jobfacts

Teachers of English as a foreign language

SOC 2020 2317

Teachers of English as a foreign language teach students to speak and write the English language, either for the first time or building on their existing knowledge.

Also calledEnglish as a foreign language (EFL) teacherEfl teacherTeacherEnglish as a second language teacherEnglish teacherEsol tutorand 9 more titles
Typical full-time pay£37,5002025 Provisional
People in the job28,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month1,900↓ 24%on last year · 96th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time teachers of English as a foreign language earn, 2025
£37,500 typicaln/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less thanNot published
25%Not published
Median£37,500
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £37,500
Scotland!£49,700
West Midlands!£35,800
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £37,500
Scotland£49,700 (small sample)
West Midlands£35,800 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £36,600
  • 2024 £36,400
  • 2025 Provisional£37,500
↑ 2.6% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,900 jobs for teachers of English as a foreign language are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (4 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20261,268
Jul 20261,614
Jun 2026Not published
May 20262,322
Apr 20262,251
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20261,858
Jan 20262,214
Dec 20251,052
Nov 20252,079
Oct 20252,185
Sept 20252,358
Aug 20251,555
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 20253,763
Apr 20252,655
Mar 20253,107
Feb 20252,818
Jan 20253,019
Dec 20241,861
Nov 20242,332
Oct 20242,528
Sept 20242,638
Aug 20241,752
Jul 20242,702
Jun 20243,220
May 20243,880
Apr 20243,310
Mar 20243,045
Feb 20242,857
Jan 20243,140
Dec 20232,514
Nov 20232,508
Oct 20232,065
Sept 20232,097
Aug 20231,756
Jul 20231,909
Jun 20233,375
May 20233,601
Apr 20232,885
Mar 20233,871
Feb 20233,338
Jan 20233,651
Dec 20222,579
Nov 20223,329
Oct 20222,717
Sept 20222,447
Aug 20221,704
Jul 20222,591
Jun 20222,975
May 20223,574
Apr 20223,494
Mar 20223,677
Feb 20222,968
Jan 20223,819
Dec 20212,572
Nov 20212,466
Oct 20212,197
Sept 20211,786
Aug 20213,474
Jul 20214,953
Jun 20216,247
May 20215,873
Apr 20212,586
Mar 20212,746
Feb 20211,999
Jan 20212,451
Dec 20201,939
Nov 20202,179
Oct 20202,471
Sept 20201,902
Aug 20201,408
Jul 20201,759
Jun 20202,199
May 20202,919
Apr 20203,201
Mar 20203,778
Feb 20203,574
Jan 20203,546
Dec 20192,355
Nov 20192,937
Oct 20193,059
Sept 20192,591
Aug 20192,368
Jul 20193,910
Jun 20195,536
May 20195,829
Apr 20193,194
Mar 20194,330
Feb 20193,192
Jan 20193,548
Dec 20182,254
Nov 20183,043
Oct 20183,146
Sept 20182,253
Aug 20182,164
Jul 20182,129
Jun 20183,709
May 20186,160
Apr 20184,688
Mar 20184,791
Feb 20183,746
Jan 20184,671
Dec 20172,257
Nov 20172,990
Oct 20172,881
Sept 20172,650
Aug 20172,824
Jul 20171,923
Jun 20173,975
May 20173,497
Apr 20173,056
Mar 20173,961
Feb 20173,126
Jan 20173,441
Is there a shortage of teachers of English as a foreign language?
Elevated

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsWell above usual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertainty in online job advert density.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
39%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for teaching professionals, which includes teachers of English as a foreign language. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London1,074
Manchester135
Birmingham122
Buckinghamshire76
Leeds64
Nottingham63
Sheffield57
West Northamptonshire55
Liverpool54
Bristol, City of53
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where teachers of English as a foreign language are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of teachers of English as a foreign language
n/p
17%!
n/p
29%!
18%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3417% (small sample)
35–44Not published
45–5429% (small sample)
55–6418% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent91%
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent!9.1%
GCSEs or equivalent–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent91%
Higher education below degreeNot published
A levels or equivalent9.1% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalentNot published

Main employers: other education nec (43%), general secondary education (34%), primary education (8.6%), tertiary education (7.5%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
91%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

University

Some employers may expect you to have a degree or postgraduate course that gives you qualified teacher status (QTS).

Useful subjects include:

  • English
  • linguistics
  • modern foreign languages
  • education studies
Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course

College

You can take Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) courses at colleges and private training providers all over the world. They vary widely in cost and length.

You can do:

  • an intensive full-time course lasting 4 weeks
  • a part-time course lasting from 12 to 36 weeks, depending on the training provider
  • a distance learning course where you may need to arrange your own teaching practice

The most common TEFL qualifications are:

  • Certificate In Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (Cambridge CELTA) and (Trinity CertTESOL)
  • Level 5 TEFL Diploma
Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • an excellent standard of English
  • A levels or equivalent qualifications

Other ways in

Apply directly

You could get experience as a paid language assistant in schools abroad. You do not necessarily need a TEFL qualification to work in schools, but if you want to teach in a private language academy, you will.

Each country has different eligibility criteria, for example, age limits and standard of English, so check carefully to make sure you meet all the requirements for the country you want to work in.

You may need foreign language skills for some jobs.

The British Council has information about working abroad as an English language assistant.

Other routes

You can work as an EFL teacher in further education. You'll usually need a teaching qualification like the Level 5 Diploma in Education and Training, which you can do through professional development.

After the Diploma, you can get qualified teacher learning and skills status (QTLS).

You can find out more about careers in further education from Teach in Further Education.

To work in schools in the UK, you'll usually need to be a qualified teacher.

What you’ll need

  • pass enhanced background checks as you may work with children and vulnerable adults

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Teaching roles can be a few hours a week to full time, depending on where you work. There are likely to be more jobs available during holiday periods, as many course providers cater for overseas students visiting the UK at these times.

Rates and pay and hours vary widely when teaching abroad, so make sure to check job offers carefully.

Further information

You can get more details about working as an EFL teacher from Trinity College London and Cambridge English.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for english as a foreign language (efl) teacher. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • teaches English as a foreign language and assists in the tuition of foreign languages
  • plans and prepares language lessons and materials
  • encourages conversations in English to improve students confidence and understanding
  • sets and marks tests and gives feedback on student's performance
  • organises students' participation in cultural activities and social events

Skills

  • adapt teaching to student's capabilities
  • assess students
  • assist students in their learning
  • demonstrate when teaching
  • give constructive feedback
  • manage student relationships
  • observe student's progress
  • perform classroom management
  • prepare lesson content
  • teach languages
  • work with virtual learning environments
  • adapt teaching to target group
  • apply intercultural teaching strategies
  • apply teaching strategies

Knowledge

  • assessment processes
  • curriculum objectives
  • language teaching methods
  • learning difficulties
  • communication disorders
  • communication related to hearing impairment
  • hearing disability
  • hearing loss

Suits people who like

  • Helping and caring for people
  • Working with ideas and solving problems

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for teaching and other educational professionals, a group of 13 jobs that includes teachers of English as a foreign language.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 15%about 268,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.3 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.