HOW DO I TEACH ENGLISH ABROAD? GET YOUR TEFL ON FOR JUST $33
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Teaching English With a Degree
How Do You Teach English Abroad?
If you’ve ever wondered, “How can I teach English abroad?” then you’re in for some great news! With a university degree and accredited TEFL certification, you’re perfectly positioned to grab the best English teacher jobs around the globe. Schools in popular destinations - think South Korea, Japan, the Middle East, and Europe - are always on the lookout for qualified graduates to join their teams. If you want to teach English in Spain (TEFL is a big plus!) or explore teaching in Asia, your degree already opens doors.
But even without a degree, teaching English is still possible, but earning your 120-hour online TEFL certificate becomes even more important. What is a TEFL certificate? Simply put, a TEFL or TESOL certificate is your passport to stand out and succeed in teach English abroad and online English teaching roles. Getting TEFL or TESOL certification is recommended because more and more employers globally expect it. Having a cert from a reputable TEFL course provider shows you’ve got the skills, knowledge, and confidence to lead a classroom - whether it’s in-person or online.
With that in mind, don’t forget about online TEFL jobs! The digital classroom industry is booming, and platforms love hiring TEFL-certified teachers with or without a degree. You could find yourself teaching English online from your living room, a café, or even a sunny beach. Check out our TEFL jobs pages to start your English teaching jobs search!
So, how do you teach English abroad? It’s easy: earn your TEFL certification, apply for English teacher jobs in your dream country or online, and let your credentials do the talking. By the way, our certs also state 'TESOL certificate' because in reality the skills required are so similar, and our courses cover nuances anyway. With a degree and TEFL, you’ll have access to a wider array of top-tier opportunities, from teaching in Spain with TEFL to landing competitive positions in Korea, Japan, and beyond, but even without a degree it's possible to score amazing English teaching jobs.
We're obviously going to be slightly biased on the topic of whether you need a TEFL certificate on your resume, but first and foremost, you should check below to see if a university degree is required for in-person teaching in your dream destination. You'll find the main TEFL destinations that do require a degree for legal teaching of English by non-residents.
LESSON FLOWS
Rather than just show videos and give text, we have introduced 'lesson flows': these help you visualize the situations that occur in a TEFL lesson and review your knowledge.
CONTENT VIDEOS
Rather than just leave our cheap TEFL courses with text only, we have added supplementary and full text-script videos to help visual and auditory learners remember our content .
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Countries Where a Degree is Required to Teach English Abroad
| Country | Degree Required | Native Passport Required | Typical Inclusions | Avg Hourly Wage (USD) | Avg Monthly Savings (USD) | Famous Places/Sites | Visa Age Limit | Typical Contract Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | Yes | Usually Yes* | Airfare, Housing, Bonus | $18–$30 | $800–$1,500 | Seoul, Jeju, Gyeongbokgung | 62 (E-2 visa) | 12 months |
| Japan | Yes | No (but preferred) | Flight stipend, Partial Housing | $20–$30 | $500–$1,000 | Tokyo, Kyoto, Mt. Fuji | None | 12 months |
| Taiwan | Yes | No (but preferred) | Housing Stipend, Bonus | $20–$30 | $500–$1,000 | Taipei 101, Taroko Gorge | None | 12 months |
| China | Yes | No (but preferred) | Housing, Airfare, Bonus | $15–$30 | $800–$1,500 | Great Wall, Shanghai | 60 (often) | 12 months |
| UAE (Dubai) | Yes | Yes (often)** | Airfare, Housing, Health Ins. | $25–$55 | $1,000–$2,500 | Burj Khalifa, Desert Safari | 60 (work visa) | 24 months |
| Saudi Arabia | Yes | Yes (often)** | Airfare, Housing, Health Ins. | $20–$45 | $1,000–$2,000 | Riyadh, Mecca, Jeddah | 60 (work visa) | 12-24 months |
| Oman | Yes | Yes (often)** | Airfare, Housing, Health Ins. | $20–$35 | $800–$1,500 | Muscat, Wahiba Sands | 58–60 | 12-24 months |
| Vietnam | Yes | No (but preferred) | Housing Stipend, Bonus | $18–$25 | $500–$1,000 | Ha Long Bay, Hoi An | None | 12 months |
| Thailand | Yes | No (but preferred) | End-of-contract Bonus | $12–$20 | $300–$700 | Bangkok, Chiang Mai | None | 12 months |
| Hong Kong | Yes | Yes (NET scheme) | Airfare, Housing, Gratuity | $35–$60 | $1,500–$3,000 | Victoria Peak, Big Buddha | 60 | 24 months |
| Taiwan | Yes | No (but preferred) | Housing Stipend, Bonus | $20–$30 | $500–$1,000 | Taipei 101, Sun Moon Lake | None | 12 months |
| Turkey | Yes | No (but preferred) | Housing or Stipend, Bonus | $12–$20 | $300–$700 | Istanbul, Cappadocia | 65 | 12 months |
| Spain | Yes | No (EU/UK preferred) | Health Ins., School Meals | $12–$18 | $200–$600 | Barcelona, Madrid, Alhambra | None | 9–12 months |
| Italy | Yes | No (EU/UK preferred) | Some include Housing Allowance | $12–$18 | $300–$600 | Rome, Venice, Florence | None | 9–12 months |
| Czechia | Yes | No (but preferred) | Some include Housing Allowance | $10–$15 | $200–$500 | Prague, Charles Bridge | None | 9–12 months |
| Russia | Yes | No (but preferred) | Housing, Airfare (some jobs) | $12–$22 | $700–$1,200 | Moscow, St. Petersburg | 60 | 12 months |
| Chile | Yes | No | Some include Housing Allowance | $8–$15 | $200–$500 | Santiago, Atacama Desert | None | 12 months |
| Colombia | Yes | No | Some include Housing Allowance | $8–$15 | $200–$500 | Bogotá, Medellín | None | 12 months |
| Mexico | Yes | No | Some include Housing Allowance | $8–$15 | $200–$500 | Mexico City, Chichen Itza | None | 12 months |
| Morocco | Yes | No (but preferred) | Housing (some jobs) | $10–$15 | $200–$500 | Marrakesh, Atlas Mountains | 60 | 12 months |
| Egypt | Yes | No (but preferred) | Housing, Airfare (some jobs) | $10–$18 | $400–$700 | Cairo, Pyramids of Giza | 60 | 12 months |
* Some programs in South Korea and the Middle East may require a passport from USA, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa.
** Preference for native speakers is common in Gulf countries.
Accredited TEFL Certification Online for Teaching English Abroad
We offer you 2 accredited TEFL courses UK-quality and fully online. By UK-quality, we mean that our online TEFL certification courses exceed international standards. Our accreditor has high requirements for quality, length of learning time, and how understanding is measured: you'll notice we openly allow students access to our units of study before signing-up to either of our affordable TEFL courses. We also don't make you provide your email address to try our fee TEFL certification lessons: other operators do this so that they can send multiple emails trying to convince you to pay for their courses. This isn't our style - if you want to save money while receiving the best TEFL course certification online, then we believe you'll choose studyTEFL, but we're not going to harrass you into it.
WHY CHOOSE studytefl
There are well over 100 TEFL course operators worldwide: none offer this quality of TEFL courses for this low price.
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Free TEFL
Start the free TEFL course
Enroll 120
Buy the 120-hour course
Enroll 168
Buy the 168-hour course
Contact Us
Message one of our team
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