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Teaching English Abroad Without a Degree

Thousands of our non-graduate students go on to teach English throughout the world every year. Please find a list of countries where a university degree is not required.

Although it is true there are more opportunities for TEFL teachers with a university degree (in any subject), there are still lots of countries where a degree is not a requirement. The list below has been created based on the most popular countries for newly qualified TEFL teachers. The list does not include all of the countries where a degree is not required, such as most African countries.

“South America & South East Asia has the most countries where a degree is not a requirement.”

As well as being some of the most culturally diverse regions of the world, living costs are low, so TEFL teachers can live a very comfortable lifestyle.

	Degree Requirement	Typical Contract Length	Peak Hiring Seasons	Visa Info	Typical Students	Average Monthly Cost of Living in Local Currency	Average Monthly Salary in Local Currency
Argentina	Not required	6 - 12 months	January - September	Tourist visa convert to work visa	Business professionals, children	3,600 - 6,100 ARS	3,600 - 6,100 ARS
Bhutan	BA/ BS/BEd degree preferred but not required	12 months	December, January and May, June	Work visa	Children, adults, monks	10 000 – 15 000 BTN	Approx. 20 000 – 30 000 BTN
Bolivia	Not required	1 - 12 months	January - February and June - July	Tourist visa	Business professionals, children	2,780 - 4,174 BOB	2,780 - 4,174 BOB
Brazil	Not required	1 - 6 months	March - August	Tourist visa	Business professionals, children	1,850 - 3,555 BRL	1,850 - 3,555 BRL
Cambodia	Not required	6-12 months	All year round	Tourist visa convert to work visa	Business professionals, children	1,973,453 - 4,473,160 KHR	2,861,507 - 4,473,160 KHR
Colombia	Not required	6 - 12 months	March - August	Work visa	Business professionals, children	958,962 - 1,342,550 COP	1,342,550 - 1,917,000 COP
Costa Rica	Not required	6 - 12 months	October - December	Tourist visa	Business professionals, children	240,000 - 400,000 CRC	252,000 - 544,400 CRC
Ecuador	Not required	6 - 12 months	February - March and July - August	Tourist visa	Business professionals, children	400 - 700 USD	400 - 800 USD
Egypt	Not required	3 - 24 Months	May -August, all year round	Tourist visa convert to work visa or work visa in advance.	Business professionals, children	3,370 – 7,860 EGP	5,500 – 12,350 EGP
Greece	Not required	6- 12 Months	September & January	EU citizenship or work visa	Business professionals, children	1,000 – 1,500 EUR	1,000 – 1,500 EUR
Guinea	Not required	12 months	Year-round hiring seasons	Jobs in International schools will arrange your visa for you	Children or adults	$700 approximately	Usually expenses will be covered, room and board
India	Not required	6 – 12 months	Year-round	Work permit	Students, professionals	36 000 INR – 55 000 INR	32 000 INR – 59 000 INR
Indonesia	Not required	12 months	All year round	Work visa in advance	Business professionals, children	6,000,000 - 9,000,000 IDR	10,000,000 - 13,500,000 IDR
Jordan	Not required	6 - 12 Months	July - August, all year round	Tourist visa convert to work visa	Business professionals, children	695 – 930 JOD	695 – 930 JOD
Lebanon	Not required	6- 12 Months	All year round	Tourist visa convert to work visa	Business professionals, children	775 – 1,550 LBP	775 – 1,550 LBP
Madagascar	Not required	9 months	Year-round	Work visa	Children, adults	MGA 1 800 000 – MGA 2 500 000	MGA 2 500 000 – MGA 3 700 000
Mexico	Not required	6 – 12 months	May - August	Work visa	Business professionals, children	3,870 - 9,100 MXP	5,230 - 19,460 MXP
Morocco	Not required	6- 12 Months	All year round	Tourist visa convert to work visa	Business professionals, children	4,000 - 10,000 MAD	4,000 - 10,000 MAD
New Zealand	Not required	Monthly	January, June, November	Working Holiday visa	Students, professionals	NZD 1300 – NZD 1550	NZD 3350 – NZD 5000
Panama	Not required	6 - 12 months	March - August	Tourist visa or work visa	Business professionals, children	700 - 1,000 PAB	800 - 2,500 PAB
Paraguay	Not required	6 – 12 months	March	Work permit	Students	PYG 7 500 000 – PYG 10 000 000	PYG 5 000 000 – PYG 10 000 000
Peru	Not required	6 - 12 months	All year round	Tourist visa or work visa	Business professionals, children	800-1,500 PEN	1,120-2,240 PEN
Poland	Not required	9 - 12 Months	October and January	EU citizenship or working visa	Business professionals	700 – 1,400 EUR	700 – 1,400 EUR
Romania	Not required	9 - 12 Months	September - June	EU citizenship or tourist visa convert to work visa	Business professionals, children	1,100 – 2,200 RON	1,100 – 2,200 RON
Russia	Not required	9 - 12 Months	September - June	EU citizenship or tourist visa convert to work visa	Business professionals, children	1,100 – 2,200 RON	1,100 – 2,200 RON
Slovakia	Not required	6 - 12 Months	June and September	EU citizenship or tourist visa convert to work visa	Business professionals, children	460 – 915 EUR	460 – 915 EUR
South Africa	Not required	Monthly	Year-round, especially October	Work permit	University students, professionals	Approx. R7 500 – R8 500	Approx. R10 000 – R12 000
Spain	Not required	6 - 12 Months	September - October	EU Citizenship or work visa	Business professionals, children	1,000 – 1,500 EUR	1,000 – 1,500 EUR
Sri Lanka	Not required	12 Months	Year-round	Work permit	Children,adults	50 000 LKR – 80 000 LKR	25 000LKR – 50 000LKR
Turkey	Not required	6 - 12 Months	Year-round language schools, September - public and private schools	Work visa	Business professionals, children	3,390 – 5,085 TRY	5.085 – 12,205 TRY
Uruguay	Not required	6 - 12 months	March - August	Work visa	Business professionals, children	6,230 - 10,435 UYU	6,230 - 10,435 UYU

Please note the information provided above is given as a general guide only. Information and currency conversions were correct at the time of publication, but they may change at any time.

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