What I Wish I Knew Before Teaching English in China

There are countless teachers decide to come and live in China every year, drawn by the promising future of teaching industry in China, appealing perks and different lifestyle. 

With over 500 million English learners, as well as English subjects, is one of the core subjects for Chinese students, the demand for English teachers is destined to grow in the future. In order to become an English teacher in China are fairly accessible in comparison with other countries. Different locations, schools, and English training centers have different requirements for their candidates. Therefore, university degrees and teaching experience are not always needed.

Due to the pandemic situation at the moment, there is a stricter requirement imposed for those candidates that wanted to come and work in China.

As of 2021, these are the conditions you have to meet:

• Be a native speaker – normally, in order to be eligible to be an English teacher at an international school or English training center in China, you’re going to have to hold a passport issued by one of the seven English-speaking countries recognized by the Chinese government – the UK, Ireland, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

• Hold a Bachelor’s Degree – a Bachelor’s degree or above is a minimum requirement to apply for a Z visa, which allows you to teach legally in China.

• Hold a TEFL certificate (or two years full-time work experience) – most schools would rather you have a teaching certification, but for some schools having prior teaching experience (two or more years) may be enough.

• Pass a criminal background check – in order to be legally authorized to work in China, you will need to pass a criminal background check in your own country.

What does teaching in China pay? 

One of the top reasons why China is such a popular destination among ESL teachers is because of the competitive salaries and benefits offered by schools. In addition, due to the current situation with pandemic, supply for English teachers is getting short with candidates not able to come into China. Therefore, the salary for English teachers is definitely inflated.

Even though the average salary for an English teacher in China is estimated at around 15,000 RMB (~ $2,000 USD a month), your actual monthly stipend can vary widely and it will mostly depend on the following factors:

• Your experience and qualifications – it’s no surprise that the more experience and qualifications you have, the higher your paycheck is likely to be. Doing things like securing a TEFL certificate and gaining some form of teaching experience will definitely play to your advantage when it comes to negotiating your salary. 

• The city/province you’ll be working in – China categorizes its cities in tier, with Tier One cities (like Beijing and Shanghai) being the ones paying the highest salaries, all the way down to Tier Four and Five cities, which offer much lower salaries and fewer benefits.

• The type of school that hires you – international schools are known for being some of the highest-paying institutions, on the contrary, universities in China tend to offer the lowest wages, so the type of school you’ll be working at will play a major role in establishing your paycheck.

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What is the teaching job like in China?

Everything, from the benefits to the schedule, varies widely based on the type of school where you’ll be working. Here’s a quick overview of what you can expect in each type of school.

ESL teachers working in China can find work in the following institutions:

• Kindergartens – here you’re likely to have a Monday to Friday schedule and work both in the morning and afternoon. These schools often pay well but it can be a pretty taxing job if you’re not used to or don’t enjoy working with the little ones.

• English Training centers – probably the most popular ESL institutions in China, English training centers are privately owned and often well equipped. When working at a training center you are likely to have late afternoon and night shifts and work on the weekends, when the demand for teachers is higher.  

• Public schools – at public schools the schedule is often less demanding (only around 10-15 teaching hours per week) and teachers can expect longer and more frequent holidays but teaching here may be more challenging than teaching, say, at a training center, mostly due to the class sizes (we’re talking between 30 and 50 students per class). 

• International schools – these institutions offer some of the most sought-after positions by ESL teachers, their curriculum and schedule is often similar to the ones back at home. Class sizes here are smaller, the salary higher, and the perks and benefits hard to beat. The requirements to work in these schools will often be much stricter than elsewhere. 

• Universities – colleges and universities are among the lowest-paying institutions in the country and tend to offer fewer teaching hours, however here, you’re likely going to work with older, motivated students, making universities a great environment if you’ve just started teaching.

Author: John Xu from Hiredchina.com

Editor: Crystal H

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