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teach english in namibia

Teach English in Namibia

Can English teachers find meaningful work in one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world, Namibia? Turns out: yes. Here’s how.

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One of the driest and most sparsely populated countries in the world, yet utterly resplendent with breathtaking beauty, Namibia is a deeply interesting place to teach English as a foreign language. A former German colony where English is the official language, Namibia’s recent history is fascinating and a true case study of how geopolitics can shape the linguistic landscape.

The adventurers within the English teaching crowd will love Namibia. The Namib Desert, from which Namibia gets its name, has an unusual climate, elephants and lions, and shipwrecks along the coast. Animal lovers will enjoy the likes of Etosha National Park and Khaudum National Park, where you can see a vast array of stunning species.

English is the official language of Namibia, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s uniformly spoken by Namibian people. There is demand for high-quality English teaching - the status of English as the lingua franca of business is useful, especially in a mineral-rich country. However, it’s not to say English, as it’s taught in schools, is by any means a dominant linguistic force.

Namibia, then, is quite a complex country to get to grips with. For TEFL teachers, where can jobs be found? Is there scope to earn a decent English teaching salary in Namibia? What’s the cost of living like in a city like Windhoek, Namibia’s capital? It’s time to put this fascinating TEFL outpost under examination.

Namibia: an overview

To understand the demand for English teachers in Namibia and its linguistic culture, it’s crucial to attempt to understand Namibia as a place. It’s a vast country - 824,292 sq km in total - yet only just over 3 million people live there. For comparison, Scotland is 78,789 sq km, but has a population of nearly 5.5 million. The people who live in Namibia are spread out pretty far across the landscape, with Windhoek being far and away the most densely populated metropolitan area, with about 490,000 inhabitants.

A parliamentary democracy, Namibia's economy is reliant on agriculture, mining (gems, gold, uranium, and base metals), and tourism. Though its finances have grown significantly since gaining independence in 1990, poverty is still widespread.

According to the country’s constitution, English is the official language of Namibia, and English language education is compulsory from the fourth year of primary school. English was appointed the official language after Namibia gained independence from South Africa in 1990. If it’s the official language, why isn’t it taught immediately? Well, that’s because it’s far from the most widely spoken language.

“Namlish”, a combination of Afrikaans, Indigenous African languages and some English, isn’t an official language, but it’s very widely spoken. Given the sparse population make-up of Namibia, Indigenous languages are popular across the country, with different regions preferring to use their own learned languages.

Requirements

What qualifications and how much experience do you need to teach English in Namibia? Here’s everything you need to know to reach your dream of teaching English abroad in one of Africa’s most fascinating countries.

TEFL certificate

A TEFL certificate is essential to secure paid teaching work in Namibia. 120-hour TEFL certification is the industry standard, and it’s typically what you’ll need to find work in Namibian schools and language schools. Your TEFL certification should be accredited by top educational authorities and supplied by a widely recognised TEFL course provider.

To increase your likelihood of teaching English abroad in Namibia, it’s worth considering advanced TEFL qualifications. Typically, you’ll either teach English to young students in state schools, or aspirational young adults in language schools. So, advanced TEFL certification in teaching young learners or teaching English for Academic Purposes is certainly worth investing in. Plenty of Namibian young adults will be looking for educational opportunities where they’ll need a high level of academic English.

Given Namibia’s natural resources and burgeoning tourism industry, it’s also useful to have a TEFL certificate in Business English. This way, you can find corporate clients or plucky, career-orientated learners you can tutor more easily.

Degree/no-degree

Generally, a bachelor's degree is a common requirement to secure a paid, full-time teaching position in Namibia. However, some teaching programmes and certain jobs - specifically, private language schools - may offer opportunities for those without a degree. Particular Namibian teaching jobs might specifically require a degree in Education or English. Teaching opportunities in private schools, international schools, and universities require a master's degree or higher.

If you're interested in teaching English abroad in Namibia without a bachelor's degree, volunteer positions and teaching programs are ideal options.

Experience

Can you teach English abroad without experience in Namibia? Potentially, but it’s tricky.

Previous teaching experience is a prized asset in Namibia. For full-time, salaried roles, employers normally prefer experienced teachers. Inexperienced teachers are best placed looking at volunteering opportunities, teaching programmes and private language schools for teaching opportunities in Namibia.

Visa

You'll first need a temporary work visa to live and work in Namibia as an English teacher abroad. The Namibia Visa Requirements are pretty straightforward, and are very similar to the vast majority of other countries where English teachers are needed.

You’ll need:

A fully completed and signed Namibia visa application form.
A valid passport: The passport must be valid for at least six months beyond the intended departure date from Namibia and contain at least three blank pages.
A confirmed flight itinerary.
Proof of accommodation: a hotel reservation, rental agreement, or a letter of invitation from a host in Namibia.
Proof of financial means: at least one bank statement demonstrating sufficient funds to cover the duration of the stay in Namibia.
A letter of invitation from your employer
Receipt of visa fees
2x recent passport-sized photographs.
Translations of any documents not originally in English

Download our teaching English in Latin America guide

Salary, benefits and cost of living

Now your interest in moving to teach English in Namibia is piqued, let’s find out more about teaching in Namibia from a financial perspective. What kind of salary can you expect? Are there common employee benefits? What about the cost of living? Let’s take a look.

Salary

An English teacher working in a full-time, paid position in Namibia can expect to earn between N$ 5,000 - N$ 30,000 (£662 - £1,324 / $856 - $1,713) per month.

Benefits

Don’t expect lavish signing bonuses when you’re offered a teaching contract in Namibia, but there are still some benefits to be had. Some institutions will offer English teachers accommodation, medical care, and even one free flight per year. You're far more likely to receive benefits beyond your salary if you work in an international school or a private school.

In Namibia, teaching jobs in state schools are unlikely to offer much in the way of added incentives, though TEFL teachers are likely to receive help with administrative fees like visas and work permits. In some cases, foreign language teachers will receive a small bonus for travelling to teach English in Namibia if it's their first job in the country.

Cost of living

Compared to neighbouring southern African countries - South Africa being the outlier - Namibia has a relatively high cost of living. The reason is that, because of Namibia’s geography, much of the country’s produce and materials have to be imported, thus falling foul of import taxes. However, compared to the cost of living in Western Europe, and indeed much of the Northern Hemisphere, Namibia is quite cheap.

Were you to set up in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, you’d find that rental prices are around £328/$425 for a one-bedroom apartment in the city centre. Outside central Windhoek, rents for £235/$304 can be found more easily.

Monthly utilities - electricity, heating, cooling, water, and refuse -cost about £65/$84 per month, while internet access costs £46/$60. That’s something to remember if you plan on topping up your salary by teaching English online.

Namibian cuisine borrows from a range of cultural influences and, happily for the carnivores in the English teaching community, is very meat-heavy. A cheap, solo meal in a cafe will cost about £8/$10, while a three-course meal for two in a mid-range restaurant costs about £35/$46.

Types of English teaching jobs

What kinds of classroom jobs are available in Namibia, how do you find them, and what do they require? Let’s take a look.

Public Schools
Private Language Schools
International Schools
Private Tutoring

Public schools

Typically advertised locally - in some cases, hyper-locally - it can be extremely difficult to even find information on public school jobs in Namibia, let alone jobs themselves. However, they are out there. You’ll need to be in the right place at the right time, which can mean checking the Namibian Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture vacancy section, or being on the ground when teaching jobs open up.

Typically, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree (ideally in English or education), a TEFL certificate and some teaching experience on your CV.

Private language schools

Language schools are always a good bet for TEFL teachers, especially newer ones, when looking for work in a new country. Namibia isn’t an exception, though it’s worth pointing out that, outside of Windhoek, you might be limited in your options.

Though English lessons are popular, if you can teach in German or French as well, you’ll be at a massive advantage. A TEFL certificate is usually enough for employers at private language schools, though degrees (again, a degree in education is a major plus) and classroom experience are desirable.

International schools

There certainly aren’t many international schools in Namibia, owing largely to the fact that it doesn’t have a significant migrant population, and it’s sparsely populated. When the largest city has under 500,000 residents, it’s unlikely a country is going to have a huge demand for international schools. However, it’s worth mentioning them in an English teaching context, because if you can land a job teaching English in an international school, you can earn very decent wages and receive some excellent bonuses.

You’ll need at least a master’s degree, and the expectations placed on teachers are extremely high, but the financial rewards are considerable, especially considering Namibia’s cost of living.

Private tutoring

If you're sold on teaching English in Namibia, remember that you'll need a permanent contract in order to get a work permit and visa. However, once you've established yourself as a TEFL teacher in this fascinating part of Africa, you can potentially supplement your income by taking on private tutoring work.

Demand for TEFL lessons might not be particularly high, but upwardly mobile young adults and professionals may require private classes. Their usual motivations are to attend English-speaking universities in other countries, or to boost their career prospects through English proficiency.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How much do English teachers get paid in Namibia?

In Namibia, teaching jobs are paid relatively well. A teacher in Namibia can expect to earn between N$ 5,000 - N$ 30,000 (£662 - £1,324 / $856 - $1,713) per month

Q. Is there a demand for teachers in Namibia?

Is there a demand for teachers in Namibia?

There is a demand for high-quality English teaching in Namibia, yes, although demand is probably higher in other countries in southern Africa, like Lesotho and Botswana, due to the range of languages in Namibia and the comparatively low population.

Q. Which country is in high demand for English teachers?

Which country is in high demand for English teachers?

In terms of population density, and the size of its TEFL industry, China probably has the highest demand for English teachers.