Teach English in Peru
Low cost of living, especially in Cusco, makes stacking a modest institute wage with online tutoring a common strategy here — alongside one major binational institute worth knowing about honestly.
No government scheme — and an honest look at Peru's biggest institute chain
Peru runs no centralized government teaching scheme for overseas applicants. A Fulbright English Teaching Assistant programme exists, placing teachers at COAR government high-performance schools in Lima and the provinces, but like every Fulbright route it's restricted to US citizens.
Maximo Nivel also operates in Cusco with the same course-plus-fee-paying-internship structure as their Costa Rica and Guatemala operations, alongside a Job Placement Guarantee into paid roles. Separately, ICPNA (Instituto Cultural Peruano Norteamericano) is a real, major binational institute chain and one of the largest employers of English teachers in the country — worth knowing honestly that some teacher reviews describe its pay as low by American cost-of-living standards, even though it's a legitimate, well-established institution.
- Fulbright ETA: US citizens only, not available to UK applicants
- Language institute / ICPNA roles: native or fluent English, TEFL certificate expected in practice
What you can expect to earn
Cost of living is low, especially outside Lima and in Cusco, which makes combining a language-institute wage with online tutoring a genuinely common way to boost income. University and international-school roles pay considerably more than typical institute work.
| Employer type | Local currency | Approx. GBP |
|---|---|---|
| Language institute (incl. ICPNA) | $500–1,000/mo | £370–£745 |
| University | 3,000–6,000 PEN/mo | £600–£1,190 |
| International school | 5,000–9,000 PEN/mo | £990–£1,785 |
Where to find real openings
Which TEFL Global course fits?
Our Level 3, 120-Hour TEFL/TESOL Course (£169.50) covers what Peruvian language institutes and binational centres like ICPNA expect from certified applicants.
Researched July 2026 from official program pages and named recruiters where cited above. Government programs, visa rules and salary bands change — always confirm current details on the official site before applying.
FAQs about teaching in Peru
Fulbright runs an English Teaching Assistant programme placing teachers at COAR government schools, but it’s restricted to US citizens — there’s no open equivalent for UK applicants.
It’s a real, major binational institute chain and one of Peru’s largest employers of English teachers — a legitimate option, though some teacher reviews describe the pay as low relative to American cost-of-living expectations.
Cost of living is low, especially in Cusco, and many teachers stack a language-institute wage with online tutoring to boost their income rather than relying on institute pay alone.