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Teach English in Rome

An idyllic view of the Coliseum, glass of wine in hand, after a rewarding day of English teaching? Yes, life in Rome as a TEFL teacher is within your grasp: find out how!

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Arrivederci, Roma!

If you’ve any inclination for teaching English abroad in Europe, Rome must surely be on your list. It has everything, including the imposing Coliseum, the Spanish Steps, the iconic Trevi fountain, Vatican City, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum… were our focus not on TEFL, there are entire volumes we could write on Rome’s attractions alone!

Bear with us a little, though, because there’s more, from Rome’s incredible history and gorgeous weather to the unbelievable food: pasta, pizza, bruschetta, fresh tomatoes, meats and herbs, gelato, it goes on and on! Then, there are the friendly and passionate people, whose thirst for knowledge means that you can truly live La Dolce Vita in Italy’s capital.

Whether you see yourself zipping around the greater Lazio region on a Vespa, or you see yourself reading La Gazzetta Della Sport on the Rome Metro on the way to your teaching job, we’ve got you covered. Where can you find work? What are the teaching jobs like, and how good are the salaries? Is the cost of living affordable?

Let’s dig in. Saluti!

Rome: An Overview

Rome is visited by millions of people annually and has one the biggest tourist industries in the world. Surely its English proficiency is the best of anywhere in Italy, right?

Well… no. According to EF’s English Proficiency Index, Rome isn’t even in the top 10 most proficient locations in Italy. Curiously, the number 1 spot goes to Padua. Rome is behind other Italian giants like Turin, Milan and Bologna, although that isn’t to say proficiency is low. Italy, in general, ranks 35th out of all the countries in the EPI. So, Rome’s overall English proficiency score is good, just not as good as you might expect.

English is taught in schools from early primary school, so there are opportunities to teach young students in the state education system and the private education system, as well as private language schools and international schools. For TEFL teachers working in Italy, it’s more common to have one or more jobs simultaneously, as finding full-time work can be difficult. This is particularly true in Rome, where 6 and 12-month contracts are most common.

Requirements for teaching English in Rome

So you want to head to Rome to teach English abroad? Requirements are your next consideration. What are they? Let’s break them down.

Visas
Qualifications
A caveat

Visas

If you are an Italian citizen (you may hold an Italian passport yourself, or have a parent/grandparent who does), you don’t need a visa. If you’re an EU citizen, you don’t need a visa. In both cases, you simply need to meet individual job requirements to teach English in Rome and teach English in Italy more broadly.

If you aren’t an EU citizen but want to teach English in Rome, don’t panic - it’s not super complicated. You’ll need to meet the criteria for an EU Blue Card, and get a job offer from an Italian-based employer. With this job offer, head to the nearest Italian consulate and apply for an Italian work visa. If you receive an Italian work visa, you can then apply for a Residence Permit. If you pass this step, you can start your new life in Rome, and teach!

Qualifications

Generally speaking, for full-time TEFL work in Rome, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree (though not in a related subject). It’s also part of the criteria for an EU Blue Card for Italy, though a one-year job offer circumvents the need for a degree. Teaching English abroad without a degree in Italy, specifically in Rome, can be extremely difficult if you don’t have a raft of TEFL qualifications and plenty of previous teaching experience.

A TEFL certificate is a mainstay across all of the Roman job adverts we’ve seen. Completion of one or more high-quality TEFL courses is imperative, with 120 hours being the minimum and the industry standard. The more hours of study you have under your belt, and the more TEFL qualifications you have - from a reputable course provider - the better your chances of employment in Rome will be.

Teaching experience can be very important. In the majority of job adverts we see for Rome, employers are looking for two or more years of experience either directly in a teaching role or at least working with children. Many employers also look for a teaching qualification from your home country, which can also demonstrate teaching experience. This isn’t to say you can’t teach English abroad without experience in Rome, but if you’re a non-EU citizen, and don’t have an Italian background, it’s markedly harder.

A caveat

Given the variety of jobs available and the specific job market in Rome, it’s important to remember that requirements for teaching opportunities in Italy’s capital can be vastly different. If you want to find work at a summer school, there’s every chance you can do it without being a degree holder or having much (if any) teaching experience. A TEFL certificate and being on a degree programme might be enough.

Conversely, private language schools might require a degree and two years of experience, whereas, in other locations, they can be far more lenient in terms of requirements. Check each teaching opportunity carefully, and remember that they can be radically different to each other.

Also: a bit of Italian language knowledge goes a long way when you teach English in Rome!

Salary, Benefits and Cost of living in Rome

Salary

As we cover in our guide to teaching English in Italy, finding an average teaching abroad salary for Rome can be difficult. That’s not a cop-out, believe us! It’s because of the nature of English teaching work, and the more casual, temporary contract style that’s prevalent in Italy.

That said, based on job adverts we’ve seen, we’d suggest that an average full-time salary for a TEFL teacher in Rome is between €1,500 - €2,250 EUR per month (£1,285 - £1,927 GBP / $1,600 - $2,400 USD). In terms of short-term contracts at summer schools or camps, salaries tend to fall nearer to €250 - €350 EUR (£214 - £300 GBP / $267 - $374 USD) per week.

Private language lessons are certainly in demand in Rome, and they’re a common side hustle for teachers given the scarcity of full-time jobs. In this case, it’s common to charge rates that start at €30 EUR (£32 GBP / $25 USD) per hour.

Benefits

While benefits like housing, airfare, health insurance, or paid vacation are not typically standard for teaching English in Rome, they can vary depending on the school and the contract. Some schools may provide assistance with finding accommodation. To reduce living costs, it is common for teachers to share apartments. It is essential to discuss these details during the hiring process.

Cost of living

So, you want to live and start teaching abroad in one of the most famous cities in the world. That’s got to come at a cost, right?

Well, it depends how you do it. Per Numbeo, Rome is about 29% cheaper to live in than London, with rents costing 60% less. What does that mean in real terms? Well, if you want to rent a one-bedroom apartment in central Rome, expect to pay a princely $1,158/£926. Rome is, of course, massive, so if you set your sights outside the city centre, rents are reduced to around $714/£571. It’s also worth considering commuting from just outside the city, in the greater Lazio region, if you want to live the Roman lifestyle and enjoy Italian culture but prefer quieter surroundings in the nighttime.

A monthly transport pass in Rome is about $37/£30, and although the city’s buses tend to play fast and loose with the concept of a timetable, the trams and metro work pretty well, especially for the price. There’s also gorgeous street food like bruschetta at metro stations - Bellissimo!

Talking of the food, you can feed yourself at an inexpensive restaurant for comfortably under $20/£15, and a mid-priced restaurant will usually do a three-course meal for two at around $64/£51. We’re not sure if that includes wine, but for safety’s sake, a mid-range bottle of wine is just under $4/£3.

Download our teaching English in Europe guide

English teaching jobs in Rome

Where are the teaching opportunities to be had in this vibrant, historic and beautiful city? Where can you find teaching jobs, opportunities for cultural exchange and the chance to show off everything you learned on your TEFL course? Let’s look at Rome teaching jobs:

Summer schools

If you’re quick, you’ll find summer school opportunities at the start of every year. These typically fill up rapidly, but summer schools in Rome are generally looking for university students, newly qualified teachers and people with TEFL certificates who are looking to get their start in TEFL teaching.

State schools and private schools

English is taught to a high level in Italy, and it’s often Italians who are first to land English teaching jobs in state schools and private schools. However, if you’ve got a bachelor’s degree and/or a master’s degree, a TEFL qualification and at least two years of previous teaching experience, you should be in with a good chance.

International schools

You’d expect a massive city like Rome to have a wealth of highly acclaimed international schools. You’d be right. While international schools are extremely competitive from an employment point of view, and they don’t offer traditional TEFL jobs, they’re worth mentioning.

Why? There are plenty of American and British international schools looking for native English speakers, or highly fluent native-level speakers for English teaching jobs. These jobs tend to hire teachers with at least a master’s degree, let alone a TEFL certification and plenty of teaching experience.

Private language schools

Similarly, you’d expect Rome to have lots of private language schools, much like any other capital city, and the Eternal City delivers on that front. These schools tend to hire year-round and provided you meet the requirements for a Blue Card visa, you’ll usually meet the requirements for these schools. Some are more selective than others when it comes to experience and qualifications, so read each job advert carefully.

Private Tutoring

Rome is full of prospective English learners, and full of TEFL teachers looking to generate extra income. With so much of the city to cover, and real demand for qualified TEFL teachers to give lessons, you ought not to struggle for demand. Whether it’s putting posters up or making a presence online, tutoring is a great way to supplant your salary and see more of Rome.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How much do English teachers make in Rome?

Though full-time English teaching work can be hard to find - making average salaries even harder to identify - we’d place full-time salaries at an average of between €1,500 - €2,250 EUR per month (£1,285 - £1,927 GBP / $1,600 - $2,400 USD).

Q. Are English teachers in demand in Italy?

Yes, English teachers are regularly being hired in Italy, though English proficiency in Italy is at a high standard, meaning that Italians becoming English teachers themselves is very common!

Q. Can I teach in Italy with an American degree?

Yes, you can teach in Italy with an American degree, provided you meet the other related job requirements for an English teaching job.

Q. Can you get paid to teach English in Italy?

Yes, you can get paid to teach English in Italy, whether it’s at a summer camp, an international school, a state school, a private language school or a private school.