Best Countries to Teach English

Where should you TEFL in 2020? The number of English language learners worldwide continues to rapidly increase, with the British Council  estimating that by 2020 that number will hit 2 billion . As more people start learning English, more opportunities arise for qualified EFL teachers, whether they’re looking for work teaching English abroad or online .

There’s never been a better time to start teaching English, so if you’re looking for a change then now is a great time to enrol on a TEFL course and get the ball rolling!

We’ve put together this list of 5 of the best places to TEFL for 2020 based on the strength and promise of job markets, as well as the quality of life they offer English teachers. Are you planning on teaching anywhere we’ve listed or somewhere else? Let us know what your plans for 2020 are in the comments below!

Spain

For EFL teachers with an EU passport (we’ll ignore the question of Brexit for now…) work teaching English in Spain is far from hard to come by. The major cities have always offered work for EFL teachers, but in recent years there has been an explosion of opportunities across the entire country, in smaller towns and more rural regions. There are jobs to be found as teaching assistants with programmes such as Meddeas , private tutoring, working in language schools, bilingual schools, summer camps, and more. While salaries are not as high as in other countries, with low living costs teachers are able to earn enough to comfortably enjoy life in Spain.

Not an EU citizen? The NALCA (North American Language and Culture Assistants in Spain) programme places around 2,500 North American teachers in schools across the country every year. Outside of this programme, it is, unfortunately, next to impossible to work legally in Spain as a non-EU passport holder, but the other destinations on this list are open to teachers from around the world!

China

The inclusion of China in this list will come as no surprise to anyone in the world of TEFL. If you’re in search of a teaching job that offers a good salary and great benefits then look no further than China, where the strongest TEFL jobs market in the world can be found. Average salaries are in the region of £1,200 - £2,200 and jobs typically come with accommodation, flight reimbursement, paid holidays, and more.

There are an estimated 400 million English language learners in China, which has driven a huge demand for English teachers both in the country and online, with many of the top online English learning platforms based in China. With its geographical and cultural diversity, China is an incredible country to explore and qualified EFL teachers are able to be quite choosy when it comes to where they work due to the sheer demand.

Vietnam

The English language training market in Vietnam has been going from strength to strength and represents one of the fastest-growing markets in Southeast Asia. This beautiful country offers EFL teachers a great standard of living, with good salaries compared to the cost of living allowing teachers to really make the most of their time off and even save some money.

Work can be found year round in Vietnam, teaching in public schools, kindergartens and language centres. TEFL Org graduate, Frances, put together a helpful guide to teaching English in Vietnam , which covers the different types of work available and requirements for teaching.

Mexico

Mexico is an excellent TEFL destination due to the variety of work available for teachers - there’s something for everyone! The demand for Business English teachers is particularly strong, but there's also work to be found teaching in universities, language schools, and public schools. For both European and American EFL teachers, there’s plenty of work to be found in this exciting and vibrant part of the world.

The enormous capital of Mexico City offers a huge amount of work for teachers, but away from the capital, there are jobs to be found in quieter parts of the country as well. TEFL Org graduate Harriet loved teaching in the relaxed city of Mérida , in South East Mexico, where she was close to the beach and ancient Mayan ruins.

Worldwide (Online)

Two things are driving the current huge demand for online English teachers: the increasing number of people learning English and the fact that more of the world’s population is online than ever before. As of this year, around 4.5 billion people in the world are active internet users - nearly 60% of the world's population - which is a huge increase on previous years.

Over a quarter of our students go on to teach English online after gaining their TEFL qualification, and when you consider the benefits it’s not difficult to understand why. Teaching English online offers teachers the opportunity to be their own boss and work from anywhere in the world. Whether you’re looking to live the digital nomad lifestyle, take on a side job to supplement your existing income, or work full-time and take command of your schedule, online teaching is the perfect option.

As a working parent, teaching English online couldn’t be more perfect for Laura , who fits teaching in around her schedule as a busy mum. She's able to take her kids to her kids to school in the morning, work when it suits her during the day, then pick the kids up in the afternoon - ideal!