Colombia
Bogotá · Medellín · Cali · Cartagena
Colombia has language schools, bilingual schools, universities and public/private education projects. TEFL can help with language-centre roles, but degree and experience expectations vary by employer.
South America TEFL jobs · recruiter & country guide
Teach English In South America: Find The Right Market First
South America can be more flexible than some Asian and Gulf markets, but the trade-off is that hiring can be more local, salaries can be lower, and teachers often piece together language-school, private and freelance work.
Use this page to compare six major markets and filter recruiter, government and job-board resources by country. Weekly hand-picked vacancies stay inside the StudyTEFL LMS.
A different kind of TEFL market
Local hiring can matter as much as online applications.Across parts of South America, local job platforms and direct applications remain important alongside international recruitment. That makes savings, timing and visa research especially important.
South America TEFL markets
Start with the country, then check the way people are actually hired.
This region includes everything from bilingual schools and international-school recruitment to local language institutes, private tutoring and government programmes.
Brazil
São Paulo · Rio · Brasília · Curitiba
Brazil has opportunities across private language institutes, bilingual schools and tutoring. Portuguese can make local job searching easier, while degree and qualification requirements vary substantially by employer.
Chile
Santiago · Valparaíso · regional cities
Chile has language institutes, schools and government English initiatives. In 2026, the Ministry of Education's English Opens Doors programme is recruiting international volunteers for online English workshops; paid teaching roles have separate requirements.
Peru
Lima · Cusco · Arequipa
Peru has language-institute, tutoring and school routes. Local job platforms and direct applications can be important, while bilingual and international schools commonly recruit through more formal channels.
Argentina
Buenos Aires · Córdoba · Rosario
Argentina has language institutes, tutoring and bilingual-school routes. Teachers should compare contracted hours, preparation time and whether a role is salaried, hourly or freelance.
Ecuador
Quito · Cuenca · Guayaquil
Ecuador has language schools, private schools and smaller teaching organisations. Pay, schedules and employer requirements can vary significantly, so compare the full offer before committing.
Recruiters, programmes and job boards
Filter the South America directory by country.
Some links are specialist TEFL resources; others are major local job platforms because South American language schools often recruit locally rather than through international TEFL agencies.
26 routes shown
Teast Latin America
Latin America teaching-jobs route covering multiple countries and school types.
VISIT TEAST LATIN AMERICA ↗ESL Careers
International English-teaching jobs board with country filters and a teacher profile system.
VISIT ESL CAREERS ↗Webber's Ed
Teacher recruitment and placement focused on international schools across Latin America.
VISIT WEBBER'S ED ↗ISS EDUrecruit
International-school recruitment platform with Latin America positions and hiring events.
VISIT ISS EDURECRUIT ↗TES Jobs
International-school jobs platform with positions across Latin America.
VISIT TES JOBS ↗Serious Teachers
Long-running international education jobs platform with country searches.
VISIT SERIOUS TEACHERS ↗Teaching Job Board
Teaching-abroad job board with a dedicated Latin America section.
VISIT TEACHING JOB BOARD ↗LinkedIn Jobs
Useful for language schools, international schools, universities and education groups across the region.
VISIT LINKEDIN JOBS ↗British Council Colombia
British Council Colombia jobs and project opportunities, including English-education roles when available.
VISIT BRITISH COUNCIL COLOMBIA ↗Minga Teachers
Colombia-focused teaching organisation and placement resource with school partnerships and programmes.
VISIT MINGA TEACHERS ↗Recruit.net Colombia
Large job-search portal with English-teaching and education listings across Colombia.
VISIT RECRUIT.NET COLOMBIA ↗Computrabajo Colombia
Major Colombian jobs platform; useful for local language-school and education searches.
VISIT COMPUTRABAJO COLOMBIA ↗Vagas.com.br
Large Brazilian employment platform where education and English-language roles can be searched locally.
VISIT VAGAS.COM.BR ↗Catho
Major Brazilian recruitment platform with education and English-teaching searches.
VISIT CATHO ↗LinkedIn Brazil
Useful for bilingual schools, international schools and larger language organisations.
VISIT LINKEDIN BRAZIL ↗English Opens Doors
Official Chilean Ministry of Education English programme, including volunteer and English-education opportunities.
VISIT ENGLISH OPENS DOORS ↗Laborum Chile
Major Chilean employment portal; useful for local school and language-centre searches.
VISIT LABORUM CHILE ↗Chiletrabajos
Large Chile jobs platform with education and English-teaching searches.
VISIT CHILETRABAJOS ↗Computrabajo Peru
Major Peruvian jobs portal with education and language-school vacancies.
VISIT COMPUTRABAJO PERU ↗Bumeran Peru
Large Peru jobs platform useful for local English-teaching and education searches.
VISIT BUMERAN PERU ↗Bumeran Argentina
Major Argentine jobs platform with education and English-language roles.
VISIT BUMERAN ARGENTINA ↗ZonaJobs
Popular Argentine recruitment portal with local teaching and education searches.
VISIT ZONAJOBS ↗LinkedIn Argentina
Useful for bilingual schools, language institutes and larger education employers.
VISIT LINKEDIN ARGENTINA ↗Multitrabajos Ecuador
Major Ecuador jobs platform for local teaching and education searches.
VISIT MULTITRABAJOS ECUADOR ↗Computrabajo Ecuador
Large Ecuadorian jobs portal with school and language-centre listings.
VISIT COMPUTRABAJO ECUADOR ↗LinkedIn Ecuador
Useful for international schools, universities and larger education organisations.
VISIT LINKEDIN ECUADOR ↗Why these links? This directory links to employers, government programmes, recruiters and general job boards rather than other training providers.
Local job board does not mean every advert is suitable for foreign teachers. Check work permission, visa sponsorship and language requirements before applying. Some employers may only hire people who already have the right to work locally.
Degree and TEFL requirements
South America can be more flexible, but don't confuse flexible with automatic.
Language schools can be accessible
Some private language institutes may focus on fluent English, teaching ability and TEFL preparation rather than formal school-teaching credentials. Requirements still vary by employer and by the work or visa route involved.
That still doesn't mean every employer or visa route is degree-free.
International schools are a different market
Bilingual and international schools usually expect stronger academic or professional teaching credentials. Recruitment platforms such as Webber's Ed and ISS are therefore useful, but many of their vacancies are professional school-teaching roles rather than entry-level TEFL jobs.
Timing and job-search strategy
In this region, when and where you apply can matter.
Online applications first
Use regional recruiters, government programmes and large job boards to understand the market before travelling. International schools often recruit many months before the school year begins.
Local applications can still matter
Language institutes in Peru, Argentina and elsewhere may prefer local interviews or applicants already in-country. Never assume that means you should arrive without savings or work-permission research.
Don't fly somewhere because a blog says “jobs are easy to find”. Check your nationality, visa options, savings runway and current hiring conditions first. Local hiring is an opportunity only if you can legally and financially manage the search.
StudyTEFL student jobs resource
Our public page is useful, but we keep fresh vacancies inside the LMS.
South American vacancy links can expire quickly, particularly with local institutes. This public page therefore focuses on stable recruiter, programme and job-board routes.
Inside the LMS
Regularly updated opportunities for enrolled students
Use the public directory for ongoing research, then check the student jobs resource for more current hand-picked opportunities and application routes.
120-hour Complete TEFL
Need standard TEFL for the roles you're finding?
StudyTEFL's Complete course is $39 and includes real ESL lesson footage, scenario-based tasks, online-teaching content, tutor support and QR-verifiable certification.
If a job asks for standard 120-hour TEFL, our course can cover that training. If it asks for CELTA, a teaching licence, a degree or substantial experience, follow the vacancy.
$39
South America job search
Choose the market first. Match the qualification second.
Use the country filters and resource directory above, or return to the main StudyTEFL jobs hub to compare other regions.