Teaching English abroad is a fantastic opportunity to travel to new places, impart valuable wisdom and make some money while you are doing it! But one nagging question that many would-be ESL teachers have is, am I too old (or too young) to teach English abroad?
The answer is: it depends. Each country where English teachers are in demand has different rules and customs surrounding age limits. Even within countries, some schools are eager to hire older teachers, while others will focus on recruiting younger teachers.
Maximum age limit of 60: Morocco
Maximum age limit of 70+: Egypt
No maximum age limit: Algeria, Angola, Congo, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Uruguay
Maximum age of 60: China, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Vietnam, Hong Kong
Maximum age of 62: Myanmar
Maximum age of 65: Cambodia*, Japan, Taiwan
Maximum age of 70: Singapore
No maximum age limit: Cyprus, Georgia, India, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Thailand, Uzbekistan
*The Cambodian age limit will be lowered soon.
Maximum age of 40s: Netherlands
Maximum age of 62: Slovakia
Maximum age of 65: Croatia, Malta
No maximum age limit: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom
Maximum age limit of 62: Colombia
Maximum age limit of 65-70: Peru
No maximum age limit: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Venezuela
Maximum age of 50-60: Qatar, Saudi Arabia
Maximum age of 60: Kuwait, Oman
Maximum age of 65: UAE
No maximum age limit: Israel, Jordan, Lebanon
Disclaimer: We have made every effort to find up-to-date information for this article. However, visa laws and situations overseas are constantly changing. Please do not rely solely on this blog for information about teaching abroad age limits. Make sure to use various sources as well as calling the local embassy for advice.