MyGlobe accepts applications for teaching positions in China throughout the year.
If you want to immerse yourself in Chinese culture and learn Mandarin Chinese, teaching English in China is the perfect opportunity for you. MyGlobe currently works with many exciting young learner, adult, and online schools for teachers that want to teach English in China. The salary benefits of teaching English in China include: A monthly salary of between 8,000-30,000 RMB ($1200-4700 USD). Free flights, free housing, bonuses, airport pickup, and a Z visa, among other perks. Your salary as an English teacher in China will be enough to live a comfortable lifestyle and save for trips around China and to other countries in Asia!
Traveling abroad is a unique and special experience. Truly living that experience is even more rare. There is no better time to teach and live in Asia. As China continues to open itself to the outside world, a case can be made the uniqueness of the experience may quickly be fading! Apply Now
Why China?
Salary vs. Cost of Living
The average salary in Europe (Spain is the most popular) for a new teacher will be between $900-$1,350 per month (http://www.gooverseas.com/blog/teaching-english-in-spain-salary) so saving money or partying more than twice a month will be tricky.
Japan and South Korean offers will be an average salary of $2,000 a month
(http://www.gooverseas.com/blog/salary-expectations-for-teaching-in-japan). The only catch is the cost of living in these countries is so much higher than China. Your rent, cost of food, clothing, public transport etc. will be double the amount in some cases and your savings will be a few hundred a month if you live very cautiously.
Smaller Asian countries like Cambodia and Vietnam offer a very cheap cost of living but salaries will peak out at about $600-1,000 a month for first time teachers and your back in the same boat of only saving a few hundred a month while living very meagerly.
China offers a perfect middle ground. The salaries if Chinese people are around 2-3,000 RMB so if your making 8,000+ you are earning triple the average local salary coupled with half the living expenses of the US or Europe. The average teacher in China is saving $800-$1,500 every month and can live quite a large life. If you are smart when applying and know what to look for all of this can be accomplished with a 32 hour work week. Apply Now
Location
China itself is a mystery to most in the West. Once you land your stereotypes and expectations will be burnt right before your eyes. China is incredibly large and traveling is very easy andcheap by either train or plane. A foreign teacher will find more than enough natural beauties and expansive, culture filled cities to keep you busy for quite some time.
Traveling to countries such Thailand, Mongolia, Japan, Laos, Vietnam and Indonesia are just a few hour flight away from Beijing and often much cheaper than traveling form your home country. (Australians have it lucky!) You will receive quite a few vacations throughout the year ranging from 4 and 5 day weekends to a 2 week break in February. I never feel over worked or trapped. Apply Now
MyGlobe Offers a Diverse Number of Teaching Opportunities in China
Language Schools (ESL Training Schools)
Public Schools
Colleges and Universities
International Schools
Kindergartens
How to Pick the Right Job
There are more than enough jobs to go around once you start looking. Sites such as daveseslcafe.com and echinacities.com are overrun with job listings to the point they all begin to blend together and picking the right one is a confusing mess. MyGlobe assists our applicants throughout this process. All of our advisors have previously been teachers in China, and are very happy to share our experience so that choosing the correct job doesn’t become too overwhelming.
Most jobs available to new teachers will fall into 3 categories: Universities, kindergarten and training schools. Each has its own pros and cons and its important to find the right one that you will be able to do for a full year. There is nothing worse than the feeling of being trapped into a situation your just not qualified or prepared for. Over time any of these jobs will seem like a piece of cake but know your limitations.
Universities
Universities will be one of the more strict places to get into when it comes to having a degree, TEFL certificate and prior work experience. A smaller city will be more likely to overlook one of those but rarely all three.
Your work week is usually short, around 8-16 hours, but lesson planning falls completely on you. Lessons range from 45 to 90 minutes and ages are 17-25. The expectations for planning should be one hour of planning to one hour of
teaching when you start and after your first year you will be more comfortable and can reuse last years lesson plans. If you have 10 teaching hours you should expect 10-15 planning hours making for a full work week. After your first year you will be able to reuse your lessons though. This free time will allow you to explore your new home more, practice skills and hobbies and advance yourself personally OR look for side work.
Don’t forget that since your a government employee you get 5 months paid vacation a year! In both the winter and spring you will get 2 and a half months off for vacation and it is up to you what to do with it.
Salaries are not generous with an average in a smaller city outside of Beijing, Shanghai, etc. being about 5-8,000 RMB to start and larger cities closer to 7-15,000 RMB. Apply Now
Kindergartens
Kindergartens are usually private schools that charge a hefty sum to get children started at the age of 3 or 4 in learning English. They are fairly easy to get into if you have any experience with the age group and can prove to be fun, active and dependable. The salaries are competitive with the training centers at around 8,000-20,000 depending on the city (Beijing or Shanghai for instance will start around 13-15,000 if your inexperienced).
A normal day in a kindergarten begins at 8:30am and ends at 4pm. The bulk of your job is simply assisting the children throughout the day. The main goal is to create an English environment for the children. You will be expected to have one or two classes in the morning and one class in the afternoon. The great part about teaching in a kindergarten is that you are able to teach other subjects other than just straight English vocabulary. Apply Now
Training Centers
I would say the bulk of ESL teachers in China find themselves in training centers. Training centers are the easiest jobs to get, they help you out the most upfront financially, and do the best in training you to excel as a new teacher.
These are private after school programs for children, aged 4-13 or so, to attend a few times a week. The work week will average 32 hours of total time split between class (8-12 hours) and the rest office prep time. Pay will come in several streams such as salary, housing allowance and sign up bonuses. Never do this job for less than 8,000 and if you stay on for multiple years and have experience and a B.A. bringing home more than 20,000 RMB per month is definitely possible. Most training centers will offer you a pre-made lesson curriculum. They are franchised out operations and so they fall in line with a set of expectations and standards. This makes preparing for your classes a breeze and lowers the curve for new teachers. Because these centers are dependent on sign-ups you will be required to do demo classes for potential new students.
“At first I was pretty scared of being put in front of parents to dance and sing while their children scream for help in the face of this six foot tall foreigner, but, now I can do them in my sleep. You get sign up bonuses for every parent that signs that can add a nice kick to your check as well.” – Steven Ayy
The requirements for these centers vary based on the prestige of the franchise and the city you are applying in. Smaller cities are more desperate to attract teachers so no B.A., TEFL or experience poses no problem. Training schools are the most patient in letting you come to grips with the work. Everyone has a bad session here or there but as long as the children (and especially the parents) like you I wouldn’t worry about it. Chinese public schools are insufferably strict on the children, after school lets out a friendly face goes a long way. Apply Now
Picking the Right City for You
From the moment you land in China, your host school will begin helping you adjust to life in your new home. The benefits of an ESL job teaching English in China include :
A monthly salary of between 8,000-30,000 RMB ($1200-4700 USD)
Free flights
Airport pickup
Free housing at many schools
Work Visa
Health insurance coverage
Many of our schools provide a housing allowance and/or flight stipend
Contract completion bonus
Salaries are typically related to the cost of living in your preferred location in China.
First-tier Cities in China
Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen are first-tier cities. They are known as the big four. The cost of living in these cities is much higher than in other cities in China, but so are the salaries.
Beijing
Guangzhou
Shanghai
Shenzhen
Second-tier Cities in China
Second-tier cities include capital cities of each province or coastal cities.
Chengdu
Guiyang
Nanjing
Ningbo
Shenyang
Tianjin
Xi’An
Third-tier Cities in China
Third-tier cities are usually medium-sized cities of each province. Note that third-tier cities still have millions of people living in them.
Changzhou
Jilin
Taizhou
Where Can I Teach in China?
Deciding where to teach English in China can be a difficult and stressful decision.
There are a myriad of ESL teaching jobs available in China and they don’t always appear to be of the most reputable variety! That’s where MyGlobe comes in. Unlike most recruiting agencies we carefully screen any school we work with, and get you in contact with other teachers working within each location.
As you experience our interview and screening process, you will find we are very careful in accepting teachers to the MyGlobe program. If you are one of the few we accept, you can be sure we apply the same strict standards to the school locations and ESL teaching jobs we discuss with you!
Expand Your Horizons – English Teaching Jobs at Reputable Schools
If you have decided to move forward in applying for an ESL job teaching English in China, congratulations! You have taken a unique step forward in making the decision to expand your horizons and challenge yourself. Your travels will soon lead you to discover many people who share your passion for exploration, travel and for broadening your horizons.
While you are teaching in China you will find yourself making lasting connections with locals and other expats from around the world. Chinese people often go out of their way to make teachers feel comfortable in their new surroundings (you may feel your hosts help too much at times!).
You will also have fellow westerners as your co-teachers. Your best friend may be from England, Canada, US, South Africa, New Zealand or Australia. It’s all part of the experience!
Get English Teaching Job Advice from the Experts!
At MyGlobe, we support you throughout your entire experience, MyGlobe never leaves you hanging!
We will always do our best to assist you in any way possible during your experience teaching English abroad in China!
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