Western Europe commonly refers to all of the countries which developed outside the sphere of Soviet influence in the latter half of the 20th century. It is one of the wealthiest regions in the world, and most countries in Western Europe boast highly advanced economies and developed infrastructures (as well as many fascinating historical attractions dating back for centuries).

Excluding the island of Great Britain (where most people already speak English), your potential destinations for TEFL programs in Western Europe range from Spain and France in the west to Italy and Germany in the center and the Nordic countries up top. Each country has a different level of English proficiency, which tends to affect the amount of opportunities for TEFL courses, and subsequent ESL teaching jobs. For example, most citizens of the Nordic countries, such as Sweden, Finland, and Denmark, are already highly proficient in English through primary and secondary education, while there are much lower levels of English language fluency in countries like Spain, France, and Italy.

These are just a few potential landing places for TEFL courses in Western Europe, and there are many programs which are offered across all the other major countries and cities of Western Europe. Whether it is simply a month long TEFL certification program, or whether your stay actually extends into a English teaching job in Western Europe, depends largely on the country’s English proficiency, available jobs, and educational system.