Teaching in
Teaching in
Many
people want to have a taste of the city, experience a city undergoing
monumental change. Teaching English is the most popular way of accessing all
the delights of the city whilst earning enough to live on.
Teaching
may not be your lifelong vocation, ambition, or career ambition, but it is the
perfect way to gain new skills and experience
This
article aims to give you all the information to enable you to undertake this
adventure; the benefits, the pitfalls and the opportunities that await you.
Qualifications
The
most important is of course to be a native speaker of English, generally
meaning anyone originating from the
A
bachelor’s degree or the equivalent is a strict requirement for most positions,
although the discipline of your degree is usually irrelevant. It is useful to
bring copies of your diplomas with you or have them scanned into a computer for
future use. If you already have ample teaching experience but do not have a
bachelor’s degree it may be possible to find work just based on your previous
work record. In this case, it would be wise to have solid references available
to send to schools and institutions.
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The
possession of a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) or TESOL
(Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) qualification is the best
way to ensure employment. Training courses are available in most countries
and the duration varies between 2 to 4 weeks. To locate a course near you go
to www.tefl.com. It
is possible to obtain a certificate by participating in an online course,
though beware that certain companies who require a TEFL diploma do not consider
an online certificate valid. |
The
demand for English Teachers in
Private and State
There
are two main sectors of English teaching: the private business teaching and
Educational institutes.
Educational institutes: Kindergarten, primary and
secondary schools and colleges are all included. Basically all institutes which
teach children and young adults, either within the school framework or as an
out of school activity. Accommodation is often provided on-site, with this cost
reflected in your wage packet.
Private companies often specialise on the
corporate section; teaching adults.
It
can be one-to-one teaching or collective classes. Generally corporate work will
be higher paid than educational institutes.
It
really depends on your character. The educational institutes tend to be more
vibrant and exciting though often hectic and disorganised, whereas the private
business provides more structure and consistency though the formality may be
stifling to some.
Job Hunting
There are many web sites that are constantly updated
with positions available for teachers.
International sites such as Dave’s ESL cafe (www.eslcafe.com) is the best place to start.
It not only gives an introduction to the whole world of teaching English
abroad, with tips and tools for budding teachers, but also contains a large
list of positions available.
The
The alternative is to contact the schools and
companies directly -, for detailed information, please see the comprehensive
list contained in the appendix to this article.
Pre-arranged contracts
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It
is possible to arrange a position teaching in The
whole process can happen very quickly and before you know it, you’ll be at Here
are a few points to watch out for when arranging your employment in |
-Contracts
-
Most contracts last for 1 year with a probation period lasting for around
-
Usually the school will conduct a telephone interview with the candidates and
then e-mail or fax the contract to be signed.
-Research
Do
as much research on the school or company as possible. Surf the expat forums
and Dave’s Café to find opinions on the school in question. You may find
teachers who work or have worked there to gather more information.
Check
out the location! Even though many schools appear to be in
-Flights
The
cost of the flights tend to be covered by the school. Most of the time they
will ask you to cover the cost initially and they will then reimburse you half
the amount within a month of your arrival or in your first wage package. The
remainder should be reimbursed upon completion of your contract. Make sure that
this is written into the contract.
It
is advisable to confirm the price of the ticket with your employers before
purchasing, in order to avoid confusion at a later date. Print out any e-mails,
faxes etc you have and take them with you as proof of what was discussed.
-Visa
Most
employees go to
-Accommodation
Many
of the educational institutes provide on-site accommodation. It is perfectly
valid for you to ask for photos and descriptions of the facilities, as well as the
location of their schools within the city. If accommodation is not provided,
make sure that lodgings are provided for at least during the first two weeks
(ideally for three) after your arrival and that assistance is on hand to help
you find a place. A deposit of one to two months is usually needed and your
employers can help you financially with an advance or loan but it is best to
have this arranged before you land.
-Health insurance
It
is important to have this covered before arriving (as well as vaccinations) as
it is best to be safe than sorry. Ask your employers what kind of insurance
they have for the employers and if it is not sufficient, take out a personal
policy. Well-known companies such as BUPA international and Global Healthcare
provide comprehensive cover for individuals living in
-Hours of work
With
schools and colleges the working hours are usually standard but if you get a
full-time contract with a company it is wise to check before signing the
contract what is expected. It can be difficult if classes are arranged on
evenings and weekends so make sure to find out beforehand and ask in writing
for two days off per week.
Contract or Freelance
Being
on a full-time contract, of course gives security and a steady income, though
there is a downside in that if you are dissatisfied with your situation it is
hard to break your contract.
Being
a freelance or working part-time as an English teacher is another option. This
could consist of private tuition or working for companies and schools as a
supply teacher. This option can be an attractive way of working because it
gives you the freedom to pick and choose your work and organise your own hours
of working. Being a freelancer of course means that you live a more financially
insecure life, dependent on the supply and demand for teachers. It also means
it is a lot harder to obtain a work visa and you will have to go through the
process of having your visa renewed every three to six months.
At
the moment the demand for teachers is high enough for many freelancers to exist
in the city. It is an appealing option though you need to have already saved in
order to get you through the first couple of months whilst you build up
contacts.
Wages
The
range of wages on offer varies quite dramatically and it is important to look
at the whole package of benefits rather than just the net amount.
Many
schools only offer 4000 Yuan a month (around 500 dollars). In comparison to
local wages this is quite reasonable, though it will seem low for most
Westerners. If the school provides good accommodation, all visa expenses,
flights, additional holiday pay, transport costs and lunch vouchers it may be a
better deal than at first glance.
With
the bigger companies you can make triple this amount but beware that no additional
expenses maybe covered.
If
you try freelancing, the average as of the end of 2005 is to charge between
110-180 Yuan per hour.
Cost of living
It
is possible to live cheaply in
Avenues of advice
If
you do encounter serious problems with your employers whilst teaching in
Employment Dispute Arbitration
address:
No
Conclusion
An
exciting new adventure or a change of career, Teaching English in
Expat sites
Job and Teaching English sites
http://www.cnwave.com/teach/teacher.asp
http://www.teachermania.com/test/findtjobs.asp
http://www.englishjobmaze.com/
http://www.tefl.net/esl-jobs/esl-jobs.pl
http://www.tefl.com/jobs/search.html
http://jobs.escapeartist.com/Openings/China/
http://www.classifiedpost.com/jshome.php
http://www.eslcafe.com/search/Jobs/
http://www.eslkidstuff.com/jobsoffmain_toc.htm