Teacher Salary In Italy

Teacher Salary In Italy is average, as on par as other EU countries. The cost of living in Italy is high, but with a higher pay for teachers. Public school teachers in Italy are paid on a two-tier system. Pay is determined by how many years a teacher has been teaching.”

Italy is one of the most popular countries to teach English because of the abundance of opportunities. With a strong tourism economy — particularly in cities like Rome and Florence — English teachers are in high demand to train locals in skills that they need to communicate with visitors.

It’s difficult to say exactly what your salary will be until you have a contract from the school where you will be working, and remember, you can always supplement your income with private lessons. The cost of living will be higher in major cities and salaries may increase accordingly. The average monthly salary could range between €900-€1,600 ($1,000-$1,800) per month.

Like with any job, the more experience you have, the higher your wage will be. While you can start from zero and give your first lesson in Italy, if you want to earn more and have the most enriching experience as a teacher, you may be better off getting some experience at a school, or tutoring, before you head overseas. No matter what your experience level, here are some of the options for teaching abroad, and what you might expect to earn through each of them.

There’s a number of different ways you can teach English in Italy. From summer camps to language schools, there’s short-term and long-term options. Below is a quick summary of what you can expect to find.

1. Private English language schools

Private English language schools represent the biggest opportunity for teaching abroad in Italy. These schools are always hiring and tend to do so on a contractual basis. This is usually project-based work (like a company that wants to ramp up its English efforts) and is often referred to as tempo determinato.

Other private schools like to hire freelancers, in which case you will need to sort a Partita Iva declaring you are a freelancer and have a VAT (tax) number that they can use for their invoices. This might be a bit headache-inducing as you’re technically responsible for all your invoices and taxes. It might also require a certain amount of English proficiency.

You won’t find a lot of these schools online so it will take a bit of work on your side. There are plenty of different institutes and some popular ones to look out for include the British Council Italy and Wall Street English. These companies can also offer placement issues, but you will get a much better sense of English language schools once you’re in the country.

Contracts can range from 4-week summer camps to an entire academic year! So it completely depends what you’re looking for.

2. Placement programs

Although most of the jobs will fall into the contractual or freelance pile, there are several opportunities to apply for a position in a more traditional way. These are programs dedicated to finding English teachers and bringing them to Italy to teach English.

Some of these are short term and others span a little longer, a lot of them are amazing opportunities for students looking to get a bit of experience abroad.

a. The Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program (ETA)

This program is internationally recognized and a welcome addition to any resume. Focusing on young professionals and recent college graduates it’s a way to apply to be an English teaching assistant in Southern Italian high schools.

The placement generally consists of a 12-25 hour work week, over a 9 month period (October – June). Applicants need to speak Italian and have a bachelor’s degree.

b. The English Camp Company

This company tends to attract younger candidates who want to work in a summer camp and simply have their expenses covered. If you’re outgoing and energetic (and they seriously mean that!) then this is a great way for native English speakers to get a little teach abroad experience.

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1. Placement programs: €1,000-€1,600 per month

To eliminate some of the challenges of finding a job, you can work with a placement program to plan your time working in Italy. Programs can be an ideal option if you don’t have teaching experience, because many of them include TEFL training in addition to job placement assistance. Some programs offer other career support like interview practice and CV reviews. Typically, you’ll also have the benefit of flexible start dates, giving you the option to decide when to work abroad.

Keep in mind that many placement programs charge a fee, which often covers training and housing in Italy. If your goal is to teach at a school that follows the Italian academic calendar, you may find that it’s best to complete TEFL training in the summer so you can find a job when hiring is in full swing for fall.

A salary of €1,000 to €1,600 a month may seem low, but keep in mind that you may be working less than at a typical 40-hour a week job, because new teachers are usually given part-time contracts. You can always supplement your income with tutoring to cover your extra expenses.

2. Private Language Schools & Institutes: €15-€30 per Hour

There are numerous private programs and institutes where you can find rewarding opportunities to teach English. It could be a private boarding school, a school for adults and professionals, or a Montessori school. These types of schools may hire more fluidly throughout the year than public schools, and that can be an advantage if you don’t want to begin teaching in the fall.

Salaries will usually be hourly and you can expect to sign a contract that will outline your length of employment and pay rate. Another plus with private schools is that they may continue their programming during the summer — with summer/language camps — making it possible for you to find work year-round outside of the academic calendar. In this way, you could have more earning potential when you work with a private institute.

3. Public Schools: €1200 to €1500 per month

Contracts at public schools may be more challenging to land for new teachers. This is because the contract may be for a full academic year and for longer hours. Public schools will follow the Italian academic year so you can expect to have a fixed schedule following national holidays. This could make your earning per hour actually lower than it would be at a private school.

4. Private Lessons: €20-€40 per Hour

Nearly every English teacher I know in Italy supplements their income with private lessons. It could be that you get to know students at your school who need help outside of the classroom, or you find people through your networks, or through language exchange events.

You can teach at your home, go to the home of your students, or meet at a cafe. Private lessons can have high income potential and if you are motivated you could even make the bulk of your income through private lessons. Keep in mind that if you want a visa to work in Italy long-term, being self-employed is not the easiest route and it will be more complicated than gaining visa sponsorship from a school.