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teach english in italy

Teach English in Italy

Tucking into the world’s best pizza, sunbathing on the beaches of Sardinia, cruising down the canals of Venice or hitting the slopes in the Dolomites – when you teach English abroad in Italy, living la dolce vita is so easy to do.

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Viva Italia! Plentiful pizza, great weather, centuries of culture… what more could an ESL teacher want than to teach English in Italy? Whether you choose to live the Italian dream in a big city like Rome, Milan, Naples or Florence, or head for one of Italy’s romantic rural locations, you’ll discover a country packed with history, culture and, of course, food!

Spend your time off from work exploring the country’s stunning coastline, pastel-painted towns and chic cities, with bucket-list destinations like the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi Coast and Venice all within easy reach. Or delve into the local culture with everything from Italian language classes to cookery lessons. Wherever you go in Italy, you’ll find friendly locals all too happy to practise their English skills!

Plus, in Italy right now, there is a high demand for English teachers. Italians are increasingly recognizing the importance of English proficiency in the globalized world, and this is driving up the demand for English language instruction. As a result, there are many opportunities for English teachers to teach in Italy, both in public schools and in private language schools.

Teaching English in Italy: An overview

Take a look at a few of the key facts you should know before you start teaching English in Italy:

The most popular locations for teaching jobs in Italy are Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence, Naples, Bologna, Sardinia and the Adriatic Coast, but there are job opportunities all over the country.
The average salary for an English teacher in Italy will usually be in the region of 1,000 to 1,500 EUR per month, which is approximately £860 to £1,280 GBP (or around $1,025 - $1,530 USD) However, most teachers boost their salaries with private lessons, with rates of around €25 (£21.95 / $27.34) per hour. Meanwhile, summer school/camp positions will usually pay around €250 (£220 / $273) per week.
To teach English in Italy, you’ll usually need a 120-hour TEFL certification and some previous teaching experience. A bachelor’s degree isn’t a prerequisite, but many schools do prefer to hire degree-holders. Native English-speaking teachers tend to have an easier time finding work than non-native English speakers, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.
The school year in Italy is made up of two semesters. The first semester starts in September and ends in February, while the second semester starts in February and ends in June.
Opportunities to teach in Italy include working at private language schools, teach English abroad programmes or international schools, as well as teaching private lessons and placements at summer camps.
While fluency in Italian is not typically required for most English teaching positions in Italy, possessing some basic Italian language skills can significantly enhance your chances of securing employment. For specific English programme placements, a qualification in Italian language may be a mandatory requirement.

Excited to start teaching English in Italy? No wonder! With plenty of job opportunities and a beautiful country waiting to be explored, it’s easy to see why so many teachers choose Italy as their first TEFL experience.

You’ll need a thick skin and a good sense of humour if you want a job teaching English in Italy. Opportunities are plentiful and, if you have experience and qualifications, you’ll have no trouble securing a bit of work, especially if you speak Italian. However, full-time teaching positions at Italian schools are a rarity. Teachers have to put in a lot of legwork to secure enough different employment options to make ends meet. Most teachers work freelance for a number of different language schools, as well as teaching their own private classes.

Pay can come as a bit of a shock to teachers who’ve had English teaching jobs in other countries or are used to higher pay. While salaries for ESL teachers in Italy can vary greatly due to location, employers and past experience, most teachers will earn in the region of 1,000 to 1,500 EUR per month, around £860 to £1,280 GBP. Some schools try to get away with paying less than you deserve, but if you aren’t experienced or able to acquire your own students, you might just have to grin and bear it in the beginning.

The good news is that the cost of living is low. Even if you aren’t making megabucks from the off, you can still afford a nice quality of life in Italy. With the freelance nature of the work, the majority of those teaching in Italy just plan to stay for a year or two rather than becoming a long-term expat, so it’s the perfect place for backpacking TEFL teachers wanting to put down roots for a year.

Requirements

Another main reason Italy continues to be a favourite destination for TEFL teachers are the fairly relaxed rules and requirements to teach English. Does this mean you can just turn up with nothing more than English fluency and a backpack, expecting to find a well-paid job teaching English? Absolutely not. But what it does mean is that, even for those without a degree, finding teaching jobs shouldn't be too difficult.

The most commonly asked for qualifications in Italy are:

A TEFL certification (usually a 120-hour course as a minimum)
A bachelor’s degree (not always required in a related subject)
Two years teaching experience
A teaching qualification from your home country

Remember, the requirements to teach in Italy are different to what each employer or school may be looking for. So while an English summer school might be happy to employ a non-degree holder with no prior experience, a private language academy could easily ask for a relevant degree and two years of experience as a minimum. Read through each possible requirement in more detail below.

TEFL Certificate

One of the best ways to boost your chances of securing a teaching job in Italy - whether that’s at a summer school, private language school or even private tutoring - is to make sure you have a TEFL certificate from a reputable TEFL provider.

Not only is a TEFL qualification one of the most common requirements asked for by schools in Italy, but it also gives brand new teachers the skills and confidence they need when they step into their first classroom.

Can you teach English in Italy without a degree?

In short, yes, It is possible to teach English in Italy without a degree! However you should be prepared for it to be a little harder to secure well-paid work. Luckily, many schools and employers in Italy are happy to accept a TEFL qualification instead of a degree.

It’s worth knowing that in Italy, even those with a degree can struggle to find full-time work. Instead, most teachers make up their monthly salary by working at different language schools and offering private tutoring.

On the other hand, those hoping to find high-salary jobs (and visa sponsorship) at a private Italian school will almost always need a degree (often in a related subject) and a minimum of two-years prior teaching experience.

Do I need experience to teach in Italy?

Whether or not you need experience to teach English in Italy will depend entirely on what kind of job you are applying for. Those who are in the country on a Student Visa and are looking for evening or weekend work at a private language school, as well as a few private students of their own, should still be able to find plenty of work with nothing other than a TEFL certificate.

However, if you’re a qualified teacher hoping to make a more permanent move to Italy, most of the top international schools and universities will expect their applicants to be able to have at least two years of previous experience.

Brand new TEFL teachers might want to consider a job at a summer camp first, where it’s possible to build up experience without committing to a lengthy contract.

Visa

A work visa for Italy (if you’re a non-EU citizen) is incredibly difficult to acquire. Most language schools only offer short contracts and, as the majority of teachers are looking to stay in the country for less than 12 months, it makes sense that most won’t go through the timely and costly process of applying for a work visa for their foreign employees.

Instead, the most common way for ESL teachers to work in the country is by applying for a Student Visa, usually to study Italian at a local school or university, part-time. This leaves teachers with evenings and weekends free to teach English at language academies or to schedule their own freelance lessons.

While this can make teaching English in Italy less lucrative than other teach English abroad destinations, most ESL teachers still manage to get enough work to pay the bills and live la dolce vita.

Download our teaching English in Europe guide

Salary and cost of living

Sadly, teaching in Italy isn’t going to make you rich overnight. However, if you’re happy to juggle a few jobs, market yourself as a private tutor and live more like a local than a tourist, you’ll discover that living in Italy can actually be quite affordable.

Restaurants	Cost
Restaurants	EUR (€)	USD ($)	GBP (£)
Inexpensive restaurant meal	15.00	15.30	12.81
Domestic beer (0.5 litre)	5.00	5.10	4.27
Regular cappuccino	1.45	1.48	1.24
Water (0.33 litre)	1.06	1.09	0.91
Markets	Cost
Markets	EUR (€)	USD ($)	GBP (£)
Regular milk (1 litre)	1.16	1.18	0.99
Loaf of white bread	1.61	1.64	1.37
Regular eggs (1 dozen)	2.82	2.88	2.41
Apples (1 kg)	1.86	1.90	1.59
Transportation	Cost
Transportation	EUR (€)	USD ($)	GBP (£)
One-way ticket (local transport)	1.50	1.53	1.28
Monthly pass (regular price)	35.00	35.71	29.88
Taxi start (normal tariff)	5.00	5.10	4.27
Gasoline (1 litre)	2.14	2.19	1.83
Utilities	Cost
Utilities	EUR (€)	USD ($)	GBP (£)
Electricity, heating, cooling, water, and garbage (for a regular apartment)	168.53	171.93	143.89
Regular prepaid mobile tariff (per minute, local without discounts)	0.16	0.17	0.14
Internet (60 Mbps, unlimited data, cable/ADSL)	28.46	29.04	24.30
Clothing and shoes	Cost
Clothing and shoes	EUR (€)	USD ($)	GBP (£)
Pair of jeans (Levis 501 or something similar)	74.97	76.48	64.01
Summer dress in a chain store	31.91	32.55	27.24
Nike running shoes (mid-range)	81.66	83.31	69.72
Men's leather business shoes	107.29	109.46	91.61

(Source: Cost of Living)

Salary

It can be hard to find average earnings for TEFL teachers in the country due to the freelance/part-time nature of the work but, as a guide, most people teaching English in Italy will make somewhere in the region of €1,000 - €1,500 EUR per month (£860 - £1,280 GBP / $1,025 - $1,530 USD).

This differs a little for those working short-term contracts at summer schools or camps, which often pay around €250 EUR (£220 GBP / $273 USD) per week.

Almost all teachers in Italy will boost the salary from their main job(s) with private lessons. In this case, it’s common to charge rates of around €25 EUR (£21.95 GBP / $27.34 USD) per hour.

Cost of living

Picture a holiday in Venice or Rome and it’s easy to see why so many people think living in Italy will be expensive. However, while it’s by no means a budget holiday destination, life in Italy can actually be pretty affordable, even on the relatively low wages that most TEFL teachers earn. Italy is one of the cheapest Western European countries, and it’s especially noticeable when looking at things like the cost of groceries and eating out. Coffee, which basically counts as a staple in Italy, is cheap and available everywhere. There are discrepancies, however – just look at the cost of getting a pint of beer in a pub or the inflated charge for a visit to the GP.

As always, you’ll find small-town living cheaper than that in big cities and bustling tourist destinations. Italian culture is a curious mix of a slow-paced lifestyle with a fast-paced vibe, but many expats find that embracing the low-key, easy-going lifestyle of relaxed small towns is the best way to strike a work/life balance and keep costs low.

If you do live in a bigger city, make local or expat friends who are savvy about where to go. Obviously, a cup of coffee will be much cheaper in a little joint down a quiet alley than it will be from a café in St Mark’s square. Flat shares are good options in big cities, whereas in smaller locations you might be able to afford your own place. General costs are fairly consistent from region-to-region, and wherever you are you’ll get the most out of your experience by living as the locals do.

Country	Avg. monthly salary	Degree required	Start of term	Teaching experience	Housing & flights included	Suitable for non-native English speakers	Age restrictions
Teach in Italy	£1,054 – £1,229 GBP ($1,312 – $1,531 USD)	Preferred	September				None

Jobs

ESL teachers in Italy are in demand right now, which means the country is bursting with TEFL jobs for new and seasoned TEFL teachers alike.

Straight out of your TEFL course? No problem! Consider a placement at a summer school to dip your toe into teaching while enjoying a few months in Italy!

ESL teacher with some experience under your belt? Private schools and academies are dotted all over the country, packed with eager young learners and business English students.

Qualified teacher looking to make a more permanent move to the country? Rome and Milan are home to some incredible international schools which are always on the lookout for teachers of all subjects.

Unlike many other countries, the best way to find TEFL jobs in Italy is usually by going door-to-door. It's also possible to find work on online job boards and through recruiters before arriving, although this is less common.

Teaching Programmes
Summer Camps
Private Schools
International Schools
Private Tutoring

English teaching programmes in Italy

Most teaching jobs in Italy at public schools go to qualified EU citizens who are fluent in Italian, making it unlikely for TEFL teachers to work in such roles. However, there are a number of programmes in Italy that do place some ESL teachers within primary schools and high schools.

One of the most well-known of these is the British Council’s Teach English as a Language Assistant in Italy programme. You’ll usually need to show you meet the required criteria, which includes B1-level Italian but, if you’re required to spend a year studying abroad as part of your degree (or you’re serious about starting a career teaching English in Italy) this could be your best option.

Summer Camps

English summer camps (or summer schools) are very popular in Italy, with schools running for both children and older students. These only last up to two or three months and, as it falls outside of regular term time, many private language school TEFL teachers are able to work a short contract at a summer school to bridge the gap before the next semester.

There are summer schools throughout Italy, with locations from Rome to Sicily and Sardinia. They usually provide their teachers with free accommodation (sometimes with local host families) and meals, as well as transport to and from the camp. Summer camps tend to pay in the region of €250 (£220 / $273) per week.

While some summer schools look for their teachers to have a degree, many accept TEFL certificates in place of a BA. With ongoing training and short-term contracts, these can be a great place to try your first teach abroad experience.

Private language schools

Teaching English at a private language school or academy is one of the most common ways for TEFL teachers to find work in Italy. Students learn English in public school, but the education system is known for being a bit behind the times and so their language lessons can leave much to be desired. As such, taking lessons at English language schools is popular for children and teenagers wanting to excel in their language skills, while business English classes are popular with professionals who want to get ahead at work.

Contracts at private English language schools usually run for around 9-10 months, leaving the summer months free to pick up work at a summer school, or to travel. For most teachers, a salary from a private school won’t be enough on its own to cover both living costs and leisure activities, which is why so many use their spare time to give private lessons.

You don't always have to be a native speaker but it can help when it comes to working at a private English school. To secure a teaching position at most Italian schools, you'll need an accredited TEFL certificate as a minimum. The best way to find these types of teaching jobs in Italy is face-to-face, once you are already in the country.

International schools

For qualified, experienced teachers hoping to take the next step in their teaching career, it may be possible to secure a job teaching abroad at an international school in Italy. Most of these hiring schools are located in Rome and Milan, and offer either British, American or International Baccalaureate (IB) curricula, usually to expat children.

An international school will look for highly experienced teachers, offering excellent salaries and benefits to match. However, because they tend to teach their entire curriculums in English rather than Italian, you don’t necessarily need to have a degree related to education. Many international schools also look for teachers who are qualified to teach other subjects, for example maths, science, art, music or P.E.

Private tutoring

Almost all teachers in Italy will offer private tutoring outside their main teaching job at some point during their time in the country. Most freelance teachers charge around €25 (£21.95 / $27.34) per hour, while some offer discounts for block bookings or for referring friends.

It’s generally quite easy to find Italian students who are looking for private lessons, as many people in Italy want to boost their language skills. This can often be adults hoping to improve their English for work (especially in the tourism industry) or university students who want to study abroad. If you have some Italian (or an Italian friend) you can even create your own simple website to advertise your lessons, or post your services on community and job boards.

Q. How much do English teachers make in Italy?

Salaries for teaching in Italy can vary a lot because most teachers will work part-time at more than one school and offer lessons in their spare time. However, as a rough guide, an ESL teacher in Italy can expect to make somewhere in the region of €1,000 - €1,500 EUR per month (£860 - £1,280 GBP / $1,025 - $1,530 USD) or €250 EUR (£220 GBP / $273 USD) per week if working at a summer school. Freelance lessons tend cost around €25 EUR (£21.95 GBP / $27.34 USD) per hour.