Teaching internationally offers British and Irish teachers a chance to earn more, save more, and explore the world. With tax-free salaries, housing allowances, health insurance, and lower living costs, many teachers find they can save significantly more than back home—all while gaining valuable personal and professional experience.

With over 12,000 international schools worldwide, most British and Irish teachers begin their journey in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, or East Asia—regions known for their high demand for international educators and welcoming school communities.

However, visa rules, age limits, and passport requirements vary by country and may limit your choices. Many Western European schools require an EU passport and a Master’s degree for instance, and some schools prefer experience in specific curricula. Some countries have rules prescribing what degree subjects are acceptable for teachers, which may mean that although you are a qualified and experienced teacher of a certain subject in the UK or Ireland, you cannot get approved in these countries.

Our team at Edvectus stays up to date and helps match you with the right countries and schools for your qualifications.

Only a very small subset of British International Schools are able to support an ECT or Probationary year due to inspection, accreditation and visa rules and those that can have very limited spaces so it is very competitive. If you are planning to return home to the UK or Ireland, we recommend completing your ECT/Probation before you go abroad.

Alternatively, you can go abroad as a newly qualified teacher, and do your probation when you return home after you have had experience teaching overseas.  Inexperienced teachers have fewer options, as many schools prefer experienced teachers, so teachers choosing this option must be resilient, resourceful and geographically flexible.

Over 80% of all international schools are attended by host nationals, rather than expatriate children so the curricula used by international schools reflects that diversity.

Below is the approximate breakdown of curricula/frameworks used by international schools worldwide:

• British (National Curriculum of England and Wales) – about 50% of schools
• International Baccalaureate (IB) – about 25%
• American (U.S. Curriculum) – about 20%
• Canadian and Australian Curricula – Less common, but growing

Many schools are also bilingual, blending local language, curricula and culture with international programs. Finally, schools often offer a combination of curricula – UK + IBDP for example or the host national curriculum + GCSE/A level.

Irish teachers often accepted by both U.S. and U.K. curriculum schools, while IB-experienced teachers are in particularly high demand worldwide.

When evaluating international teaching jobs, consider:

• After-tax salary
• Benefits included (housing, flights, health insurance)
• Local cost of living

While base salaries for British and Irish teachers may appear lower than at home, low or no taxes and comprehensive benefit packages mean you often save more overall.

he three things any international teacher will need to consider are:

1. What is the after-tax salary I will earn?
2. What benefits are included in the package, and what will I need to pay for out of my salary?
3. What is the cost of living.

At home you are used to getting a salary and you know what the taxes, costs of housing, food, utilities and internet will be.  When you go abroad, you need to redo those calculations because everything changes and will make a big difference to savings.

Every school has a different salary scale and benefits – some of which can make a huge difference- and every country and city has a different cost of living. A country with a lower cost of living means each dollar you earn buys more, so you spend less and save more. Let’s take some typical examples from schools that will hire teachers with 2-3 years of experience. You will note that the salary abroad seems lower but the tax (or lack of) and comprehensive package makes the difference to your wallet.

Each school and country is different—our advisors can help you compare real-world earnings across regions.