Teaching English in Germany or Czechia From Ireland

As an Irish citizen you are an EU citizen, so you do not need a visa or work permit to take a teaching job in Germany or Czechia. What you do need is to register: your address in Germany within two weeks of arriving, and your stay with the Foreign Police in Czechia if you will be there more than 30 days. If the jobs and pay are good enough is a separate question that this page cannot answer from verified sources.

Your EU free movement rights

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission's factsheet states that EU citizens have the right to live and work in any EU country. It says you can stay up to three months without restriction with a valid ID, and that the period for looking for work is longer, increased to six months. Beyond three months you need to be working or self-employed, have enough funds and comprehensive sickness insurance, or be a student. While lawfully resident you have the same right to equal treatment as nationals. The factsheet is written about Ireland and EU citizens arriving here, but the underlying EU rule applies in the other direction as well. Check each country's own pages for its process.

Germany: what to expect

The City of Munich's page for EU citizens says EU citizens need no visa or residence permit to enter Germany, may look for work for up to six months, and do not need a work permit. It says you must register your address within two weeks of arriving, which in Munich is done at the Bürgerbüro, and that you receive a written confirmation that other authorities often require. The official certificate confirming the right to stay was abolished in January 2013. If you plan to be self-employed, the same page says you should check with the local business authority if a business registration is required.

That last point matters for English teachers, because freelance work is common in language teaching. Employment with a school or company is simpler for registration purposes than freelancing. We have not verified how freelance teachers are classified for tax or insurance in Germany. Talk to the local authorities or an adviser before you invoice anyone.

Czechia: what to expect

A May 2026 article by the Czech law firm ARROWS says EU citizens may reside in the Czech Republic without a special residence or employment permit. For stays of more than 30 days you must report your stay to the Foreign Police within 30 days of entry. It says accommodation providers usually file for guests, and that late reporting can bring an on-the-spot fine of up to CZK 3,000. It also describes an optional registration certificate for stays over three months, issued by the Ministry of the Interior, which it says is not a condition for residence. Its decision deadline is 60 days and certificates are often issued in two to four weeks. The article is inconsistent on how long the certificate lasts, so confirm that point with the Ministry of the Interior. A law-firm article is a secondary source, so check the official Czech pages before you travel.

Qualifications and jobs: what we could not verify

We did not find a reliable official source for what German or Czech language schools require from English teachers, how much they pay, or how much work there is. Do not rely on a blog headline for any of that. What you can do is read job adverts for the exact cities you are considering and note the stated requirements. The same method works anywhere, and it is set out in how to choose a TEFL provider and the paperwork checklist.

If you are planning to work in a corporate or business English context, business English teaching explains the differences from general classes. For pay information across countries, see pay by country.

Choosing a city and a school

Within each country, work is not spread evenly. Large cities have more language schools and corporate clients, and smaller towns may have fewer openings but cheaper housing. We did not find a reliable official dataset for either country, so use live job adverts as your evidence: note the stated hours, whether the post is employed or freelance, and the qualifications requested. Ask schools in writing about contract type, because that determines your registration, tax and insurance position. Contact the Department of Foreign Affairs' travel advice pages and the Irish embassy in the country for official information on living and working there before you commit.

Language matters too. Many schools in both countries teach English through English only, but daily life, registration offices and landlords operate in German or Czech. Learning basic phrases before you go will make registration visits easier, and some offices may not have English-speaking staff. Ask your employer whether they can accompany you to the first registration appointment or provide a written guide to the process, since employers who regularly hire foreign teachers often know the local routine.

Preparation checklist for an EU move

1. Confirm your passport or ID is valid for the whole planned stay.
2. Get written confirmation from an employer or school of the role, hours and contract type before you travel.
3. Check the accommodation plan: you need an address to register in Germany, and a landlord or accommodation provider often files the report in Czechia.
4. Arrange health insurance. For stays beyond three months in Germany, the City of Munich page says adequate health insurance is a condition for those who are not working.
5. Keep copies of your TEFL certificate, degree and references. Some employers ask for them, and in some cases certified translations.
6. Diarise the registration deadlines on arrival.

The wider picture for teaching in other EU countries is in teaching English in Spain from Ireland, which we could verify in more detail, and teaching English abroad from Ireland. If you still need a certificate, pick one that your target employers actually accept; we are an affiliate of the TEFL Institute of Ireland, and its courses are one option.