Best Countries to Teach English

Teaching English internationally is a rewarding and profitable career, especially if you have the required skills and capabilities. Teaching abroad, you will get to experience new cultures and make new memories, discover new connections and networks, and gain valuable international work experience. It also aids in making your resume attractive to your prospective employer and increases your chances of landing a good job in a reputed organization. In this blog, you will get to explore some of the best countries to teach English. 

Best Countries to Teach English

Here are the best countries to teach English abroad:

• South Korea
• China
• Japan
• UAE
• Taiwan
• Spain
• Czech Republic

South Korea

First on the list of the best countries to teach English is the country of South Korea. This developed nation offers a number of job opportunities to foreign English teachers. The minimum qualifications that are required to teach English in South Korea :

• You must have a Bachelor’s/Master’s degree from a recognized university. 
• Additionally, if you’re a native English speaker and have a qualified TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) , TESOL (Teaching English to speakers of other languages), or CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults)  certification, you’re eligible for public school positions. 

As an ESL teacher in South Korea, you are entitled to certain perks such as housing, health insurance, travel allowances, and a contract completion bonus. Salary as an ESL teacher in South Korea varies with your educational qualification and job position. You can earn a minimum salary of $1350 (Rs. 1,00,436) to $3100 (Rs. 2,30,631) per month depending on the institution you’re teaching in, qualifications, and work experience.

China

Next up on the list of best countries to teach English is China. China has the largest demand for international English Teachers. However, teaching English in China has its share of challenges such as differences in cultures and work ethics and ethnicity. Nevertheless, China provides an excellent opportunity for English teachers to gain relevant work experience and ramp up their resumes. To teach English in China, you must have certain requirements such as :

• You must hold a valid Bachelor’s/Master’s degree from a recognized university. 
• Only men under the age of 60 and women under the age of 55 may apply for the post. 
• A TEFL certification or at least two years of professional teaching experience. 
• A clean criminal background check

As an ESL Teacher in China, you can gain certain perks such as health insurance, free accommodation, travel allowances, and a flexible teaching schedule. ESL teachers can expect an average salary anywhere between $1400 (Rs. 1,04,155) to $2100 (Rs. 1,56,233)  per month. Although the salary of an ESL teacher in China is not much as compared to other countries, it provides more job opportunities than other countries for sure. 

Japan

Japan also tops the list of best countries to teach English. Due to its unique landscapes and beautiful culture, Japan is also a preferred location for many English teachers. As compared to other countries in Asia, Japan is well-known for providing the best compensation packages for its English Teachers. Also, the minimum qualifications required to teach English in Japan is as follows :

• You must have a valid Bachelor’s/Master’s degree from a recognized university. 
• You must be a native English Speaker or a citizen from an English-Speaking Country. 
• Having a TEFL, TESOL or a CELTA is an added advantage to get better positions. 
• A clean criminal background check. 

Some of the common perks that English teachers receive in Japan are subsidized or free accommodation, travel allowances, contract completion bonuses, flexible teaching schedules, and health insurance. English teachers can expect an average salary anywhere between $1700 (Rs. 1,26,475) to $5000 (Rs. 3,71,985) per month. Additionally, English teachers with TEFL certification have the benefit of significantly earning more. 

The United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The UAE is certainly a center of innovation and technological advancements. While this country does top the list of best countries to teach English, it is very strict when it comes to hiring English teachers in their reputed institutions. While the salary and benefits packages are certainly an added advantage, UAE is very stringent in its requirement for English Teachers. The qualifications required to teach English in UAE are as follows :

• You must have a valid Master’s degree from a recognized institution, in a relevant field. 
• Certain universities in UAE also accept a Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized university. 
• You must have prior teaching experience of at least 3 years. 
• You must have a TEFL certification or a relevant teaching certification. 

Some of the common perks you can expect as an English speaker in UAE are health insurance for the entire family, appropriate accommodation as per your family size, end of contract bonus, and flights for at least 4 members of the family every year. You can also earn an average salary of $3300 (Rs. 2,45,510)  to $5500 (Rs. 4,09,184) per month, depending on your experience and the type of institution you’re teaching in. 

Taiwan

Having a culture that is very much similar to China, Japan, and South Korea, Taiwan also comes under the list of best countries to teach English. While it may be difficult for English teachers to adapt to the culture and work ethics of Taiwan, it compensates by providing top-notch benefits and a decent compensation package. In fact, Taiwan is aiming to become bilingual by the year 2030, hence it has a huge demand for English Teachers to reach this goal. The main qualifications that are required to teach English in Taiwan are as follows :

• A bachelor’s degree in a relevant field from a recognized university. 
• Should be a native English speaker or a citizen of an English-speaking country. 
• Although not compulsory, you must also have a TEFL certification or a minimum of 2 years of working experience. 
• A clean criminal background check. 

Most of the schools in Taiwan provide wonderful perks to ESL teachers such as free housing or a housing stipend, two weeks vacation, health insurance, round trip flights, and retirement packages. Depending on whether you’re teaching in a public university or a private university, you can expect to earn an average salary of $1400 (Rs. 1,04,155)  to $2400 (Rs. 1,78,553) per month. Also, it is important to abide by the strict laws in Taiwan. 

Spain

One of the main reasons as to why Spain is also considered to be one of the best countries to teach English is because of the numerous attractive government programs that are in place in a bid to encourage the participation of foreign English Teachers. There is a huge demand for English teachers in Spain and the competition is quite intensive. The minimum eligibility criteria to teach English in Spain is as follows :

• Although you do not require a degree to teach English, you must have a TEFL, CELTA, or TESOL certification to qualify as an English teacher in Spain.
• If you are a Non- EU citizen, you will require a work visa to attain a teaching job. 
• Although not required, some knowledge of the Spanish language is also an added advantage. 

English Teachers can expect common perks as a part of their teaching packages such as health insurance, accomodation, and a flexible teaching schedule. However, when it comes to the salary package, it is much lower as compared to other countries but considering Spain’s lower cost of living, it is understandable. English Teachers can expect an average salary anywhere between $818 (Rs. 60,832) to $2100 (Rs. 1,56,171) depending on the university and job role. 

Czech Republic

In recent years, the demand for more Foreign English Teachers has significantly increased in the Czech Republic. Here, English teachers have a variety of options to teach English in, such as private institutions,  Foreign Language schools, and even summer camps. One of the top reasons why many consider the Czech Republic to be one of the best countries to teach English is because of its low cost of living and lack of language barrier. The qualifications that are required to teach English in the Czech Republic are as follows :

• You must hold a bachelor’s degree in English or a related field from a recognized university. 
• A TEFL or CELTA certification.
• Additionally, certain schools may require you to have EU citizenship or a Czech Business License. 

The typical perks that you can expect as an ESL teacher in the Czech Republic are reasonably priced or free accommodation, travel stipend, visa assistance, travel, and health insurance. Also, just like Spain, the average salary of an English teacher is not high, again, considering its low cost of living. An English teacher can expect an average salary of $600 (Rs. 44,620)  to $1200 (Rs. 89,240) per month depending on the type of job profile and the institution. 

So, we hope that this blog has familiarized you with the best countries where you can teach English. If you’re planning a career in the teaching field, you can always reach out to our experts at Leverage Edu, who can help you in your preparation plans to ensure you have a successful career!