inues to increase. When traveling around Portugal, it will be easy to find English speakers at tourist hotspots throughout the country, plus at airports, bus and train stations, you should have no problem speaking English. If you plan to travel to less establish regions, then prepare to learn some Portuguese phrases, or maybe even Spanish might be helpful.
As a local, English is taught widely in schools. Outside of Lisbon, younger people will have demonstrate good English proficiency. English predominately features in television, movies, and other media with most media broadcasts in English language movies and shows in their original English and overlaid with Portguguese subtitles. This exposure to English makes it easier for the younger generation to pick up. If you go to any larger or tourist cities, then English will be in the fabric of the daily life. While you may struggle to find English speakers in less built-up areas like Trasos-Montes, Chaves, and Bragnaca, Portuguese people are renowned for politeness, warmth, and hospitality.
English Teaching in Portugal
Teaching English in Portugal offers teachers an exciting experience. Teachers get to live and work in a Mediterranean climate with many sandy beaches and great cuisine.
In Portugal, English teachers are in demand primarily because of the tourism success in Portugal. Local people are trying to learn English in order to improve their chances in the tourism industry, and make them a more ideal candidate to companies. In addition to the high demand, the Portuguese government recognizes the importance, so they have made it part of the education curriculum for students starting in first grade.
Due to those two reasons, English teaching draws English teachers to Portugal. Many of Portugal’s English teachers come from England or Ireland mostly because they do not need work permits to teach in Portugal. After Brexit though we will still need to see how those demographics change. For residents outside the European Union, it might be harder to find an English language teaching job because most schools do not want to go through the process of applying for a work visa and hiring a non-EU resident.
As for requirements for teaching candidates, the teaching criteria are relatively straightforward. To be considered for a teaching job, applicants must have an international recognized TEFL certificate with at least a bachelor’s degree. In addition to degrees and certification, most employers require at least 100 hours of classroom experience, or one year’s work experience.
In the Land of Cristiano Ronaldo
Upon arriving in Portugal, you might find that the people are warm and hospitable. That even though the people do not speak English, they are still friendly and helpful to foreigners. The cost of living in Portugal is very low compared to other European countries. That ensures that you will get a European standard of living for cheaper. When searching for an apartment, you might find that the rent is about a third of what you would find in London, and a quarter of the price for what you would find in New York City. An added bonus that once you get out of the city, that you will be able to enjoy the wonderful beaches that line the country’s coastline.
Portuguese is a somewhat difficult language to learn. Even though only about 27% of Portuguese speak English. The language is taught in schools, and most Portuguese people have access to English speaking media. With a warm nature toward foreigners, you should find that most people will try to speak English.
While mentioning that rent is cheap, it seems important to note that local salaries are low. In many sectors the average salary is not enough to allow a comfortable living, and that consumer goods are much higher priced than what you could afford. This might be surprising, but Portugal does not have many large big-box stores that offer clothes, electronics, and other consumer goods at a discount.
I hope that was enough to answer your questions about English speaking in Portugal. There are a pretty significant number of people ab