The 30 Best Cities to Teach English Abroad in 2026

The best cities to teach English abroad in 2026 depend on what you want: Dubai, Riyadh and Doha pay the most, Seoul, Tokyo and Taipei offer the most structured jobs, Bangkok, Hanoi and Phnom Penh are the easiest places to start, and Prague, Lisbon and Madrid suit teachers who want Europe. Every pay figure below comes from our country guides.

New to the idea? Start with our guide to teaching English abroad, which covers where you can work, visa routes and what employers ask for, then use this list to pick a city.

Key takeaways

• The Gulf pays the most: typical tax-free salaries run from AED 8,000 a month in Dubai and SAR 8,000 in Riyadh, rising past AED 22,000 and SAR 20,000 for experienced teachers.
• East Asia offers the most structured jobs, often with housing. Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai and Taipei all need a bachelor’s degree for the work visa.
• South East Asia is the easiest place to start. Phnom Penh is one of the few cities on this list where a degree is not needed for the visa.
• European cities pay less but suit teachers who want Europe. EU citizens can work freely; most other nationalities need a visa or a government programme.
• An accredited 120-hour TEFL certificate is the usual minimum everywhere on this list. An Ofqual-regulated Level 5 diploma helps in the Gulf and other stricter markets.

How we chose these 30 cities

We picked cities with a steady supply of English teaching jobs that a TEFL-qualified teacher can realistically apply for, spread across five regions. Pay is shown at country level, because that is how our country guides report it and how most contracts are set. City salaries usually sit at the upper end of the country range, but so does rent.

Euro figures are approximate, converted at European Central Bank reference rates for 1 July 2026 and rounded. The ECB does not publish rates for every currency on this list, so some figures stay in local currency only. Follow each country link for the full guide, including living costs, visas and hiring seasons.

The 30 best cities to teach English abroad: comparison table

Which cities pay English teachers the most?

Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Doha pay the most, and their salaries are tax free. Typical pay runs from AED 8,000 a month in the UAE, SAR 8,000 in Saudi Arabia and QAR 6,000 in Qatar, rising well beyond that for experienced or school-licensed teachers. Many contracts also include housing or a housing allowance and flights.

The bar is higher here. Your degree must be attested for the work visa, employers usually want classroom experience, and school posts in the UAE need a UAE teaching licence. A 120-hour certificate is the minimum, and our country guides note that a Level 5 TEFL or CELTA is preferred across the Gulf.

Which cities are best for structured jobs with support?

Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei and Hong Kong offer the most structured teaching jobs, often through government programmes or large schools that handle your visa. All of them require a degree for the work visa, except that Taiwan also accepts an associate degree combined with a TEFL certificate.

• Seoul: the government EPIK programme pays ₩2.1 to 2.8 million a month and usually includes free housing. South Korea’s E-2 visa is open only to citizens of the UK, Ireland, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
• Tokyo: private schools pay ¥200,000 to 300,000 a month. The JET Programme pays about ¥4.02 million a year and handles the visa for its participants.
• Shanghai and Beijing: pay runs from ¥10,000 to 20,000 a month, often with housing included.
• Taipei: full-time teachers earn about NT$55,000 to 70,000 a month, mostly in buxibans (cram schools) and kindergartens.
• Hong Kong: the NET Scheme places native English teachers in public schools on HK$34,060 to 79,135 a month.

Which cities are easiest for new teachers?

Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Phnom Penh are the easiest places to start. Schools hire through the year, demand for teachers is strong, and living costs are low, so a modest salary goes further.

Pay runs from ฿30,000 to 45,000 a month at Thai schools, ₫30 to 45 million at Vietnamese language centres and US$800 to 1,500 at Cambodian language schools. Thailand and Vietnam need a degree for the work visa. Cambodia does not, although some employers still ask for one, which makes Phnom Penh a realistic option if you do not have a degree. Our guide to teaching English abroad without a degree covers the other options.

Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur pay better but are stricter. Indonesia usually needs a degree for the work permit, and Malaysia’s Employment Pass needs a salary of at least RM5,000 a month, which in practice means international schools or universities.

Which European cities are best for English teachers?

Prague, Kraków, Warsaw, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Athens, Berlin and Istanbul all have steady demand for English teachers. Salaries are lower than in Asia or the Gulf, but you are close to home and to the rest of Europe.

• Highest pay: Berlin, where employed teachers earn €2,400 to 3,200 a month and freelancers charge €25 to 40 an hour.
• Middle of the range: Prague (CZK 25,000 to 35,000 a month), Warsaw and Kraków (4,000 to 6,500 złoty), and Madrid and Barcelona (€1,000 to 1,400 at academies).
• Lower pay: Lisbon (€1,000 to 1,400 gross) and Athens (€920 to 1,400 gross).
• Istanbul: paid in lira, often with housing, and a degree is required for the work permit.

Your passport matters more in Europe than anywhere else. EU citizens can work freely across the EU. British teachers lost that right with Brexit and usually need an employer-sponsored visa or a government scheme such as Spain’s language assistant programme. Irish passport holders keep full EU rights.

Which Latin American cities are best for English teachers?

Mexico City, Bogotá, Buenos Aires and Santiago have large English teaching markets, and degree rules are looser than in Asia or the Gulf. Pay is usually by the hour: MXN 120 to 250 an hour at Mexican schools, and full-time minimums of COP 1,750,905 a month in Colombia and CLP 553,553 a month in Chile. In Argentina, many teachers combine local classes, paid in pesos, with online work at US$10 to 25 an hour.

Living costs are low, and hiring is often done face to face, so many teachers arrive first and then interview. Check the visa rules for your nationality before you travel.

How do you choose the right city?

Start with the rules you cannot change. Your passport and whether you hold a degree rule out more cities than any other factor. Then compare what you would save, not what you would earn: a salary with free housing in Seoul can leave you with more than a higher salary in a city where you pay rent. Each country guide linked above breaks down living costs.

Then think about the job you want. Government programmes in Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong suit first-time teachers who want support and fixed hours. Private language schools in Bangkok, Hanoi, Prague or Mexico City offer more choice of start date. For a step by step plan, read how to become an English teacher abroad.

What qualifications do you need for these cities?

An accredited TEFL certificate of at least 120 hours is the minimum for every city on this list. Our 120-hour TEFL certificate meets that standard. For the Gulf and other stricter markets, the Level 5 TEFL Diploma carries more weight: it is Ofqual-regulated, listed on the public register as qualification 610/1571/4 and awarded by Highfield Qualifications, so employers and visa offices can check it.

A bachelor’s degree is required for the work visa in most of Asia and the Gulf, and no TEFL qualification replaces it. Our guide to the qualifications to teach English abroad sets out the paperwork.

Get qualified for your city

Whichever city you choose, start with an accredited TEFL certificate that employers and visa offices will accept. The TEFL Institute Group has certified 161,000 teachers since 2017, now working in 80 countries.

Get TEFL qualified to teach abroad

Ola Flynn

Head of Marketing. Runs our webinars and information sessions, loves travel and sharing interns’ stories, and joined our interns in Thailand for orientation.