TEFL jobs in Romania

Romania’s statutory minimum gross wage is 4,325 lei a month from 1 July 2026, set by Government Decision 146/2026. Audited English teaching pay of 1,100 to 2,500 lei, or €209 to €475, sits far below that floor. As an Irish citizen you need no visa and no work permit.

What Irish teachers should know first

Romania is an EU member state, so an Irish passport gives you freedom of movement. You do not need a visa, a work permit or a sponsoring employer, and no school has to demonstrate that a Romanian could not do the job. Nearly every Romania teaching guide online is written for Americans and spends most of its length on visa routes that have nothing to do with you.

The General Inspectorate for Immigration sets out what does apply. If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen and want to stay in Romania longer than three months, you must register your residence at the territorial unit of the General Inspectorate for Immigration in the county where you are living. The registration certificate is issued on the same day and is valid for up to five years, but never for less than one year, so it is a single visit rather than an annual renewal treadmill. On the cod numeric personal, the Romanian CNP that you will need for a bank account, a lease and a payroll, we could not source an official page as of September 2026 setting out the process for an EU citizen specifically, so ask at your Immigration office appointment and get the answer from them rather than from a forum.

Now the number that matters most, and it is not a comfortable one. Government Decision no. 146 of 12 March 2026, published on the Portal Legislativ, sets the guaranteed minimum gross wage at 4,325 lei a month from 1 July 2026, for a normal working programme averaging 166.667 hours a month, which works out at 25.949 lei an hour. Our audited band for English teaching in Romania is 1,100 to 2,500 lei a month, roughly €209 to €475. That is well under a quarter to just over half of the statutory full-time minimum. The honest reading is that teaching work advertised at those rates is not full-time salaried employment: it is part-time hours, volunteer placements with a stipend, or private tuition paid by the hour. A genuine full-time contract in Romania must pay at least 4,325 lei gross. Romania can be a rewarding year, but treat it as an experience that roughly covers a modest local cost of living, not as a job you will save money from.

What is the teaching market in Romania actually like?

Often state schools cannot afford to hire English teachers in Romania unless they are local. This also means that while you are perfectly within your rights to try and teach private lessons, the market is pretty sparse. There are plenty of volunteering opportunities for teaching English in Romania, but the wages will be lower than what you are used to. In this guide, we will look at the opportunities in more detail, learn more about finding work as an English teacher in Romania and look at the cost of living and integrating into the community.

Where is Romania and what is it known for?

The Carpathian Mountains run through the country of Romania. It is an unusual destination for English teachers abroad; however, there is undoubtedly a lot on offer. There is strong folk culture, and the smaller villages have been self-sufficient due to the fact they are isolated from the rest of the country. This makes them fascinating places to visit as they all have stories and unique traditions. It may not be your first choice of country to visit, but English teachers in Romania will have amazing adventures and connect with local folklore and learn all about the history of this fascinating country.

Over the last few years, modernisation has begun to collect and connect up these smaller areas, and this has seen them grow increasingly reliant on modern technology and equally need more English teachers in Romania to help with the socialisation of these villages. While you are living and working in the country, you need to make time to visit the many amazing castles, abandoned forts, churches and other landmarks that tell stories of days gone by. The Romanians are very proud of their history and want you to take part in local customs, and in many cases, your employer will even pay for excursions to these places as they consider it vital for your education. So if you have a passion for history, folklore and telling tales of old, then teaching English in Romania could be the perfect adventure for you.

Before you decide, read our main guide to teaching English abroad jobs. If the pay figures above have given you pause, compare teaching English in Slovakia and teaching English in Poland, which are the same EU freedom-of-movement setup with stronger markets. To qualify first, see our TEFL courses in Ireland.

Talk to a real person

No obligation and no sales pitch. Tell us what you want out of the year and we will tell you honestly whether Romania fits.

Romania is one of the cheapest countries to live in, in eastern Europe, but it can be hard to make ends meet and pay your bills because the wages are comparably very low. This means if you find full-time work in a local school, your payment will be on a par with local teachers. In addition, some schools will have some benefits, including subsidised or free accommodation. The good thing is that rent is cheap in the country, so as an English teacher in Romania, your wages should stretch to a small apartment for yourself.

The best advice for any new country is to try and live like a local. This means shopping at local markets and stores and avoiding places that sell overpriced imported goods. If you do this, your lifestyle will be pleasant while you are living and working as an English teacher in Romania. Locals tend to assume that foreigners are very rich and you may gain something of a celebrity status, especially among younger people. Expect a lot of questions about your culture and lifestyle as they are keen to travel.

In order to provide the most accurate cost of living figures, we use numbeo.com, the world’s largest cost of living database, updated regularly.