Travel & Teach - Hungary

Travel and Teach

Check with your local Hungarian embassy or consulate to identify if you need a visa to enter the country. Although Hungary is now in the EU, there is still some paperwork to complete. Having said that, if you are from outside the EU, in general it is seen as easier to work in Eastern rather than Western Europe and you will see many teachers from the US, Canada, N.Z etc.  Keep in mind that it can be very difficult to change from a tourist visa to a working visa once in the country. If Hungary is your destination, see more here on visa and working regulations for Hungary.

However, a desire to teach may be all you need to arrange work informally in the country. If you have a degree then your job prospects are significantly enhanced and a TESOL certificate will certainly help. Do be careful though because there is a great variety in the standard of teaching. Interestingly, this is one country where you may have more success teaching in the State Sector, as one of our graduates, Michael Newton, found out. You can read his advice on this in the Student Comments section.  Also it is a country where there is still a strong desire for American English and there are several US teachers here already. If you are American and looking for the ‘off the beaten track’ Europe experience, then check out the Central European Teaching Program (details on the Useful Contacts tab).

In the state sector, native teachers often share classes with Hungarian English teachers. It is possible to supplement any earnings with freelance work although your success in this area will depend on the length of your stay, your confidence and your negotiating skills.

A final tip: don't come in the summer; it's quiet. The best time for finding work is September/October and also January. You can read more here from our Global English TESOL graduates teaching English in Hungary.

Our course recommendations for Hungary are:

• the TESOL Advanced Course 150 hours for Europe
• the 30-hour Business TESOL for Hungary, as Business English is growing
• the 30-hour Teaching English to Young Learners course 

All our Global English accredited courses now include online English teaching as standard, which is important, as post pandemic much teaching has gone online, and may stay that way in some form.