TEACH ENGLISH IN ITALY

About Teaching English in Italy

To teach English in Italy, you will need a TEFL certificate. A 4-year college degree is often also required. Native English proficiency is expected to find a TEFL job.  Working 20-25 hours a week, a TEFL certified English teacher can earn up to 1,500 Euros ($1725 USD) per month, which is enough to cover your expenses and live comfortably.

With an economy heavily reliant on sectors such as international trade and tourism, the demand for enhanced English skills in Italy is enormous, with hundreds of language schools offering English lessons in Rome alone. However, despite high demand, it is extremely difficult for Americans and other non-EU citizens to get a visa to work legally in Italy.

For Americans and non-EU citizens, the most practical and reliable pathway to teach English in Italy is through the ITA Rome Teach & Study Visa Program. This program allows you to secure a student visa, granting you the legal right to work as an English teacher in Italy while participating in part-time Italian language courses. The program also includes comprehensive assistance through the visa process and on-site job search guidance to ensure participants gain employment teaching English in Italy.

For nearly all jobs, English teachers in Italy will be expected to conduct in-person interviews upon arrival, and they will also be responsible for their own airfare and housing. Most teachers live in apartments recently vacated by previous teachers and share accommodations with other English teachers.

Major cities for English teaching jobs in Italy include big cities like Rome, Naples, Milan, and Turin.

How to Teach English in Italy: Requirements

TEFL Certification for Italy

A TEFL certification is required to teach English in Italy. You do not need professional teaching experience but earning your TEFL certification will provide you with the training and qualification you do need to get hired. 

Teachers typically interview in person in Italy. Therefore, it is most common for students to take one of our TEFL course options listed below.

Read More: What are the Basic Requirements to Teach English in Italy?

Native English-Speaking Proficiency

You do not need to be a native English speaker to teach English in Italy, however, you will be expected to be fluent in English and speak at a native level to be considered for teaching and private tutoring jobs.

Degree Requirements for Italy

English teachers need a bachelor's degree to teach English in Italy. Please note that your bachelor's degree does not need to be in education; it can be in any field.

Note: Citizens of European Union nations may have an easier time getting a job without a 4-year degree, but most employers still typically require it.

How to Find TEFL Jobs in Italy

ESL Teacher Jobs in Italy

The most common teaching jobs in Italy consist of:

• Teaching adults in private language schools and institutes.
• Private tutoring both children and adults.
• Teaching children in Italian Summer Camps.
• Teaching English Online.

TEFL Jobs Italy: Hiring & Visas

For nearly all jobs, English teachers in Italy will be expected to conduct in-person interviews once they arrive in-country.

Citizens of European Union nations do not typically need a visa to teach in Italy. Some foreign English teachers teach on a working holiday visa (this is an option for qualified Canadians, but not Americans), however, the vast majority of non-EU citizens, including Americans and Canadians, enter and teach in Italy on a student visa. 

A student visa allows Americans and other non-E.U. citizens to live legally and teach English in Italy while taking part-time classes. It is obtained in advance through enrolling in courses and is valid for the length of your study. This opportunity is ideal for those who would like to private tutor one-on-one or teach English online while taking part-time language lessons.

ITA Teach and Study Visa in Rome Program

This program enables you to obtain a student visa, giving you the legal right to teach English in Italy while advancing your Italian through part-time language courses. Benefit from dedicated support throughout the entire visa process, plus expert job search guidance on the ground to help you secure meaningful teaching positions in Italy.

NOTE: While it was common practice in the past, teaching English in Italy on a tourist visa is illegal and not recommended. 

Read More: What Type of Visa Can I Use to Teach English in Italy?

TEFL Italy: Hours

Schools in Italy typically offer 20 to 25 hours of work per week. If you are teaching at a language school, you should expect to work a varied schedule as many students work and take English classes in the evening.

Teaching Italian Students

Language schools primarily cater to adults, including business professionals and university students. If you private tutor, your students will be a mix of both children and adults, and if you teach at a Summer Camp, your students will be children. 

Teaching English in Italy: Salary & Cost of Living

Start-up Costs

Start-up costs will range from $1,200 - $2,100 USD. These are expenses you will incur from your arrival in Italy until you receive your first paycheck and may include things like rent, apartment supplies, transport, groceries, getting your new local cell phone number set up, etc. 

English Teacher Salary in Italy

A solid hourly wage affords English teachers in Italy a comfortable lifestyle that enables them to enjoy all that Italy has to offer, but don't expect to get rich. English teachers in Italy can expect to make up to 1,500 Euro ($1,725 USD) per month teaching 20-25 hours per week.

There are no flight or housing benefits/stipends provided so you will need to remember to account for accommodation or temporary housing for your first few weeks in your start-up costs until you find an apartment to rent.  The only exception to this is for Summer Camps. If you are teaching at a camp over the summer, it is common that your camp housing will be provided to you. 

Cost of Living & Savings

The cost of living typically ranges between $900-$1,150 USD per month (€800 - 100). 

English teachers in Italy can expect to break even month over month. This means you can cover your rent and bills, support yourself, live comfortably, and enjoy your life abroad to the fullest, but you shouldn't expect to save money at the end of the month. If you are hustling and taking on private tutoring lessons and/or teaching English online in addition to your regular teaching schedule, you may increase your ability to save.