Teaching in China

[danswayne]

My wife and I have been asked about starting a school in China to teach english quite a few times. Does anyone know a few things about doing something like this. Is it possible for a laowai like me to be part of this sort of business and is it really profitable.

[Martytb]

From the number of billboards I saw advertising English Language classes I'd have to say yes. I believe there are certain standards that have to be met when applying for university and English proficiency is on the list.

 

Go for it!!

[chinadave2001]

When I was teaching at an American owned International School in Qingdao I was told that they were required to have a "partnership" with the government in which the governement had 51% share of the school. I do not know if this rule is universally applied through all of China but I suspect it may be and that you have to have a Chinese partner. But the short answer is , Yes, it can be done.[/b

CD

[natrigon]

You might want to look at the "Special Economic Regions" like Shenzhen. In those cities they are trying to attract outside business.

 

Louis

[AFShiery]

My wife and I have been asked about starting a school in China to teach english quite a few times.  Does anyone know a few things about doing something like this.  Is it possible for a laowai like me to be part of this sort of business and is it really profitable.

In Xi'an, my soon to be brother in law teaches English in the evenings as self employed and makes 20,000 RMB per month.....he teaches british englsih...yea, you should here it... and does quite well....but xi'an is a city plagues with payoffs.....so yes, might hve to work something out.....with the gov't official

[tonyontherock]

Where do you plan on doing it? It can be really profitable.

[Mick]

It can be done Daniel, and it can be profitable. However, several factors must be considered. First, unless things have changed since I was over there, you will need a Chinese partner. Second, the start up costs for a school itself can be quite high. If you plan on a simple tutoring service from your home, that's a different story. Third, where you choose to locate is the prime factor. Ideally, you should go to a city where there is not too much competition from well-established schools and, by all means, it should be a place where the folks are wealthy enough to pay for it. Disposable income is the key here. Chinese parents will spend freely on their children's education, but you must offer a quality product in an area that can afford it.

Several of the private schools in Shantou, where I was, have done quite well. Others have folded for a variety of reasons. Shantou is an area with disposable income and most folks there spend fairly freely.

 

Think: Location-Location-Location.

 

That's the critical factor.

[danswayne]

We are thinking about returning to China next year and getting a job for me in one of the international schools, so I can get paid an American salary and a free place to stay and all those perks. Then my lao po seems a little interested in starting a day care/kindergarden where she does things the American way. We have a friend who has helped about 105 people in China this year who are there because of his help. He has shown interest in helping us with teachers and experience. We also have quite a few connections in various cities both Chinese and foreign who are interested in seeing us succeed.

[dewdrop]

We are thinking about returning to China next year and getting a job for me in one of the international schools, so I can get paid an American salary and a free place to stay and all those perks.  Then my lao po seems a little interested in starting a day care/kindergarden where she does things the American way.  We have a friend who has helped about 105 people in China this year who are there because of his help.  He has shown interest in helping us with teachers and experience.  We also have quite a few connections in various cities both Chinese and foreign who are interested in seeing us succeed.

Sounds great!

[Orrin]

The EFL business is HUGE in China right now, and a school that is properly located and run can be a "cash cow." In Sept. I returned to the US (with my wife) after teaching for nearly 3 years at a Chinese-owned school in Zhuhai. During my last year there I was also on the management staff, so I have a pretty good Idea of the details of running and operating such a school. I also, at one point, seriously considered partnering with a HK investor to open my own school, and I did quite a bit of research on the issue. When my wife was granted her IR-1 visa, however, those plans went into the trash.

 

Although there is no hard, legal requirement that a foreigner "partner" with a Chinese to open and run a school, as a practical matter, you really must. There are a million details involved that only a local, with local business experience, can address properly and in an expeditious fashion. If you think that dealing with government agencies is difficult here in the US, believe me, "You ain't seen nothin yet" until you try to do it in mainland China. Trust me, It can be a nightmare.

 

In a nutshell, the start-up costs for a successful English school is, depending on location, about 1 to 1.25 million RMB. These costs include, but are not limited to: physical plant with, at least, 4 approved classrooms, securing 1 foreign teacher for each classroom, teacher's work visas, teacher housing, Chinese administrative staff, business license fees (bribes... yes, bribes), promotion, and 6 months operating expenses. Given these cost estimates, the "break even point", in terms of number of students, is 300, each paying from 800 to 1000 RMB for a 16 week term, by the end of the first 6 months of operation.

 

Perhaps the single biggest problem faced by all English schools in China, and other developing countries in Asia, is securing qualified, competent, reliable, foreign teachers. Teacher recruitment is a never-ending, 365 day/year operation for every school. This recruitment activity is probably every school's biggest expense after rent and salaries.

 

I could, and just might someday, write volumes on this subject. In the meantime, I'll recommend a web site that gives a teacher's perspective on teaching in China. Go to www.eslcafe.com. Once there click on "jobs", and navigate to the China page of the International Jobs Information Forum. Although most of the postings there are hardly objective, they might give you a little bit of insight. I have two postings there. They're titled "DO YOUR HOMEWORK" and "TPR Zhuhai..... a good place to WORK". You'll have to scroll quite a ways down the page to find them, because they were posted last spring and summer.

 

I'll be happy to discuss this with you further off-line. You can email me at orrinyoung@hotmail.com.