The Pay Desk — What Teaching English Pays by Country (USD)
What teaching English actually pays, by country
Salaries in local currency and US dollars, side by side, so you can compare a Seoul contract with a Dubai one without doing the math. Official program scales are marked official and dated; every other figure is a market estimate from job listings, labelled as one, with the perks that change the true value: free housing, tax-free pay, flight reimbursement. Sort by take-home and see where your money goes furthest.
Latest on the board: Issue 006, Latin America hires on a different calendar · The Departure Board
The short answer
On market estimates, the highest cash pay for English teachers is in the Gulf (Saudi Arabia and the UAE, roughly $2,450 to $4,100 a month and tax-free) and East Asia (China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, around $1,650 to $3,425, often with free or subsidized housing). Southeast Asia and Latin America pay less in cash ($700 to $2,000) but cost far less to live in, so a Vietnam or Thailand salary can still leave you comfortable. The real comparison is not the headline number but what is left after rent and tax, so read the perks column, not just the dollars. The only pay scales a government or program publishes are for schemes like JET, EPIK, TAPIF and NALCAP, and those rows are marked official.
| Destination | Monthly pay (USD) | In local currency | What makes it worth more |
|---|---|---|---|
| UAE / Dubai | $2,450–4,100 market estimate |
AED 9,000–15,000 / mo | Tax-free Often housing allowance and annual flights. |
| China | $2,050–3,425 market estimate |
RMB 15,000–25,000 / mo | Housing Free or subsidized apartment; flight reimbursement common. |
| Taiwan | $1,950–2,850 market estimate |
NT$62,720–91,420 / mo | Low tax; strong savings in smaller cities. |
| Japan | ~$2,120 official, JET year one |
JET: ¥4.02M / yr | Government program pay set by CLAIR, rising to ¥4.14M in year two. Accommodation is your own cost. |
| South Korea | $1,650–2,100 official, EPIK main scale |
2.2–2.8M KRW / mo | Housing Free single apartment plus severance and airfare on public programs. |
| Vietnam | $1,200–2,000 market estimate |
Paid in USD / VND | Very low cost of living; high real savings for the region. |
| Cambodia | $1,000–1,500 market estimate |
Paid in USD | No degree needed; easy entry and low costs. |
| France | ~$1,137 gross official, TAPIF |
TAPIF: €1,010.67 / mo gross | About €810 net for up to 12 hours a week, October to April. Applications open until 15 February 2027. |
| Thailand | $700–1,550 market estimate |
฿25,000–55,000 / mo | Low living costs; lifestyle draw rather than savings. |
| Spain | $900–1,125 official, NALCAP |
NALCAP: €800–1,000 / mo | 14 to 16 hours a week, 1 November to 31 May, with medical insurance. No next window published. |
| Colombia | $700–1,000 market estimate |
Paid in COP | Low cost of living. The legal minimum wage is 1,750,905 pesos a month in 2026, about $552. |
What actually changes your pay
Two teachers in the same city can earn very different amounts. These are the levers, roughly in order of impact.
Public program or private school?
Government programs (EPIK in Korea, JET in Japan, TFETP in Taiwan) pay steady salaries with strong perks like housing and severance. Private language centers and international schools can pay more at the top end but vary widely, and international schools usually want a teaching license on top of TEFL.
Where in the country you teach
Big capital cities pay more in cash but cost much more to live in. A smaller-city contract at a lower salary often leaves you saving more each month. This is why savings potential, not headline pay, is the number that matters.
Your qualifications and experience
An accredited TEFL certificate is the baseline that unlocks legal, better-paid roles. A degree lifts you into the higher-paying visa markets of East Asia and the Gulf, and a couple of years of experience or a specialism (young learners, business English, exam prep) pushes you toward the top of every range here.
Tax and the hidden perks
Gulf salaries are tax-free, which can make a $2,800 package worth far more than the same figure taxed elsewhere. Free housing, flight reimbursement, contract-completion bonuses and health cover can add the equivalent of several hundred dollars a month, so always compare the whole package.
Pay questions teachers ask first
Where do English teachers earn the most?
The Gulf pays the most in cash and it is tax-free: market estimates for Saudi Arabia and the UAE run roughly $2,450 to $4,100 a month for qualified teachers, often with housing and flights. China follows at around $2,050 to $3,425 with free housing, and South Korea, Japan and Taiwan sit in the $1,650 to $2,850 range with strong perks. The very top salaries go to licensed teachers in international schools.
Can you save money teaching English abroad?
Yes, in the right market. The best savers are usually the Gulf (tax-free, subsidized housing), China and South Korea (free apartment plus airfare). Vietnam offers strong real savings for Southeast Asia because pay is decent and costs are very low. Thailand, Spain and much of Latin America are lifestyle destinations where you live well but save little.
How much does a new TEFL teacher earn?
A newly qualified teacher typically starts near the lower end of each country's range shown above. Pay rises with experience, a degree, and moving from a language centre to a public program or international school. The single biggest step up is getting accredited and then gaining a year of classroom experience.
Is teaching English abroad enough to live on?
In almost every destination here, a standard contract comfortably covers local living costs, and in many it leaves a surplus to save or travel on. The exceptions are high-cost lifestyle spots where the salary funds the experience rather than a savings account. Compare the pay here against the visa and paperwork costs on the other desks before you commit.
More standing desks
The Visa Desk
The exact work visa each country needs, linked to the official source.
The Paperwork Desk
Apostilles, police checks and legalization, with real timelines and costs.
The Online Desk
Plan what you could earn teaching English online.
Issue 006
Latin America hires on a different calendar.
Where should you teach?
Compare every destination on the board.
Earn at the top of these ranges
Get accredited to reach the better-paid, visa-eligible roles, then let the Departure Board bring you each new opening and salary before anyone else.