In short: English-teaching ads live on 24 September 2026 paid from Q1,500 (hourly freelance) to Q10,998 a month (≈US$196–1,440). A TEFL provider in Antigua quotes US$450–550 a month. Guatemala City schools asked for a local teaching degree (the PEM en Inglés or a Licenciatura) and two years’ experience. Bilingual and international schools asked for B2+ English plus a degree or certification, and the TEFL provider prefers TEFL (the ads asking for C1/C2 English also required a Guatemalan PEM). A TEFL course in Antigua costs US$1,195–1,395. The catch is legal: the provider lists “Tourist Visa”, while the work-permit regulation lists residency among its requirements for employees (its document lists also accept a residency application in progress).
Pay and requirements come from 12 English-teaching job ads read on Computrabajo on 24 September 2026 and from Maximo Nivel’s and InterExchange’s own pages. The legal side comes from the work-permit regulation and the Código de Migración. Where a figure is a provider’s own claim, the page says so.
What English teachers are paid: the ads that published pay
| Role (employer as named) | Where | Hours | Pay in the ad | ≈ US$ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English as a second language teacher (Colegio Privado Mixto Tecnológico en Informática) | Cobán | Part-time | Q2,000 / month | 262 |
| English teacher, Licenciatura in English teaching (Fundación Cultural Austriaco Guatemalteca) | Guatemala City | Full-time, fixed-term | Q8,600 / month | 1,126 |
| Bilingual educator, Montessori and project-based classroom (Just-Link) | Antigua Guatemala | Full-time, permanent | Q10,998 / month | 1,440 |
| Freelance English teacher, remote, hourly (The People Company) | Remote | By the hour | Q1,500 / month | 196 |
Dollar figures at the Banguat rate of Q7.63682 per US$ (24 September 2026). The other 8 ads we read gave “A convenir”, “Salario competitivo” or no figure. The four above are all that published pay, so treat them as data points, not a salary scale.
Two provider figures to set beside them, both from the provider’s own pages:
- Maximo Nivel (TEFL school and English institute, Antigua) lists average pay of US$450–550 a month, 20–30 hours a week at private institutes and 30–35 at K-12 schools. It lists cost of living of US$350–450 a month.
- InterExchange (a US exchange organisation) sells a 3-month paid teaching internship with Maximo Nivel paying US$200 a week. A host-family room and two meals a day are included.
For comparison, the 2026 general minimum wage for non-agricultural work in the department of Guatemala is Q4,002.28 a month, per the state news agency’s publication of the decree. The Cobán and freelance figures are part-time or hourly.
What schools ask for
From the requirements in the same 12 ads:
| Requirement | Who asked (ad) |
|---|---|
| PEM en Inglés (Profesor de Enseñanza Media, a Guatemalan secondary-teaching qualification) + 2 years’ experience | Grupo Helvética (two ads: remote, and Zona 16 for the 2027 year, which also accepts a PEM student) |
| 2 years teaching English at secondary level | Grupo Helvética (Zona 7 Mixco) |
| Licenciatura en Enseñanza del Idioma Inglés | Fundación Cultural Austriaco Guatemalteca |
| Profesorado, Licenciatura or related degree in English teaching | Centro Educativo Cristiano Fuente de Vida |
| English B2+ to C2 + 2 years with young children + teaching degree or certification | Colegio Bilingüe Manos a la Obra |
| English C1/C2, verifiable + PEM + 2 years + Zoom and Moodle | Virtual teaching ad for the 2027 year (“Importante empresa del sector”) |
| Early-childhood degree or certification, English B2+, American school year (August–June) | Colegio Han Al Internacional |
Maximo Nivel’s own summary for teachers is: bachelor’s degree preferred, TEFL “strongly preferred”.
In the ads we read, the Guatemalan schools that named a qualification asked for a Guatemalan teaching credential (PEM or Licenciatura) or a related degree. The bilingual and international schools asked for an English level plus a degree or certification, and one was hiring on the US school calendar.
TEFL courses in Guatemala: what they cost
| Programme | Price | What’s included |
|---|---|---|
| Maximo Nivel, onsite TEFL certification (Antigua) | US$1,395 | 4-week, 150-hour course |
| Maximo Nivel, hybrid TEFL (online + onsite) | US$1,195 | Online, then weeks 3 and 4 onsite |
| InterExchange TEFL + 3-month paid internship with Maximo Nivel | from US$4,895 | Course, host-family room, two meals a day, internship paying US$200/week |
Maximo Nivel says its Antigua institute has “approximately 750 enrolled English students” and that “we hire 2-3 TEFL graduates every month”. It also offers a job placement guarantee to graduates with native (C2) English who pass with a Pass-Good or higher grade. Those are the provider’s own statements.
The legal question: visa and work permit
This is where the provider’s page and the law we read don’t line up, so both are set out here.
What the provider says. Maximo Nivel’s “Working in Guatemala as an ESL Teacher” box lists, under Visas, “Tourist Visa” and “Independent Contractor Status”.
What the law we read says:
- The Código de Migración (Art. 26) defines a migrant worker as any foreigner “que realice actividades remuneradas en territorio nacional”.
- The work-permit regulation (Acuerdo Gubernativo 178-2025) requires foreigners “que se encuentren de forma regular en el país para laborar en relación de dependencia” to apply to MINTRAB for authorisation (Art. 3). Its requirement lists ask for residency in Guatemala (Art. 5, numeral 4; Art. 7, numeral 3), while the document lists of the same articles accept an IGM certificate that a residency application is in progress (“Constancia de expediente en trámite”). The text does not settle which governs.
- The Código de Trabajo (Art. 13) requires at least 90% Guatemalan workers earning at least 85% of wages, with exceptions. Our jobs guide explains them.
What we can’t settle. Whether an “independent contractor” teaching at an institute falls outside relación de dependencia is a question of labour law and of the facts of each arrangement. We found no IGM or MINTRAB text that addresses it. If a school offers you work on a tourist stamp, ask it in writing what your status is, and put the question to a Guatemalan lawyer. Our remote-work and volunteering pages set out what the tourist-stay rules do and don’t say.
The clean route is the employee one: a school that files for your worker residency and MINTRAB permit. Our work permit guide covers it.
Private tutoring
Teaching one-to-one is a separate market with its own price data. Superprof’s published average for a private English class in Guatemala is on our private tutor prices page.
Related
- Jobs in Guatemala for Americans
- Work permit for foreigners: MINTRAB + IGM
- Working remotely on a tourist stamp
- Spanish schools in Antigua
- Private tutor prices in Guatemala
Sources
- Computrabajo Guatemala — 12 English-teaching job ads (Colegio Privado Mixto Tecnológico en Informática, Fundación Cultural Austriaco Guatemalteca, Just-Link, The People Company, Grupo Helvética ×3, Centro Educativo Cristiano Fuente de Vida, Colegio Bilingüe Manos a la Obra, Colegio Han Al Internacional, Colegio Americano Howard Gardner and a virtual-school ad) — read 2026-09-24.
- Maximo Nivel — Teach English in Guatemala / TEFL in Guatemala: https://maximonivel.com/tefl-tesol/guatemala/ — read 2026-09-24.
- InterExchange — Paid TEFL Internship in Guatemala: https://www.interexchange.org/programs/travel-experiences-for-u-s-residents/tefl-internship-guatemala/ — read 2026-09-24.
- Acuerdo Gubernativo 178-2025, Arts. 3 and 5 — official publication scan, read 2026-08-13.
- Código de Migración (Decreto 44-2016), Art. 26 — read 2026-09-16.
- Minimum wage 2026 (Acuerdo Gubernativo 256-2025) as published by AGN — read 2026-09-01.
Ads close and pay changes; the figures are what each ad or provider page said on the day we read it. Information current as of 24 September 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do English teachers earn in Guatemala?
In the four English-teaching ads on Computrabajo that published pay on 24 September 2026: Q2,000 a month part-time (a private school in Cobán), Q8,600 a month full-time (a Guatemala City foundation school, degree required), Q10,998 a month full-time (a bilingual educator role in Antigua) and Q1,500 a month for hourly remote freelance classes. Maximo Nivel, a TEFL provider in Antigua, lists average pay of US$450-550 a month. The other eight ads we read left pay to be agreed or gave no figure.
Do I need a degree to teach English in Guatemala?
It depends on the employer. Several Guatemala City-area school ads we read asked for a local teaching qualification — the PEM en Inglés (Profesor de Enseñanza Media) or a Licenciatura in English teaching — plus two years’ experience. One bilingual school asked for B2+ to C2 English and a teaching degree or certification. Maximo Nivel, which trains TEFL teachers in Antigua, says a bachelor’s degree is preferred and TEFL certification strongly preferred.
How much does a TEFL course in Guatemala cost?
Maximo Nivel lists US$1,395 for its onsite TEFL certification in Antigua and US$1,195 for the hybrid (online + onsite) version, read 24 September 2026. InterExchange sells a combined TEFL course and 3-month paid internship with Maximo Nivel from US$4,895, paying US$200 a week during the internship with a host family and two meals a day included.
Can I teach English in Guatemala on a tourist visa?
Maximo Nivel lists ‘Tourist Visa’ and ‘Independent Contractor Status’ for ESL teachers. The law we read points the other way for employees: the work-permit regulation (Acuerdo Gubernativo 178-2025) covers foreigners working ’en relación de dependencia’ for a private employer; its requirement lists ask for residency, while its document lists also accept a residency application in progress, and the text does not settle which governs. Whether a contractor arrangement falls outside it is a question for a Guatemalan labour or immigration lawyer, not something we can settle.
When do Guatemalan schools hire English teachers?
Maximo Nivel’s page gives January-February for K-12 schools and year-round for private language institutes. Two of the ads we read on 24 September 2026 were already recruiting for the 2027 school year. One international school asked for availability for the American school year, August to June.
