TEFL Jobs in Ireland: Who Hires and What They Pay

TEFL jobs in Ireland exist mainly in private English language schools in Dublin and along the Wild Atlantic Way, and they are concentrated in summer. Part-time work is usually around 15 hours a week and full-time around 30, according to the schools' own association. Advertised pay in a 2023 industry article was €18 to €23 an hour for teaching hours. The market is smaller and more seasonal than the volume of TEFL advertising suggests, so most people use Ireland as a first step or a part-time option rather than a full-year career plan.

Who employs TEFL teachers in Ireland

gradireland lists the typical employers of English language teachers as commercial language schools, public and private schools in non-English-speaking countries, further and higher education institutions, industry and freelance work. In Ireland the commercial schools are the main source of work, and the association Marketing English in Ireland (MEI) represents many of them. An MEI communications officer wrote in January 2023 that 68 English language providers across the Republic were members, split across three regions: 42 in Dublin, 21 on the Wild Atlantic Way and 9 in Ireland's Ancient East and Heartlands.

• Year-round language schools, mostly adult general English and exam preparation.
• Junior summer programmes for teenagers, often with morning teaching and afternoon activities. A 2020 to 2022 advert from DLTC in Dún Laoghaire, republished on The TEFL Academy's site, described about 15 hours a week of morning teaching and asked for a Level 5 TEFL certificate, a degree, Garda vetting and two referees.
• Residential summer schools. The same ELG article mentions a handful of these and notes that staff should not be asked to work more than 48 hours a week, and that Sunday work attracts extra benefit under Irish law.
• Private tuition and online teaching, which sit outside the schools. See teaching English online from Ireland.

Hours, pay and seasonality

The figures below are from one article and should be read as a guide to the structure of the work, not as a price list. The ELG article said recent job advertisements suggested €18 to €23 per hour. The Irish national minimum wage for workers aged 20 and over has been €14.15 an hour since 1 January 2026, so advertised teaching rates sit above it, but they usually apply to class hours only. Preparation, marking and unpaid gaps between courses reduce the effective rate.

These figures are our arithmetic from the advertised hourly range and the hours quoted in the ELG article; they are before tax and exclude unpaid preparation time. Rates in 2026 may differ from the 2023 adverts, so check live vacancies. Summer is the peak for junior programmes, and many posts are fixed-term. Plan for gaps outside the main season.

What employers ask for

The reported requirements vary by source, which is covered in detail in can you teach English in Ireland with a TEFL certificate. In brief: a degree and a TEFL certificate of at least 120 hours are the usual baseline, with C1 English and, for junior work, Garda vetting and references. Schools that want observed teaching practice may prefer CELTA-style training, which is why it pays to ask before you buy a course. If you have no degree, assume you will find fewer opportunities and apply to employers directly to ask.

How to find work

1. Build a list of language schools in your area using MEI's member information and the schools' own recruitment pages. Check each school's own site for a staff or careers page.
2. Apply early for summer. Junior programmes recruit well before the season, so applications in winter and spring are normal.
3. Prepare a one-page CV that leads with your certificate, hours, degree and any experience with teenagers or groups. The TEFL CV and interview guide covers this in detail.
4. Read up on teenage classes before interviews: teaching young learners.
5. Have Garda vetting ready to start as soon as an offer is made. The employer normally initiates it, so ask what they need from you.

Questions to ask before accepting a post

• How many contracted teaching hours a week, and are they guaranteed or dependent on student numbers?
• Is preparation time paid, and are activity supervision or Saturday duties included in the rate?
• What is the contract length, and what happens if enrolment falls?
• Who handles Garda vetting, and is there a cost to you?
• Is pay hourly or salaried, and are holiday entitlements stated in writing?
• What class sizes and age groups will you teach?

The ELG article also notes that Sunday work attracts extra benefit under Irish law and that residential summer-school staff should not be asked to exceed 48 hours a week. If a contract conflicts with those points, ask about it. For employment law questions, the Workplace Relations Commission is the official body; we have not reviewed its guidance here.

What the job adverts tell you about the work itself

The junior-programme advert we read describes morning-based teaching of teenage students, with duties that go beyond the lesson: preparing class plans and materials, marking work, keeping attendance records and writing progress reports. Priority for the school's summer courses was offered to successful candidates. That is a useful reminder that the paid classroom hour is only part of the job. If you are comparing an hourly rate with a salary elsewhere, estimate the unpaid time per class hour and adjust. Teaching teenagers also calls for different skills from adult classes, which is why a short module on young learners is often worth adding. Our pages on young learners and the first month of teaching cover the practical side.

Keep a record of every school you contact, the date, the reply and any stated start date. Hiring decisions for summer are often made in batches, and a short, polite follow-up a few weeks after your first message is normal and can move your application up a pile.

If Irish work is thin, what next

Many people use a first Irish summer as experience and then look abroad. Irish citizens can work in the rest of the EU without a visa, and the experience of teaching live classes is valuable on a CV. See teaching English abroad from Ireland and pay by country for the markets that pay more consistently.