Teaching English in the European Union

The most common question on this is one of visas - whether non-EU citizens can work in the EU. This is addressed below.

Qualifications

In general, the minimum requirements to teach in an EU country in terms of academic qualifications are a degree and a TEFL certificate such as the ICAL TEFL Certificate.

Some countries may have additional requirements so be sure to check out individual country details for more.

EU Passport Holders

If you hold a passport from an EU country (e.g. Britain, Ireland) then you are free to travel and work in any EU country.

Non-EU Passport Holders

There is no denying that finding legal employment teaching English is difficult for a non-European. If you do NOT have a passport from an EU country things are a lot more complicated.

Essentially preference for teachers MUST be shown to EU passport holders first. Thus in order to get a visa to work in an EU school, the school must prove they have advertised the job within the EU and have been unable to find a suitable candidate. Furthermore, the school must then go through a lot of paperwork to get their non-EU teacher a visa.

And since the authorities may well refuse to grant a work permit even if a job contract has been given, and the necessary visa applied for, schools are often reluctant to employ non-EU teachers.

It's obvious then that schools will much prefer to hire teachers from within the EU than, say, America or Australia or Canada or any other country outside the EU.

Unless you are very well qualified or highly determined, it is difficult to find work teaching in the EU. This is due to the lack of reciprocal labor agreements between EU and non-EU countries.

There are, however, a couple of routes you can take to find work, even if you are from outside the EU.

Being Well Qualified

If you have good qualifications and plenty of experience then a school may well be willing to go to the trouble of helping get you a visa simply because you would be a good move for them.

This doesn't apply to most teachers, however, who have to follow a different route.

Through the Back Door

There are quite a number of American, Canadian, etc, teachers working in Europe who are in various stages of legality and who have managed to come in through the back door, as it were.

If you do not have an EU member state passport, this is what you can try.

Bearing in mind that it is unlikely you will be able to find work via an internet advertisement because of the trouble schools will need to take to employ you, you need to be in the country to find work.

This means coming over on a tourist visa and then looking for work. Ideally you should come just before the beginning of the school year. This is when there is highest demand and some schools will find that the teacher they hoped to have simply did not turn up or they need a new teacher to replace one that has gone a.w.o.l.

You need to make yourself as presentable as possible and then visit each school in the town. (See the article, Finding Work for more on how to do this.) Sooner or later, and with luck, you may be able to pick up a few hours teaching here and there but working illegally.

From then on it is up to you. If you can make yourself as useful and as indispensable as possible, the school may well, after some time, be willing to sponsor you and help you get a visa.

And apart from numerous private English schools there is also a good market for private lessons so don't rule out putting up fliers in supermarkets, gyms, universities, etc. while you are in town and getting some work, cash-in-hand to keep things ticking along.

There are quite a number of non-EU teachers working in Europe who have done this. If you get to a large city and try this it is by no means certain, but possible that you could join them.

US Citizens and Visas

In general, U.S. citizens traveling to the EU for tourism or business negotiations do not need a visa for stays up to 3 months. However a U.S. passport valid for a minimum of 6 months is required.

U.S citizens entering the EU for work, study, adoption, immigration, or stays longer than stipulated in the entry requirements should contact directly the embassy or nearest consulate. Things take a bit longer to get accomplished so start your visa procedures early. There are many agencies that will help you (for a fee) with the process of visa application, and many are available on the Internet. On the Net there is also a wealth of fee information on how to go about it all.

However, it must be reiterated that by law non-EU citizens who intend to work in the EU must obtain a visa from the nearest appropriate Embassy or Consulate in the U.S. or in the country of last residence, before coming to the EU.