Teaching English in Europe

Teaching English in Europe

Opportunities for teaching English in Europe vary from country to country. One of the most important factors is the European Union. The European Union includes Portugal, Spain France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Greece, Hungary the Czech Republic, Slovakia and many other countries. These are called EU countries.

Since the United Kingdom has a special agreement with the European Union, most of the opportunities go to British English teachers. Therefore, many of the non-EU countries in Eastern Europe, such as Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, are likely to have more opportunities for non-British English teachers than EU countries. With the sudden influx of refugees in Europe, there may also be several opportunities for teaching English to the newly-arrived refugees.

However, these factors are likely to change in the coming years. The European Union is likely to break apart, according to independent analysis by Shirvan Neftchi in the Caspian Report. There are many issues in Europe, including the United Kingdom’s withdraw and tensions between other EU countries that make Neftchi’s prediction easy to believe. If and when the European Union breaks apart, British ESL instructors will have to compete on even ground with instructors from North America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. At that point, the situation in Europe will become more favorable for non-British instructors to teach in Europe.