I moved to China in early 2004 after a 13 year stint in Thailand. I must admit I wasn’t prepared for the China experience however two years down the line, I have taught and managed in three different establishments and have visited more than 15 Provinces and I am still here :-) China is a a land of diversity and has something to offer everyone even ESL Teachers :-)

The ESL Market in China is at the stage of development that Thailand was around eight years ago. ESL methodologies and teaching formats are more diverse in China than Thailand but I am sure they will narrow as the market becomes more developed.

 What to expect from teaching in China really depends on you and where you position yourself. You need to ask yourself the question, why am I considering teaching English and why China? Both China and the ESL market are equally diverse.

 Below I will highlight various Teaching scenarios that you are likely to be faced with when looking for a Teaching Job in China. I will also give a brief comment however it is only my view based on my experience of Teaching English in China and Thailand over 15 years.

Chinese Public Schools and Universities: Longer Holidays, Shorter Teaching Hours, Usually no weekends or evenings although sometimes they may want to have an Evening English Corner or event. Students usually Pleasant and keen to learn. Salaries on average range from 5,000 RMB up to 6,000 RMB with free accommodation and other benefits.

Chinese Colleges and Vocational Schools: Similar to Universities however salaries are traditionally a little lower and sometimes students can be a bit more difficult to motivate.

Chinese Primary –  Middle - High Schools: This group offers the biggest portion of ESL Jobs in China and in many cases can be the most lucrative if you have an Education Degree. Salaries at the lower end of the scale are on a par with Colleges rising up to as much as 20,000 RMB plus at International schools.

Training Centers in China: This sector also holds a large proportion of the China ESL Job Market with new training centers opening up monthly all over China. Mainstream International chain schools like English First, Shane and others are here along with a plethora of Chinese outfits of varying quality and standards. Huge differences in both pay and conditions, you need to study offers carefully. Teaching hours range anywhere from 20-30, with pay scales from 6,000 -10,000 RMB being the norm however I have seen positions in the bigger cities offer as much as 12,500 RMB. Most training centers in China do not provide accommodation and again apartments in China vary in price greatly, you can pick up a decent 80m2 two bedroom place in a small City for as little as 1,000 RMB and as much as 5,000 RMB or more in Beijing for the same in a good location.

Teaching Kids in China: If you love em, then fine, I like kids but personally I find them harder to teach but it is down obviously to personal choice.  I would like to add that the younger the child the less attention span they have so you really need a lot of activity and fun based lessons to keep them busy. Another aspect of teaching young learners from Middle school thru to  tertiary you may be asked to teach EAP (English For Academic Purposes) which again if you are chasing the money and are good at grammar and very patient then it may suit you.

Teaching Adults in China: As with teaching younger learners it is down to personal taste, most of my 15 years of teaching ESL in Thailand and China has been with Tertiary, Adults and Business English. Adults can be very demanding and of course can and will question you during lessons. The upside for me teaching Adults and in particular Business is that I have learnt nearly as much from my students as they have from me, which can make each and every lesson more interesting and enjoyable.

Freelance Teaching in China: Officially not permitted but as in Thailand in the early 90’s it seems that a blind eye is turned as long as you do not upset anyone.  I have noticed recently in the bigger cities like Shanghai some Chinese agencies are actually procuring students for private study with foreign teachers and charging the FT a small commission, one also offers a training room within a school to teach in!

 Best Scenario if you are chasing the Money: I remember quite vividly from my early days as a freelance teacher in Bangkok. I would teach two 90 minute classes a day, five days a week usually an early morning class at some outrageous hour like 07:30 – 09:00, followed by an evening class around 17:30 – 19:00, I would also teach a handful of private students in between and at the weekend.  In 1993 that would net me on average $USD 750 a tidy sum back in the early 90’s a beer in the local bar area could be had for under a dollar!

 A Typical, Smart ESL China Teacher: Rates for freelancing in China vary greatly; freelancing is more prevalent in the bigger Cities so let’s take a snapshot of Shanghai as I am currently very near there now.

 Take a bread and butter job in a small or medium school that only requires you to be at the school when you are actually teaching, lets assume 16 x 45 minute classes a week. This will probably net you about 6,000 RMB (USD $750) a month plus free accommodation and all legal taken care of and whopping paid holidays to boot.

 Hand pick some lucrative evening classes, these can be found for 200 RMB an hour, (USD$ 25) don’t accept anything less. One two period class a night will net you another USD$ 750 a month. If you feel like superman you could work one weekend day a week and probably find 4-5 hours grouped together paying 150 RMB an hour, giving you another USD $ 400 a month.

The Math USD

School Job – 750

Evening Job – 750

Weekend Job – 400

Accommodation - 250

TOTAL: USD 2,150

The above scenario is based on pretty accurate data and experience however the figure could be a little higher or lower.

 Teaching in China Summary: Hope the above information helps, if you have any questions that are not covered on this page, please email me and I will do my best to answer you as accurately as I possibly can.