Teaching English in China

[Joshua + Wang Zhuo]

I am traveling to China in January and the plan is to teach English while I am there. It is a nice way to supplement my income for a while and it comes with the added benefit of free lodging. I also think it will be one hell of an experience.

 

Does anyone here have any experience with this?

 

Joshua

[dnoblett]

My wife taught English at a Foreign Language School in Yangshuo, Guangxi province. Many western teachers taught there.

 

http://www.westschool.com.cn/Index-eng.htm

 

http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/st...34&expand=1

 

A good thing to do is study and research ESL certificate.

[DMikeS4321]

I've been considering opening an English School in Nanning. Given the current interest in English, I think it would be relatively easy to make a pretty good living over there. I'm talking on the order of 40,000 to 50,000 RMB per month.

 

Where are you going to be? PM me if you would like to chat....

 

Best Regards

[DMikeS4321]

My wife taught English at a Foreign Language School in Yangshuo, Guangxi province. Many western teachers taught there.

 

http://www.westschool.com.cn/Index-eng.htm

 

http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/st...34&expand=1

 

A good thing to do is study and research ESL certificate.

 

Yangshuo is one of my very favorite places. Have you spent much time there?

[chilton747]

I am traveling to China in January and the plan is to teach English while I am there. It is a nice way to supplement my income for a while and it comes with the added benefit of free lodging. I also think it will be one hell of an experience.

 

Does anyone here have any experience with this?

 

Joshua

Joshua I would have to say it would be an experience of a lifetime that's for sure whether it is good or bad.

[GZBILL]

I am traveling to China in January and the plan is to teach English while I am there. It is a nice way to supplement my income for a while and it comes with the added benefit of free lodging. I also think it will be one hell of an experience.

 

Does anyone here have any experience with this?

 

Joshua

 

EFL jobs are easy to come by, but not good ones. The typical EFL teacher in Yangshou earns under $10 per hour, but in Shanghai, Beijing or Guangzhou the average is at least $20.

 

We hire a company to provide EFL training for our employees and they are paid approximately 600 RMB per hour. Of course, they pay their teachers less -- much less.

 

Be sure to find an employer that can obtain a work permit for you because in the big cities now they are cracking down really hard.

[dnoblett]

My wife taught English at a Foreign Language School in Yangshuo, Guangxi province. Many western teachers taught there.

 

http://www.westschool.com.cn/Index-eng.htm

 

http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/st...34&expand=1

 

A good thing to do is study and research ESL certificate.

 

Yangshuo is one of my very favorite places. Have you spent much time there?

Spent a week there last year, plan on going back Yu's Mum, and Sister live in Guilin.

[credzba]

Could anyone recommend a good place to get an ESL teaching certificate near Austin, Tx.

 

I realize it would probably be a TTL (Texan as a Third Language) but hopefully foreigners wont notice the difference between Texan and English, ya'll think?

 

Seriously, my wife and I will be in the US for a number of years, but during that time I'd like to get certified as an english teacher. Hopefully I can use it when we return home to China.

 

I have my bba in computer science, and 21 hours towards my masters (but those hours are now gone).

 

I could go back and get a masters easily, as I like school, but I don't know what is beneficial for teaching in China.

 

The other choice I guess is retire, and go teach for free

[David&Wendy]

I am traveling to China in January and the plan is to teach English while I am there. It is a nice way to supplement my income for a while and it comes with the added benefit of free lodging. I also think it will be one hell of an experience.

 

Does anyone here have any experience with this?

 

Joshua

 

EFL jobs are easy to come by, but not good ones. The typical EFL teacher in Yangshou earns under $10 per hour, but in Shanghai, Beijing or Guangzhou the average is at least $20.

 

We hire a company to provide EFL training for our employees and they are paid approximately 600 RMB per hour. Of course, they pay their teachers less -- much less.

 

Be sure to find an employer that can obtain a work permit for you because in the big cities now they are cracking down really hard.

 

 

If you've never done taught before it's good if an American company sends you. This way you have a contact person to discuss disputes/misunderstanding/weird requests from the school you are assigned. This of course means you will get a 'safe' working environment. The pay will suffer because of the overhead cost. If you've never taught before this is the safest route to go.

 

Dave's ESL Cafe is a good place to search for a TEFL job in China.

 

 

The jobs usually pay in this ascending order from least pay to highest.

 

Fresh U.S. college graduate.

Fresh U.S. college graduate who has gone through a TEFL training program.

Fresh U.S. college graduate who has gone through a TEFL training program with one year experience teaching in China.

Teaching at a High school

Teaching at a Middle school

Teaching at a Primary school

Primary school teacher with 3 years experience teaching English in China.

Primary school teacher who is fluent in English and Chinese.

Primary school teacher with US teaching certificate 3 years experience teaching English in China.

Primary school teacher with US teaching certificate 3 years experience teaching English in China.

Primary school teacher who is fluent in English and Mandarin, US teaching certificate and 3+ years experience teaching English in the cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen or Hong Kong.

Edited September 25, 2007 by David&Wendy (see edit history)

[dnoblett]

Joshua,

Check out Dave's ESL Cafe, sorry don't know the address.

 

Been teaching here on and off for three years. You'll get a mix of really good and really bad almost anywhere you decide to teach. The students are wonderful, very earnest, and try really hard.

 

The administration, on the other hand, will try to screw you every chance they get. I better add here that it is a matter of perspective. To them it is usually unintentional but can be easily perceived as wrong by the teacher.

 

Enjoy! It is an experience I will never forget and in the long run it will only enrich your understanding of China and her peoples.

http://www.eslcafe.com/

[jbray]

I was an English teacher in Chengdu for 3 years... I loved it! Before I went to China, I had NO teaching experience...

 

In Chengdu, the average pay is about $15 to $20 an hour... If you can, I recommend getting a CELTA or DELTA certificate. The CELTA is from Cambridge University. It's a one month program. In my experience, it seems to be THE STANDARD for ESL certifications. Don't waste your time with other programs. Many of the schools know and only know the CELTA. You can get it in Shanghai, and possible Beijing... The main benefit to having a certification is MONEY. With no cert, you are making $15 to $20 an hour (you usually only work about 15 to 25 hours a week). The total ends up being about $800 to $1000 a month. With a cert, it can be at least double.

 

Myself, I wouldn't recommend going through an American company's or recruiting companys in China. Those always seem to have problems. Sadly, you will probably get burned at some point, but you will learn what to look for in your contract. If there are any loopholes in the contract, the school administration will use them... Control is the name of the game. What many have found is, it's best to work at a few schools, part time. That way, no one school can control you. If you don't like the job, you can quit and it won't ruin you. The school also knows that (they have much more to loose than you), so they will treat you better.

 

In general, teaching in China was the best 3 years of my life. There were bad times, but the good times are much more than the bad. They money's not great, but it's enough to live pretty comfortable. You get a lot of vacation too. I was able to take 6 weeks every winter and go to Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. In the summer I would work, but sometimes I would travel around China. I was making more than enough to pay for those trips...

 

If you have any questions, please PM me...

 

DMikeS4321, you are lucky, I love Nanning. That's a great city!

[SirLancelot]

I am traveling to China in January and the plan is to teach English while I am there. It is a nice way to supplement my income for a while and it comes with the added benefit of free lodging. I also think it will be one hell of an experience.

 

Does anyone here have any experience with this?

 

Joshua

 

Joshua, where (what province/city) are you thinking of teaching?

 

It will be an experience indeed. The students will be great, but the admin will be a pain in the ass to deal with, as others have said.