TEFL jobs in Spain

Can you teach English in Spain on an Irish passport?

Yes. An Irish passport lets you live and work in Spain with no visa or work permit, so you can take a job at a language academy straight away. The state school assistant route is different: Ireland’s English Language Assistant scheme has no new places in Spain for 2026/27, so new Irish applicants cannot enter it this year.

It’s no surprise that Spain is a popular choice for travellers looking to teach English in another country. It’s a country with a lot to offer, including a relaxed pace of life marked by the well-known siesta, a vibrant culture centred on flamenco dancing and other forms of the arts, and delectable food and drinks. So if you want to gain experience in education, teaching English in Spain is a terrific option to do so while also getting to know a new culture and sampling plenty of tapas and sangria.

What Irish teachers should know first

Two things put Irish applicants in a stronger position in Spain than the guides written for American readers will tell you.

The first is that you do not need a visa or a work permit. Much of the competition arrives on programmes built to solve a visa problem that an Irish passport does not have. You can arrive, look for work, sign a contract and stay, on the same footing as a Spanish national. That changes the shape of a job hunt entirely: you are not tied to whichever employer will sponsor you, and you are not locked into a single intake date each year.

The second is the Ministry’s own Auxiliares de Conversación programme, the language and culture assistant scheme that places assistants in Spanish state schools. For the 2026–2027 call the Ministry sets the stipend at 800 euros a month as an allowance towards room and board, for 14 to 16 hours a week of classroom collaboration. Some regional education offices pay more than the national figure, and where they do, the classroom hours rise with it. Applicants need a college degree or two completed full academic years of one. New candidates must be aged 18 to 45. Ireland is named on the Ministry’s list of eligible countries, but new Irish candidates do not apply to Spain directly: the Ministry sends them to Ireland’s own scheme, run by the Department of Education and Youth, rather than to the Profex portal North American applicants use. Source: Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sport, Convocatoria 2026–2027.

That Irish door is shut this year. The Department’s English Language Assistant (ELA) page states that, due to continued administrative issues, it will not be possible to offer any new places on the ELA programme in Spain for the 2026–2027 academic year. The Irish round closed on 12 March 2026, and Austria, Germany, France, Italy and Belgium are still offered. Source: gov.ie, English Language Assistant scheme, page last updated 15 June 2026 and rechecked 3 November 2026. We track the notice on our Deadline Alerts page and will update this guide the day it changes. In the meantime, the open routes for an Irish teacher are a direct job at a language academy, private classes and summer camps, set out in TEFL jobs in Spain: where Irish teachers actually get hired.

We have not published an “average private academy salary” on this page, because we could not confirm one against an official source. The 800 euro figure above is the Ministry’s own and is quoted as it is written. That standard is set out in our editorial standards and public corrections ledger.

Who is hiring, and for what

While the Spanish job market can be tough for young locals, English continues to play a central role in improving employability. As a result, the demand for English language education remains strong across Spain, particularly among children and young adults.

English is a compulsory subject in all public schools from the first year of primary education. To support this, the use of native-speaking classroom assistants has expanded dramatically in recent years, creating a wealth of opportunities for TEFL teachers.

If you enjoy working with children, Spain is an especially good fit. Many private schools, bilingual programmes, and kindergartens hire teachers to introduce English to children as young as three. Beyond the classroom, there is also steady demand for private tutoring, exam preparation, and Business English, making Spain a versatile destination for teachers looking to gain experience across different student groups.

If you are still weighing Spain against the rest of Europe, read this alongside our guides to teaching English in Italy and teaching English in France, or start from the full set of teach English abroad country guides. For what each qualification term means wherever you end up teaching, The TEFL Institute’s guide to TEFL qualifications and terminology is the reference we use across the group. Most employers here will expect a 120-hour certificate before they will talk to you, which is what our accredited TEFL courses in Ireland are built for.

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 Spain fits.

You probably won’t get rich if you teach English in Spain, especially if you’re a newbie teacher without the experience to go for the highest paying jobs. However, money isn’t what attracts teachers to this vibrant country. Spain is a fun, bustling country with a fascinating culture, delicious cuisine and relaxed lifestyle that TEFL teachers love. Even on lower wages, you can earn enough to enjoy a good quality of life and experience what Spain has to offer. There’s so much work available that it’s unlikely you’ll ever be stuck for classes to teach – and the demand for EFL teachers just keeps growing. Many teachers working in schools and as language assistants subsidise their income by tutoring on the side, which can give your income a big boost. Teaching TEFL online can also be a great way to make extra money at times that suit you. The cost of living in cities such as Madrid and Barcelona will be higher than elsewhere in the country, but your salary will be reflective of this. By living like a local (avoiding imported food and goods, tourist areas, etc) you’ll find that your money stretches further. Most teachers share accommodation with other teachers or expats to cut down on costs. It’s uncommon for employers in Spain to offer accommodation as part of your contract (unless it’s a summer school) but they may be able to offer assistance.

Cost of living prices taken from Numbeo is the world’s largest up to date quality of life global database.