TEFL job
Where can I work with a TEFL certificate? Which countries accept TESOL or TEFL? Let's explore the many TEFL countries where you can find jobs teaching English abroad with a TEFL certification.
Written By: International TEFL Academy|Updated: June 29, 2023
Written By: International TEFL Academy
Updated: June 29, 2023
![Where Can I Teach with a TEFL Certificate? [TEFL Countries Explained] (1)](https://i0.wp.com/67369.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/67369/hubfs/2021%20Compressed%20Images/Thailand%20Compressed/Amelia-Provencher-Thailand-Students-Classroom.jpg?width=730 "Where Can I Teach with a TEFL Certificate? [TEFL Countries Explained] (1)")
If you're wondering where you can teach English with a TEFL certificate, you're in the right place! Let's start with answering a few commonly asked questions. A native English speaker with a four-year degree and an accredited TEFL / TESOL Certification can find opportunities in as many as 100 countries around the world from Asia and Europe to the Middle East and Latin America. Even without a four-year degree, a native English speaker with an accredited TEFL / TESOL Certification can realistically find great opportunities in dozens of countries around the world including Spain, Russia, China, Argentina and many nations in Latin America and Eastern Europe.Where Can I Teach with a TEFL Certificate?
Where Can I Teach with a TEFL Certificate If I Don't Have a Degree?
Where Can I Teach with a TEFL Certificate If I'm a Non-Native English Speaker?
Non-native speakers who are fluent both in written and spoken English can also find opportunities in a wide variety of countries, particularly European Union (EU) citizens looking to work within Europe, and those who wish to teach in their home country.
What Countries Accept TEFL Certification?
There are jobs for TEFL-certified teachers in virtually all countries, including English-speaking nations, and for teaching English online. Just know that different schools and employers will maintain different hiring standards and not all are looking for a TEFL certification.
TEFL Countries Where You Can Teach English Abroad with a TEFL Certification
Now that we've answered your questions, let's look in more detail at the countries where you can teach in.
Teach English in dozens of countries in Europe
Major European cities like Madrid, Milan, Prague, Moscow, Rome and Istanbul are all home to dozens, if not hundreds of private language schools specializing in English instruction and as many of 3,000 – 5,000 English teachers work in such cities annually.
Primary job markets in Europe include Spain, Italy, Germany, Russia, Czech Republic, Turkey, and France. Portugal, Greece, Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine, Poland and Romania also offer extensive job opportunities.
The strongest job markets for Americans teaching English in Europe are Spain, Italy, Germanyand Central and Eastern European countries like Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic. Some countries like France and Greece can be more challenging for Americans because of red tape and a strong preference for EU citizens. The exception to this is the French government's assistantship program, which recruits more than 1,000 qualified Americans to work as assistant English teachers in public schools. Spain operates a similar program.
Turkey has a huge demand for English teachers and a great job market, particularly for Americans who do not have to contend with a bias towards EU citizens as Turkey is not in the EU.
Read more: TEFL countries in Europe
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Popular places to teach English in Latin America include Costa Rica; Santiago, Chile; Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the great cities of Brazil like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. While salaries are not as high as they are in Asia or the Middle East, the low cost of living makes the region attractive from a financial perspective while affording a great cultural experience.
Central and South America also offer extensive opportunities to those who don’t have a four-year degree as well as fluent English speakers from non-native English-speaking countries.
As the driving force of the international economy and the world’s largest population center, Asia has become the largest market on the globe for English language instruction. More than 100,000 foreign English teachers teach in Asia and today, Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and other countries in Asia have developed a need for tens of thousands of new English teachers each year. In Korea and China alone, a thousand English teachers are hired each month.
A four-year degree is typically required in major Asian (though not always in China or in less developed countries like Cambodia), and teachers from native English-speaking countries are strongly preferred throughout the region.
Asia offers more opportunities to teach English to children than any other region.
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