Yes, you can teach abroad with kids, and teaching couples are welcome at many international schools. But every family member adds cost for the school (housing, flights, medical cover and often a school place), so you will have fewer offers to choose from than a single teacher. A teaching couple with no more than two children is the easiest family to place. Before you accept, get the benefits for each family member in writing and check the country’s family visa rules.
This guide explains how schools and agencies treat couples and families, what to ask for, and the family visa rules in three popular countries. Facts were checked on official and organiser pages in October 2026.
How international schools see teaching couples and families
Recruitment agencies are open about this. The Search Associates office for Australia and New Zealand says (Search Associates ANZ FAQ):
- Schools welcome “teaching couples with or without dependents (usually a maximum of 2 preferred)”.
- When only one partner teaches, “opportunities are often limited for their spouse”.
- Schools “often have a preference for” single teachers without dependants.
The main Search Associates FAQ adds that a school’s costs “tend to rise with the number of accompanying dependents”, but that this “doesn’t rule you out” (Search Associates FAQ).
Why this matters to schools:
| Family member | What it can cost the school |
|---|---|
| Teaching partner | A second salary, but often one shared flat; two posts to fill at once |
| Non-teaching partner | Visa, flights, medical cover and a larger flat, with no second post filled |
| Each child | A school place (often free tuition), flights, medical cover, a larger flat |
So a teaching couple is often good value for a school: two teachers, one home. A single teacher with a non-teaching partner and three children is the hardest case. Some schools still hire such families, especially for senior posts.
Teaching couple jobs abroad: how to apply
Apply as a couple, but separately
Search Associates says each partner applies separately, with their own references and screening, and each pays the standard fee. “A teaching couple isn’t activated as a couple until both of you are accepted individually” (Search Associates FAQ).
In practice:
- Each of you needs a strong CV. A school hires two teachers, not one. See our international teacher CV and cover letter guide.
- Say you are a couple at the top of each CV and in each cover letter, with both subjects. Schools look for two matching vacancies.
- Apply to the same schools with both names, or ask the recruiter to show both profiles.
- Be flexible. One of you may need to take a different phase or a part-time post at first.
- Interview together where you can. At a fair, ask each school to meet you both.
Search Associates describes its Bangkok fair as suited to experienced international teachers and “strong teaching couples” (Search Associates Bangkok). Our list of international school recruitment fairs for 2026-27 has all the dates.
Couples on government programmes
- JET (Japan): “Couples are treated the same as every other JET Programme applicant.” If both of you are selected, “efforts will be made to place both of you in the same or nearby contracting organisations”, but it is not guaranteed (JET FAQ).
- Hong Kong NET Scheme: if your spouse’s employer already gives similar benefits (passage, baggage, medical) or housing benefits, you may not receive them again (EDB). Many schools have similar rules, so a couple usually gets one housing benefit, not two.
Our guide to teaching English in Japan and Korea covers JET and EPIK in full.
Teaching abroad with kids: what to ask for
The package matters more for a family than for a single teacher. Check every item for every family member.
| Benefit | Questions to ask |
|---|---|
| Tuition | Is tuition free at the school? For how many children? From what age? Is there a place for each child’s year group? |
| Housing | Is the flat or allowance sized for your family? |
| Flights | Are flights paid for your partner and children, each year or only at the start and end? |
| Medical cover | Are your partner and children covered, and from day one? |
| Visas | Does the school sponsor and pay for your family’s visas? |
| Partner’s work | Can your partner work locally, and does the school help? |
School packages differ a lot. Shanghai American School, for example, lists tuition assistance as “1 per employed teacher” for overseas hires (Shanghai American School). That suits a teacher with one child, or a teaching couple with two. Ask any school what happens with a third child. EPIK in Korea pays 50% of medical insurance premiums for dependants who live with you (EPIK). JET has no family allowances, and family members pay their own airfare (JET FAQ).
Our guide to international school salary and benefits explains each part of a package, and the salaries and savings by country guide shows what you can expect to save.
Family visas: three examples
Your school usually sponsors your work visa. Your partner and children then need dependant visas, and each country sets its own rules. These three show the range.
United Arab Emirates
A UAE resident employee can sponsor their family if they earn “a minimum salary of AED 4,000 or AED 3,000 plus accommodation” (u.ae). The government portal says:
- You can sponsor your spouse, unmarried daughters, sons under 25, and children with special needs.
- Family members aged 18 and over must pass a medical fitness test.
- Family permits are linked to your own permit. If yours is cancelled, they have a 6-month grace period to get a new permit.
The page does not say whether a sponsored spouse can work; ask the employer about a work permit. On Teacher Jobs World on 16 October 2026 there were 211 teaching jobs in the UAE.
Singapore
Employment Pass and S Pass holders can get a Dependant’s Pass for a legally married spouse and unmarried children under 21, if they earn a fixed monthly salary of at least S$6,000. The test uses your own salary, not the household’s (MOM eligibility).
A Dependant’s Pass does not give the right to work on its own. An employer can apply for an Employment Pass, S Pass or DP-Work Permit for your partner (MOM). There were 41 teaching jobs in Singapore on the board on 16 October 2026.
Japan (JET)
JET participants’ legal family members can apply for a Dependent visa, but fiancé(e)s and common-law partners are “not considered the same as a spouse”, and JET says “same-sex partners and spouses are not able to obtain a Dependent visa”. Spouses on a Dependent visa “cannot work without prior permission” (JET FAQ).
Unmarried and same-sex couples
The Singapore and Japan rules above refer to legal spouses, and the JET FAQ says same-sex partners cannot get a Dependent visa. Other countries may also limit dependant visas to legally married spouses. If you are not married, or you are a same-sex couple, check the country’s rules before you apply, and consider applying as two teachers, each with their own work visa.
Non-teaching partners (“trailing spouses”)
If only one of you teaches, plan for your partner’s life too:
- Work rights. Some countries let a dependant work with a permit (Singapore); others need prior permission (Japan’s Dependent visa). Check before you go.
- Remote work. If your partner works remotely for a home employer, check the tax and visa rules of the new country. Ask a tax adviser.
- School roles. Ask whether the school hires partners as teaching assistants, substitutes or office staff.
- Community. Ask the school whether there is a partners’ network.
Children’s schooling and age
- School place. A free place is only useful if the school has the right year group and can meet your child’s needs. Ask about special educational needs support early.
- Older children. Many international schools teach the IB Diploma or A levels. Think about where your child will go to university and how a move affects their exams.
- Childcare. For babies and toddlers, ask whether the school has a nursery or can recommend one, and about the cost.
A checklist for families
- Decide your limits: countries, the minimum package, and what each child needs.
- Tell schools early who will travel with you; it saves time for both sides.
- Get the family package in writing: tuition, housing, flights, medical cover, visas.
- Check the family visa rules, including salary thresholds and partner work rights.
- Ask to speak to a teacher with a family at the school.
- Plan the first months: deposits, childcare and school uniforms add up.
Visa and family rules change. Check the official pages linked above, and the contract, before you accept. This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Frequently asked questions
Can I teach abroad with kids?
Yes. Many international schools hire teachers with children and give free or reduced tuition. Your choice will be smaller, because each child adds cost for the school. Search Associates says dependants raise costs but do not rule you out, and that a maximum of two is usually preferred for teaching couples.
Is it easier to get an international teaching job as a couple?
A teaching couple is often attractive to schools, because two teachers can share one home and one set of family costs. But both of you must be strong candidates, and the school needs two vacancies. With Search Associates, each partner applies and is screened separately.
Do international schools pay tuition for teachers’ children?
Many do, but the details vary. Some give free tuition for a set number of children; Shanghai American School, for example, lists tuition assistance as one place per employed teacher for overseas hires. Ask how many children are covered and whether there are places in the right year groups.
Can my partner work if I teach abroad?
It depends on the country. In Singapore, a Dependant’s Pass holder can work once an employer gets them a work pass. In Japan, a spouse on a Dependent visa needs prior permission to work. In the UAE, ask your employer about a work permit for a sponsored spouse.
What salary do I need to sponsor my family in the UAE or Singapore?
In the UAE, the government portal says you need a salary of at least AED 4,000, or AED 3,000 plus accommodation. In Singapore, Employment Pass and S Pass holders need a fixed monthly salary of at least S$6,000 to get a Dependant’s Pass for their family.