Life as an English Teacher in Romania

The defining landscape

Transylvania: the real version

Transylvania is genuinely one of Europe’s most beautiful and least overcrowded historic regions — which is extraordinary given its level of global name recognition. The Carpathian mountain arc that defines Transylvania’s southern and eastern edges contains several of Europe’s last genuinely wild large-mammal habitats. The Saxon towns built by German colonists in the 12th–14th centuries — fortified, preserved, and still inhabited — are among Europe’s most architectural intense small towns in the best possible way.

Sighișoara: The most intact inhabited medieval citadel in Europe, according to UNESCO. The upper town — accessible via a covered staircase — contains coloured houses, a 14th-century clock tower, a school that Vlad the Impaler (the historical figure who inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula) may have attended, and the kind of streetscape that most European cities have either lost or preserve as theme park. Teachers based in Cluj can reach Sighișoara in 2 hours; from Brașov, 2.5 hours.

Bran Castle: 30 minutes from Brașov; the castle marketed internationally as “Dracula’s Castle.” Vlad the Impaler (Vlad III of Wallachia) has a tenuous historical connection to Bran — Bram Stoker’s Dracula is entirely fictional and set in Transylvania by literary convention, not historical fact. The castle is a genuinely atmospheric 14th-century fortification with a fascinating history entirely independent of vampire mythology.

Peles Castle: 45 minutes from Brașov, near Sinaia. A 19th-century royal castle built for King Carol I — a neo-Renaissance fantasy in a mountain valley, considered one of the most beautiful castles in Europe. The interior is extraordinary — weapons rooms, Florentine halls, Moorish salons, a private theatre. Entry: approximately €8.

Europe’s last wilderness

Bears, wolves, and the Carpathian wild

Romania’s Carpathian Mountains contain Europe’s largest populations of large predators outside Russia: approximately 6,000–7,000 brown bears, 3,000–4,000 grey wolves, 1,000–1,500 Eurasian lynx, and small numbers of European bison (rewilded in the Tarcu Mountains). These are not zoo populations or isolated heritage reserves — they are functioning wild populations in a landscape that still has enough forest and space to sustain them. Teachers based in Brașov or Cluj routinely encounter bear tracks on forest hiking trails. Urban bear encounters in Brașov itself (bears descend into the city to scavenge) are not uncommon and are managed by local authorities.

For wildlife-interested teachers, Romania offers experiences accessible from city bases that exist in no other EU country: brown bear watching tours operate from Brașov (specialist operators set up high hides in forest where bears come to eat in evenings; highly reliable sightings); wolf tracking in the Retezat National Park; European bison in the Tarcu Mountains (2–3 hour drive from Timișoara). This is one of the most distinctive aspects of teaching life in Romania that genuinely doesn’t exist anywhere else in Europe.

Romanian cuisine

Romanian food: Eastern Europe’s most underrated tradition

Romanian cuisine is shaped by geographic reality — Carpathian mountain agriculture (sheep, pigs, forest mushrooms, summer berries), Mediterranean influence from the south and east (Ottoman cuisine left a significant mark on Romanian cooking), and Central European tradition from the west and northwest. The result is hearty, flavourful, distinct, and very cheap.

Sarmale: Minced pork and rice rolled in sour cabbage (or grape leaves in summer), slowly cooked in tomato sauce with smoked pork. Romania’s national dish. Every grandmother has a version that is definitively the best. Found everywhere; €4–7 for a full portion.

Mămăligă: Polenta — the staple starch of Romanian cuisine, particularly in Moldavia and Muntenia. Served with butter and smetana (sour cream); alongside meat stews; with sheep’s cheese (brânza); as a base for eggs. More versatile and satisfying than its reputation suggests.

Mici (mititei): Grilled minced meat rolls — beef, pork, and lamb mixed with spices; grilled over open fire; served with mustard and bread. The Romanian equivalent of street food culture; sold at outdoor grills (grătar) particularly in summer; €0.50–1 per piece.

Ciorbă: The category of Romanian sour soups — beef, chicken, or tripe broth sharpened with bors (fermented wheat bran liquid) or vinegar; full of vegetables; served with smetana. Restorative, inexpensive, and found at every Romanian restaurant. A winter necessity; a summer comfort.

Cozonac: Enriched bread braided with walnuts and cocoa or dried fruit — eaten at Christmas and Easter and increasingly year-round. The most beloved festive food; bakeries make it fresh for holidays; the smell is extraordinary.

The Romance language surprise

Romanian: a Latin language in Slavic territory

Romanian is the only Romance language of Eastern Europe — a linguistic island descended from the Latin spoken by Roman colonists in Dacia (present-day Romania) after Emperor Trajan’s conquest in 106 CE. For speakers of French, Spanish, Italian, or Portuguese, Romanian has significantly more accessible vocabulary than the Slavic languages (Polish, Czech, Bulgarian) that surround it geographically. “Bună ziua” (good day), “Mulțumesc” (thank you), and “Vorbești englezeşte?” (Do you speak English?) share visible Latin roots with their French and Italian equivalents.

Young Romanians (under 40) generally speak good English — a consequence of decades of consuming English-language media, gaming, and internet content without the dubbing tradition of some other European countries. This makes daily life navigation significantly easier for new arrivals than in countries where English is less widespread. Older Romanians in provincial areas may have French (from Romania’s strong 20th-century Francophone tradition) rather than English. Romanian language study is rewarding for teachers who invest in it and genuinely appreciated by Romanian students and colleagues when attempted.

EU travel base

Romania as a European travel hub

Romania’s EU membership means full freedom of movement across Europe. Budget airlines from Bucharest Henri Coandă, Cluj Napoca, Timișoara, and Iași airports connect to Western Europe at prices that make weekend travel realistic — Bucharest to London from €40 return (Wizz Air, booked ahead); Bucharest to Paris from €50; Cluj to Vienna from €25. Within Romania, the country’s dramatic geographic range makes weekend trips genuinely adventurous: Brașov to Bucharest by train (2.5 hours, €8); Bucharest to the Black Sea coast (Constanța, 2.5 hours, €10); Cluj to the Apuseni Mountains (1 hour, hiking from Bucharest).

Neighbouring countries are all accessible from Romania’s borders: Bulgaria (2 hours from Bucharest to Sofia by bus); Serbia (2.5 hours from Timișoara to Belgrade); Hungary (3 hours from Cluj or Timișoara to Budapest); Moldova (3 hours from Iași to Chișinău); Ukraine (accessible from northern Romania before the current situation — verify current advisories).