Teaching Abroad as a Couple: Can TEFL Partners Work at the Same School?

Yes and no — it depends on what country you’re looking to teach in. 

Here are some factors to consider:

The number of positions within a school or programme

The number of available positions in a school or program is a huge consideration. 

If you’re looking to move to a city, it must have several large schools with a large English programme. Otherwise, you won’t be able to teach at the same school because there needs to be demand. And if you have your heart set on a small town, you’re also less likely to be placed with your partner in a school, let alone in the same town. 

Many public schools we’ve come across only have space for one foreign teacher to supplement their foreign language programme.  

You’re more likely to be placed with your partner if you teach in an after-school institution, since it revolves around foreign teachers. 

The application process

 Especially for Asia, we would recommend that you use a recruiter to help you find a job. It just makes the whole process simpler, since it’s their job to place you in a school that meets your requirements. 

For other regions of the world, there may not be recruiters available, in which case we recommend speaking directly with schools and outlining your desires to teach in the same school as your partner. The worst they can say is “no”.

Read more: Can We Teach English Abroad As A Couple?

When I [Matt] taught at UP International in Spain (a company with placements across the country), I was solo, but friends who arrived as couples had the same experience as those from other placement companies in Spain: you couldn’t work in the same school due to limited positions. 

I met many couples who had settled for being placed at different schools within the same town or city — a compromise in Spain. 

In all of the schools I interviewed with and heard about, there was only ever one foreign teacher per school. 

South Korea, on the other hand, offered some of the best jobs for couples, as there were many opportunities to be placed together within the same school. 

There are two routes to pursue when teaching in South Korea. If you go the public school route, you’ll be the only native English speaker, making it virtually impossible to be placed with your partner. If you pursue the hagwon route (private academy), you’ll see other foreign teachers at your school. 

Read more: What Is A Hagwon? Unpacking The Secrets Of South Korea’s Popular Learning Centres

My small hagwon had eight foreign teachers, while Perlie’s medium-sized hagwon had 20, and several were couples. 

In fact, Perlie’s hagwon actually preferred to hire couples because classes operated according to a partner-based system. 

You’re likely to find a hagwon through a recruiter. They are sure to fulfil a simple request to be placed together with your partner.

For Türkiye, our private school had several campuses throughout Istanbul, but had a strict no-couples policy, married or not, as did many other Turkish schools. That’s why Perlie and I were on different campuses, and our co-worker couples were also separated. (We found that schools in the Middle East had the same no-couple policy as Türkiye.) 

We were only placed on the same campus after the 2023 Türkiye earthquake, where my campus’s buildings were not deemed to meet the city’s building codes. 

During our application processes for other countries, we found it difficult to be at the same school for positions in China. Although it’s not impossible, we never received an offer for a joint position from any recruiter, despite patiently waiting for months. 

We were offered joint placement at a public school in Czechia and guaranteed joint placement with a programme in Colombia. 

The bottom line: Hagwons in major South Korean cities are our top choice for couples to be placed together. 

Read more: How To Get A TEFL Job In The Same School As A Couple

Honestly, we believe that not being able to work at the same school can be a better experience because you and your partner will have unique opportunities that you can bond over. 

As Perlie and I travel the world together, we’re with each other 24/7! During our time teaching in Istanbul, we dealt with different schools, so our co-workers and environments were different. 

At the end of the day, we’d chat about our different experiences, which wouldn’t have been possible had we taught at the same school. It added more variety in our lives, which is harder to find at the same school. 

Read more: Things To Know About Turkish Classroom Culture

On the plus side, since we were both at public schools, our holidays and working hours were the same, making it easy to coordinate our time off. 

Firstly, be patient. 

Applying as a couple adds additional criteria that you or a recruiter is responsible for. 

If you’re solo, you only need to find one teaching opportunity, but as a couple, you need to find similar positions in the same school or the same city or town. This takes time, especially if you’re applying outside of the country. 

You also need to realise that you (or your recruiter) may not find positions within the same school — a real possibility, depending on which country you’re applying to. 

Secondly, know what you want as a couple. 

Much like doing anything as a couple, you must be on the same page when applying. If one partner prefers a city and the other prefers a small town, this needs to be hashed out before spending time sifting through positions. 

Read more: Teaching Off The Beaten Track: 9 Alternative TEFL Destinations

Thirdly, understand that positions teaching together exist — you just have to find them. 

TEFL has opened the door, and it’s up to you and your partner to figure out what you both want and find out how to get it.

Pros: 

• Logistics: If you have the same schedules, you can coordinate your commutes and routines.
• Training/Protocol: You’ll be able to navigate the administrative side of schools in the same way since you’re doing it together.
• Teamwork: You can assist each other both inside and outside of the classroom, which is easier than being at separate schools with different expectations.

Cons:

• Logistics: Same hagwons have daytime and evening hours, which means you may still have differing schedules despite teaching in the same place. 
• Lack of personal space: Being in the same environment all the time may be great for some couples, but it could also create friction for others. (You know your relationship better than anyone else.)
• Maintaining professional boundaries: At work, you need to be as professional as possible. When the line between personal and professional is blurred, you could face potential issues.

TEFL has been a great opportunity for us to travel and see the world. It’s also how we met, for which I’m forever grateful. Along the way, we’ve shared experiences working together in the same school while having different experiences in the same city. 

If you and your partner are on the same page and looking to teach somewhere together, we say DO IT! 

If you and your partner are ready to team up like never before, scan our TEFL Jobs Board to find the best jobs for couples and find your shared teaching quest abroad.