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12 October 2022

We can legalise the documents you need to teach English abroad

Many UK nationals move abroad to teach English. We can legalise the documents you need.

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Teaching English abroad involves delivering English classes in a foreign country to foreign nationals, though the way you do this depends on how and where you would like to teach. Some of the ways you can teach english abroad are listed below:

In a traditional classroom at a school.
At companies offering business English classes.
As a digital nomad offering virtual lessons.
As a freelancer (either online or in-person).

Where can I teach English as a foreign language?

As it is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, English is taught in a huge number of countries across the globe, and many people who teach it use their profession as a means to travel.

Most commonly, people choose to teach English in Western Europe, East Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Woodcock Law & Notary Public is able to assist you with any document you need legalising in order to move to a different country.

Do I need to be TEFL certified to teach English abroad?

While the requirements to teach English abroad vary by region and job, it’s recommended that you should have a TEFL certification of at least 120 hours. Whether you’re planning on teaching English as a freelancer or a classroom teacher, most employers and prospective students will want to see that you have the necessary qualifications to teach, for example a TEFL/TESOL certificate or a bachelor’s degree.

Legalisation of degrees and TEFL certificates

Legalisation may vary depending on the requirements of the destination country. In countries that are parties to the Hague Convention of 1961, to be legalised the document must be seen by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. The FCDO office will attach an Apostille, which is a certificate affixed to the document with the notary’s certificate and seal.

However, for countries that are not parties to the Hague Convention, such as China, the documents need to be legalised at the relevant Embassy in London as well as at the FCDO.