & children	$1,500 – 3,000	Housing, flights & benefits
Egypt	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	University Diploma	Preferred	None	English speakers	Work visa preferred	Private language schools, private students, children & adults	$1,000 – 1,500	Not included
Iraq	TEFL required no minimum	BA required	Preferred	None	English speakers preferred	Work visa	Children & adults at language schools	$1,500 – 3,000	Usually covered
Jordan	TEFL required no minimum	BA/BS preferred	None	None	English teachers preferred	Work visa	Children & business professionals	$1,000 – 1,500	Not included
Kuwait	TEFL required 120 hours preferred	BA/BS required Licensed teachers & MA preferred	1-2 years’ experience	None	English speakers preferred	Work visa	Business professionals & children	$1,500 – 3,000	Often includes flights & housing
Qatar	TEFL required 120 hour preferred	BA/BS required MA preferred	Teaching experience preferred	None	Preferred: USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa	Work visa	Business professionals & school children, private schools	$1,600 – 4,000	Flights & housing included
Saudi Arabia	CELTA/TESOL	BA required in English/TESOL/ Linguistics	2 years of teaching experience preferred	None	English speakers	Work visa in advance	Business professionals, school children & private schools	$3,000 – 4,000	Housing & flights included
United Arab Emirates	TEFL required 120 hour	BA/BS required Licensed teachers preferred	Experience required	None	English speakers	Work visa in advance	Business professionals, school children, Private & public schools	$2,000 – 5,000	Housing & flights included

Central and South America

Country	TEFL	Degree	Teaching experience	Age limit	Nationality restrictions	Visa	Typical students	Average salary (USD)/month	Benefits (housing, flights, etc)
Argentina	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	Not required	Required, but a relevant degree can replace it	None	None Proof of fluent English	Tourist visa for 6 months, work visa for longer	Private school students(children & adults)	$500 – 1,100	Not included
Bolivia	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	Not required	1-year teaching experience	None	None Proof of fluent English	Tourist visa for 6 months, work visa for longer	Private & Public schools(children & adults)	$500 – 900	Not included
Brazil	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	Not required	Not required	None	None English speakers preferred	Tourist visa for 6 months, work visa for longer	Business professionals & private studentsl	$800 – 1,300	Not included
Chile	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	Not required	Not required	None	None Proof of fluent English	Tourist visa for 6 months, work visa for longer	School children, private tutoring & business professionals	$750 – 1,000	Not included
Colombia	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	Not required	Not required	None	None Proof of fluent English	Tourist visa for 6 months, work visa for longer	School children, private tutoring & business professionals	$500 – 1,500	Not included
Costa Rica	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	Not required	Not required	None	None Proof of fluent English	Tourist visa for 6 months, work visa for longer	Private tutoring & private schools	$700 – 900	Not included
Ecuador	TEFL required 120 hours preferred	BA/BS preferred	Preferred	None	Fluent English speakers	Tourist visa for 6 months, work visa for longer	Private schools & English language schools	$500 – 800	Not included
Guatemala	TEFL not required	BA/BS preferred	Not required	None	No preference stated	Tourist visa	Business professionals, private tutoring	$500 – 600	Not included
Haiti	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	BA required	2 years	None	English proficiency but no preference for citizenship	Work visa	International schools	$1750 – 2,200	Included
Honduras	TEFL preferred 120 hours preferred	BA/BS required	Preferred	None	No preference stated	Tourist / Work visa	Children or business professionals, usually private	$500 – 1,200	Not included
Nicaragua	TEFL preferred	BA/BS required	Teaching experience preferred	None	Fluent English speaker	Tourist visa	Business professionals & children	$500 – 700	Not included
Peru	TEFL 120 hour Minimum preferred	BA/BS required	Teaching experience preferred	None	EU members preferred Proof of fluency required	EU members preferred Tourist/work Visa	Private students & business professionals	$500 – 700	Often include housing & flights
Uruguay	120 hour TEFL preferred	BA/BS preferred	Teaching experience preferred	None	No nationality restrictions	Tourist/work visa	Business professionals & private schools	$500 – 1,000	Not included

North America

Country	TEFL	Degree	Teaching experience	Age limit	Nationality restrictions	Visa	Typical students	Average salary (USD)/month	Benefits (housing, flights, etc)
Haiti	TEFL required 120 hours minimum	BA required	2 years	None	English proficiency but no preference for citizenship	Work visa	International schools	$1750 – 2,200	Included
Mexico	TEFL 120 hours Minimum preferred	BA/BS preferred	Teaching experience preferred	None	Proof of English fluency	Tourist / Work visa	Business professionals & children	$1,000 – 1,800	Sometimes include housing
United States of America	CELTA required	BA/BS required MA preferred	Teaching experience required	Under 70 years old	English speakers Proof of English fluency	Work visa in advance	Business professionals & private schools	$2,000 – 2,500	Not included

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