Teaching English in China – Can be Enjoyable upon Due Precautions

A job of English teacher in China can be an extremely enjoyable experience for a British national if s/he takes some precautions. China is a beautiful country and staying there is awesome. Thus, while working there you can have a nice foreign trip. While many of the English teachers do well in China, many others undergo horrible situations because the promises of good salary and perks, and other facilities are not kept, and this can even end up in lack of sufficient funds to return back. Therefore if you are planning to take a job of English teacher in China, you should first verify the credibility of the organization offering the job.

Reputable School

This is a key factor for a successful job of English language teacher in China. The school or company with whom you have signed a well-written contract before you leave the UK is extremely important. You should carefully study the terms of the contract, especially about working and living conditions. You can also ask for references from individuals who have a good knowledge about the institution, particularly former and present British employees.

Types of Positions

There are about 300,000,000 English learners in China and a wide variety of institutions offer a variety of jobs. You must remember that regardless of its type, the institution should have a license to employ foreign teachers which proves that they are going legally. You should verify the credentials of the organization which you are planning to work with.

Kindergartens

If it is a large city like Beijing, Guangzhou or Shanghai, the salary for a kindergarten teacher per hour may be at least RMB 150 (about GBP 16) or more, with a bit of preparation or outside work. However it doesn’t generally include rent or flight ticket and may need over 20 teaching hours per week.

Boarding Schools

These are quite common in China and are spread all through the country surrounding big cities. Here you can get a salary ranging from RMB 4,000 to 9,000 (about GBP 425 to 957) per month and includes an apartment and reimbursement for flight ticket on completion of contract. They can even offer travel, with one month vacation for spring festival, two months for summer and a paid vacation of two weeks. The age range of learners may vary.

University Departments

Many Chinese universities have departments for English language. Their requirements for English teachers vary as per their individual status and level of classes. If you have a master’s degree or a doctorate, you may be qualified for the job of a ‘Foreign Expert’ in a Chinese university  with much more pay than a ‘Foreign Teacher’ to teach advanced courses. Undergraduate classes are larger, while graduate classes may be smaller and you can be more personal with students. Salary varies from university to university, but often includes housing in or near the campus of the university.

Advanced Degree Courses

A master’s degree, especially like MBA, can qualify you for a job of a professor for a master’s degree course for a good salary at a university. Teaching load is not much, but you should hold office hours and do considerable preparations for the lectures, exams and paper assignments.

Business English Teacher

A TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification can qualify you to teach English in a private business school. A previous experience of teaching adult English, an ESL degree or previous business experience may also be required. These types of jobs necessarily present heavy workload, like more than 20 hours in a week with evening and weekend hours. However, the job is enjoyable because the learners are very eager and hard-working. The company may give lesson structures and housing allowances, along with a basic salary of about RMB 8,000 (about GBP 851) per month.

Career Teaching

You can earn up to GBP 26,000 per year paid in foreign currency as a career teacher, the options for which include preparatory courses of private colleges for Chinese learners, international schools where children of expats learn and universities teaching higher-level learners. But this field is very competitive.

Summer and Winter Camps

This is a superb chance to enjoy vacations while earning. In about one week to two months of camping, you can make up to RMB 5,000 (GBP 530). This is a good option for those who are willing to teach in China but don’t intend to stay there for longer.

Private Teaching and Tutoring

This is a great earning way in China and native speakers are in huge demand, especially in big cities. However, you should be very careful and should take a legal written consent from your employer.

You should also study well about the visa requirements and other such formalities and complete them carefully, so that you can enjoy the job and not suffer a headache of it.