TEFL Certification & Teach-Abroad Guidance, by Country
Real job market, salary, and visa/certification requirements for teaching English abroad — country by country, sourced and kept current.
Get TEFL Certified Online
Compare TEFL Institute's 120-hour and 150-hour courses before you pick a destination — accredited and accepted for visa applications in every country below.
Get Started with TEFL Institute →Country guides — launch countries
We're building this site country by country, deepest first. These six are live now; more are on the way.
Vietnam
Strong, steady demand — mostly private language centres, concentrated in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, hiring year-round.
Thailand
Chronic demand outside Bangkok and Chiang Mai, via government schools, private academies and international schools — easiest entry is a rural or regional public-school placement.
South Korea
EPIK (government, public schools) is the most structured route; hagwons (private academies) hire year-round and place faster.
Japan
JET (government) offers the most structure but mostly rural placement; private ALT dispatch companies and eikaiwa hire year-round and offer more choice of location.
Spain
The Ministry's Auxiliares de Conversación programme is the dominant entry route for non-EU citizens because it bundles visa sponsorship; private academies hire year-round on top of it.
Mexico
Strong underlying demand — around 24 million English learners with only ~5% reaching high fluency — spread across language institutes, bilingual schools, universities and tutoring.
Not sure which certification to get first?
Start with our 120-hour vs 150-hour TEFL certification comparison — it covers online vs in-person, accredited vs not, and which option fits which destination before you commit to a country.
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