Please note, this site hasn't been updated for, oh, two years or so. Please also refer to current sources.

Teaching English in China - finding a job

Internet

The vast majority of foreigners teaching English here find their jobs over the internet. Probably the two best-known and well-established are eslcafe.com and tefl.com. Both of these are extensive sites which carry job ads, offer information on training, lesson plans, etc.

There are also a number of sites which specialise in finding teachers jobs teaching in China. Many of these are run by schools or recruitment agencies and will not give you a huge range to choose from. A Google search for 'Teaching English in China' or similar will throw up plenty of results.

The China TEFL Network carries a large number of job ads, and this is one of the better places to look if you wish to work in a public university. It provides plenty of information about the schools listed, though a large amount of it seems to come direct from tourist brochures.

The classifieds secion of thatsbeijing.com carries a number of jobs. Those for teaching English seem to be placed largely by agencies.

The Teflchina.org 'job' mailing list often carries vacancies, and as mentioned elsewhere is also a very good place to do some research.

Print Ads

Some jobs teaching English in China are advertised in newspapers abroad, but not many. It's worth having a look in the education supplement of major newspapers to see what's there though, especially in the few months before the start of an academic year.

Organisations

There are a number of organisations which arrange work teaching English in China and offer varying amounts of support before and during your stay. One of these is the Council for International Exchange's Teach-in-China program. It's not a particularly cheap option, but if you want the security of having someone to turn to if you hit problems it's worth a look.

VSO is a much respected organisation which has sent willing volunteers abroad for many years. They have a large number of people working here, and participants are well looked after with training courses, in-placement support, insurance, and even social security payments made on their behalf while they are away. In exchange for this, you need to have relevant qualifications and be able to commit for two years. The American Peace Corps runs similar programs.

Agencies

There are any number of agencies trying to introduce foreign teachers to schools in China, and you will come across many of them as you look for a job. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but bear in mind that agencies will take a hefty fee from the school - meaning the school will have a little bit less cash to pay you with - and that it's unlikely they will be interested in hearing about any problems you have later on - they get paid by the school after all, not you. It can also complicate matters - if you get to a school, and then want to leave before the end of your contract, who should reimburse the money paid to the agent? The agent certainly won't want to, so is it your responsibility to repay money you never received in the first place?

A word of warning

There are a few organisations out there which look on the surface like a 'volunteer' organisation - they arrange a job at some needy school and help you with your visa, you pay a 'programme fee' and accept very low wages. I have heard of cases where people (often school leavers) have paid these fees and flown out to discover that they are actually working at a fee-charging private school for a fraction of the wages paid by similar schools in the same city. All I can suggest is that you check the credentials of these organisations as carefully as you would any potential employer.