Teaching English abroad visas: The Visa Desk
Teaching English abroad almost always needs a named visa or permit rather than a general work visa, and the right one depends on the route. This desk sets out the exact permit for ten destinations, from Spain’s auxiliares programme to work permits in Vietnam and the Gulf, each linked to the government or programme page that sets the rules.
Checked 6 August 2026 against official immigration and programme sources
Ten destinations, ten official doors. This desk lists the exact visa or permit behind each teaching route we cover, from Spain’s auxiliares programme to work permits in Vietnam and the Gulf, and links straight to the government or programme page that owns the rules. Read the primary source before you book flights or pay anyone a cent.
Paperwork, sorted
The Visa Desk
The visa or permit behind every route on the board, with a link to the official page that owns the rules. No agencies, no middlemen. Read it before you book anything.
Hungary
Residence permit for employment
CETP and your school handle the paperwork for the employment residence permit before you fly out. The August 2026 intake has now started; CETP takes rolling applications and the next clear window is the January intake.
Degree requiredHungarian immigration →
Czechia
Employee Card
One combined permit for residence and work, applied for at a Czech embassy once your school files the vacancy.
Set by schoolPortal for Foreigners →
Portugal
Long stay national visa
Fulbright walks grantees through the national visa. AIMA is the migration agency that owns residence rules on the ground.
Degree requiredAIMA →
Spain
Long stay student visa, NALCAP
NALCAP placements run on a student visa issued by your nearest Spanish consulate once your placement letter arrives. The programme itself shut on 30 June with no 2027/28 date published, so this is the route to know for the next intake rather than one you can start today.
Uni students and gradsSpanish consular services →
Türkiye
Work permit via your employer
Schools apply to the Ministry of Labour on your behalf while you wait at home or convert from a tourist entry.
Degree requiredMinistry of Labour →
Mexico
Temporary resident visa with work permission
Your school requests authorisation from the INM, then you collect the visa at a Mexican consulate before travelling.
Set by schoolINM →
UAE
Employer sponsored work residence
Dubai schools sponsor the full work residence package, including medical checks and your attested degree certificate.
Attested degree requiredUAE government portal →
Colombia
M visa, temporary worker
Applied for online with your signed contract. Schools in Bogotá and Medellín are used to guiding new hires through it. Note that the ICETEX international experts round closed on 7 August with no new date published, so this route now depends on a direct school offer.
Set by schoolCancillería →
Vietnam
Work permit plus LD visa
Your language centre sponsors the work permit, then the LD working visa. Most teachers enter on an e-visa while it processes.
Degree requiredVietnam e-visa portal →
Oman
Employment visa
Employer sponsored through the Royal Oman Police e-visa system, with your attested degree as part of the file. The ministry appointment cycle ran 5 to 30 July and no new window has been published, so you would need an offer already in hand.
Attested degree requiredRoyal Oman Police e-visa →
Official sources, dated checks, honest corrections
Nothing on this desk is guessed. Every rate and rule is read from the official source, stamped with the date we checked it, and fixed in place the moment the source moves. If we get something wrong, the correction is printed where the error stood.