Travel Guide: Teach English in Lisbon
If you’re an EFL teacher looking for your next teaching destination, Lisbon will tick all your boxes. The city is full of life, known for its ornate architecture, lively streets, friendly locals, and warm temperatures all year round. Lisbon is the perfect coastal location, buzzing city life is perfectly balanced with the picturesque, serene beaches.
With the endless list of great things Lisbon has to offer, it has made not only the city, but country of Portugal rely heavily on tourism - with this comes an increased demand for English teachers. Previously, Portugal has fallen behind other EU countries when it comes to English education. Fortunately, this has created a gap of great opportunities in the Portuguese EFL industry. It’s ripe and ready for explosive growth! Take this as your sign to get TEFL certified and snap up a teaching job amongst the colourful streets and dreamy beaches.
TEFL requirements in Lisbon
The requirements for TEFL positions in Lisbon vary depending on the job. Before we delve in, it’s important to remember that these may not be required for all jobs, but the more general requirements include:
- TEFL certification from an accredited provider like UK-TEFL
- Native English Speaker
- 4-year university degree in any subject
- Teaching experience
If you haven’t earned your TEFL certificate yet, you can complete one of our accredited online courses. From our 120 Hour Interactive Online Course to our specialist courses such as Teaching Young Learners, we have you covered so you can begin your TEFL journey (and land your dream TEFL job in Lisbon) in no time. A TEFL qualification unlocks a huge range of teaching opportunities, not only in Lisbon, but in Portugal, or even further afield! The benefits of a TEFL certificate are endless: it boosts your CV, gives you access to great work opportunities and allows yourself the best start on your TEFL journey.
Will I need a visa?
The visa requirements to teach English in Lisbon will vary depending on the passport you hold. For EU member states, you don’t need a specialist visa to travel or teach in Lisbon. However, if you have fallen in love with the city of Lisbon and want to continue teaching, EU and non-EU member states alike must apply for a Portuguese residence certificate after three months.
If you’re from the UK and Brexit has made you feel worried you when it comes to applying for TEFL jobs abroad, don’t worry we have you covered! While it can be a little more complex to apply for visas post-Brexit, the process shouldn’t be too difficult. You will now need to apply for authorisation to work in Lisbon via the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS). Even though it might be a little more complicated to apply, take a sigh of relief, as you can still teach in Lisbon. If you’re a passport holder from other non-EU states, you must apply for a work permit known in Portuguese as an autorização de trabalho. You can get this from the Portuguese government. On top on this (depending on your passport) you may have to apply for separate work visas. It can be a long process but if you are organised and committed to becoming an EFL teacher, your hard work will pay off.
Some employers might be more inclined to hire teachers from EU member states because of bureaucratic efficiency. Nevertheless, due to the high demand for EFL teachers in Lisbon, Portuguese schools are becoming more accommodating and are willing to hire non-EU applicants, so this is the ideal time to apply!
The bottom-line is don’t let your passport hold you back from applying for jobs in the countries you want to teach in! If you fulfil the school or countries teaching requirements and are enthusiastic about the position, schools should be accommodating and supportive.
What salary can I expect to make?
The rate of pay from TEFL jobs based in Lisbon are similar to those in other EU countries. The average you can expect to earn starts from around £1000 per month and can be as high as £2500 a month. This will depend on the school, your job role and your credentials. It’s important when you apply for TEFL jobs in Lisbon that you thoroughly read through the application, reviewing the salary and any other job requirements. Don’t be afraid to ask questions during any point of the job process, it’s better to know the details before you accept the position.
What English teaching jobs are available in Lisbon?
We have handpicked three of the most top paid TEFL positions available to apply for in Lisbon. Money isn’t everything when it comes to EFL teaching, however it’s good to know all your options.
Private Language Schools
The first is teaching English in private language schools. These positions are considered as the most abundant teaching opportunities in not only Lisbon, but Portugal as a country. It doesn’t take much searching online to find pages of ads recruiting teachers for Private Language Schools. If you’re wanting to spend your days soaking up in all of Lisbon’s glory (and sunshine), a teaching position in a private language school could be ideal for you as classes typically occur during the afternoons and evenings. If you’re flexible, they also offer weekend classes. If you’re wanting to break the normal 9-5 teaching day, this could be the perfect place for you!
These schools tend to have a higher turnover than normal schools, so they are constantly on the hunt for teachers. Private language schools in Lisbon you could reach out to include the Lusa Language School and American School of Languages.
International Schools
These institutes are the highest paying in Portugal; they offer unbeatable salaries and benefits packages to successful applicants. However, these positives come with stricter requirements and greater competition. International schools employ a diverse group of teachers from various nations around the world. One example of an international school based in Lisbon is the Carlucci American International School of Lisbon. Luckily, institutes like these and capital cities go hand in hand meaning most international schools will be based in Lisbon.
Adult Business Education
Due to Portugal’s tourism demand, there are more opportunities than ever before to teach Business English to corporate employees and tourism sector workers. Here at UK-TEFL we have created our Specialist Module: Teaching Business English which includes everything you’ll need to know about teaching Business English. Teaching Business English has become one of the most sought-after areas of ESL as Portuguese professional workers are required to improve their English proficiency, so a qualification in being able to do just that will stand you in good stead when you apply for jobs.
Finding jobs
A large proportion of TEFL jobs are posted on popular job sites. A trustworthy advertisement must include the job title, a summary of the role, expectations of the ideal candidate, an indication of salary plus practical information such as how to apply and the closing date. Alongside this, conduct your own research into the school or institution that has posted the position. They should have a website you can scan through, and possibly reviews from previous staff. Websites like Trust Pilot can be useful to review what previous teachers have experienced during their time teaching there. This could be make or break, so don’t skip this step!
Start by visiting these websites:
- Tefl.com
If you visit Lisbon on a holiday or are eager to get your position secured, you could try the old-fashioned pavement pounding technique. If you noticed ads online, you could arrange a meeting with the institution to get a feel for your possible future workplace and just show your friendly face to the team. This could boost your profile and CV higher in their rankings. Some employers prefer hiring teachers that are already living in the country as it speeds up the process of filling the position, compared to importing new teachers from abroad.
We hope this has inspired you to start your TEFL journey with ourselves at UK-TEFL and consider Lisbon as one of your teaching destinations. If you’re eager to get the ball rolling, we have four Accredited Interactive Online TEFL Courses for you to choose from. Choose the right one for you by taking our quiz! We also have a selection of specialist modules, a refresher course and extension packages to add onto your learning so you can make the most of your TEFL experience.
