Teacher Hiring Report
Teacher hiring in Q3 2026: where schools hired and what they asked for, from 1,300+ teaching roles at 900+ schools. Meridian Teachers is a teacher recruitment agency that matches English-speaking teachers with schools in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and beyond.
Published by Meridian Teachers · Q3 2026 edition
Key findings
The Teacher Hiring Report is Meridian Teachers' analysis of 1,300+ teaching roles posted by 900+ schools. This is the Q3 2026 edition.
- Thailand posted 39% of the teaching roles we tracked this season, South Korea 24%, China 11%, Taiwan 9% and Vietnam 7%. Together these five countries made up about 9 in 10 roles.
- About 1 in 5 teaching roles (22%) asked for a specialist teacher, such as a maths, science, computing, economics or business teacher.
- Science, computing, economics and business made up about half of all specialist teaching roles, and maths about 4 in 10.
- Private schools and language centers each posted 36% of teaching roles, international schools 20% and public schools 7%.
- 4 in 10 teaching roles (40%) covered more than one school level, while early years, primary and secondary each made up 14% to 16%.
- About 6 in 10 teaching roles (62%) wrote a degree in as a must-have, about half (53%) asked for a native English speaker and about 1 in 4 (27%) set a minimum amount of experience. Work visa rules in most countries require a degree anyway, so a role without a stated degree usually still needs one.
- When a role set a minimum amount of experience, it was one year in about half of cases and two years or more in the rest.
Cite this report
Meridian Teachers, Teacher Hiring Report, Q3 2026 edition, meridianteachers.com/reports/teacher-hiring. You are welcome to quote these figures with a link to this page. Pay data from the same roles is in English Teacher Salaries in Asia.
Where schools were hiring
Thailand and South Korea posted most of the roles this season, 39% and 24%. China, Taiwan and Vietnam came next. The other 9% came from schools in other parts of Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America, plus online schools.
| Country | Share of roles |
|---|---|
| Thailand | |
| South Korea | |
| China | |
| Taiwan | |
| Vietnam | |
| Other countries and online schools |
Hiring in one of these markets? See how we handle teacher recruitment in Vietnam and hagwon teacher recruitment in Korea.
Which schools and levels were hiring
Private schools and language centers posted the most roles, 36% each, and international schools one in five. By level, 40% of roles covered more than one level. Roles at a single level split almost evenly between early years, primary and secondary.
| Type of school | Share of roles |
|---|---|
| Private schools | |
| Language centers | |
| International schools | |
| Public schools |
| Level | Share of roles |
|---|---|
| Mixed levels | |
| Primary | |
| Early years | |
| Secondary | |
| Adult and university |
See how we recruit for kindergartens, language centers and bilingual schools.
About 1 in 5 roles asked for a specialist teacher
22% of all roles were for a specialist teacher. We count a role as specialist when the school needs a subject teacher beyond English, such as maths, science, computing, economics or business, or a teacher with a government teaching licence, leadership experience or IB experience.
| Type of specialist role | Share of specialist roles |
|---|---|
| Science, computing, economics and business | |
| Maths | |
| Licence, leadership or IB |
Hiring for one of these roles? Meridian Teachers' pool includes 550+ maths, science and computing teachers, and 850+ teachers who hold a PGCE, B.Ed or teaching licence.
What the roles asked for
Most roles state a degree, and work visa rules in most countries require one anyway, so a role that does not state a degree usually still needs one. The chart shows what schools wrote into the job post as a must-have, read from the post text and its filters.
| Requirement written into the job post | Share of roles |
|---|---|
| Degree | |
| Native English speaker | |
| Experience | |
| Teaching certificate | |
| Teaching licence |
Of the 1 in 4 roles that set a minimum, about half asked for one year and the rest for two years or more. A teaching certificate such as a TEFL, TESOL or CELTA was a must-have in 17% of roles.
If a certificate, a licence or a set amount of experience matters to you, include it when you send us the role. We check every profile against it before anyone reaches you.
How we put this report together
- Edition
- This edition covers teaching roles posted in Q3 2026. Hiring is seasonal, so shares and pay in another part of the year can differ.
- What we counted
- 1,300+ teaching roles posted by 900+ schools in the edition window. For each role we recorded the country, type of school, level, stated requirements and listed benefits.
- Inclusion
- Every publicly posted teaching role in the window counts once. The five countries with the most roles are shown by name, and all other countries and online schools are grouped together.
- Shares
- Percentages are shares of all roles, except the specialist chart, which shows shares of specialist roles. A role can count as more than one type of school, and some roles did not state a level, so a chart may not add up to 100%.
- Specialist roles
- Roles for a subject teacher in maths, science, computing, economics or business, or roles that require a government teaching licence, a school leader or IB experience. Each role counts once, under its subject when it has one.
- Requirements
- A must-have is an item the job post states as required, read from the post text and its filters. Job posts often leave out what the work visa already demands.
- Sources
- The roles were publicly posted. We do not name the sites they came from or the schools that posted them.
- Rounding
- Counts are rounded down to a clean figure, for example 1,300+. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number.
- Limits
- A job post shows what a school was looking for. It does not show who the school hired or on what terms.
- Teacher figures
- Figures about Meridian Teachers' own teacher pool come from our database when this edition was published, rounded down.
Questions about this report
Anything not covered here? Ask us through the form below and the Meridian Teachers team will reply.
Ask the schools teamWhere were schools hiring in Q3 2026?
Thailand posted 39% of the 1,300+ teaching roles in this edition, South Korea 24%, China 11%, Taiwan 9% and Vietnam 7%. Together the five countries made up about 9 in 10 roles.
What share of teaching jobs are for specialist teachers?
About 1 in 5. 22% of roles asked for a specialist teacher: maths, science, computing, economics or business, or a role needing a teaching licence, leadership or IB experience.
Which types of school posted the most teaching roles?
Private schools and language centers, with 36% of roles each. International schools posted 20% and public schools 7%.
How much experience do schools ask for?
Usually one or two years. About 1 in 4 roles (27%) set a minimum, and when they did it was one year in about half of cases and two years or more in the rest.
Where does the data come from?
From 1,300+ teaching roles that 900+ schools posted publicly in Q3 2026. Meridian Teachers recorded each role's country, type of school, level, requirements and benefits. We do not name the sites or the schools.
Can we quote this report?
Yes. Quote the figures with a link to this page and cite Meridian Teachers, Teacher Hiring Report, Q3 2026 edition.
Hiring now or for next term?
Subject, level and start date are enough to begin. Tell us about the role and the Meridian Teachers team will reply by email.
Every hire backed for 90 days
If your new teacher leaves or is let go in that time, the replacement is on us.
Looking for a teaching job? Apply as a teacher