How to Find the Best Teaching Jobs in China

A teaching job in China is not difficult to come by, but securing one of China's finest teaching posts will take more work. Your efforts will be rewarded if you get a well-paying and personally fulfilling job at one of the country's most prestigious institutions.

Ensure that your credentials are appropriate for the position.

The most obvious first step is to be properly qualified to teach in China. To get a wonderful teaching job, be sure you're qualified to apply in the first place!

To get into the best institutions, you'll need to meet certain requirements.

have earned a baccalaureate (in any subject)

Experience in the classroom for a minimum of two years

Possess recognized TEFL certifications.

That's just the beginning. Some prospective instructors may reconsider their plans to teach in China after learning about the comprehensive list of prerequisites. You will almost surely gain one of the best teaching positions in the country, though, if you have excellent degrees and experience to showcase on your CV.

Teachers with additional abilities are generally seen as being more beneficial in most schools. Teachers and coaches who have experience in sports, music, or theatre will be more important to schools since they can provide something more to parents while also saving money. Living in Asia, especially China maybe a cultural shock for many people, and schools will value instructors who have lived there and are more adept at adjusting.

Don't forget to submit your application within the appropriate season.

Unfortunately, some instructors will be passed over for their preferred teaching position merely because they submitted their applications too late. What a farce this is!

Private language schools and training facilities, for the most part, employ year-round. For the start of the new school year, traditional institutions such as public and international schools and colleges prefer to employ new instructors. The Chinese academic year begins in late August or early September. About six months before the beginning of the second semester, in February, most renowned institutions begin their hunt for new instructors. After the year-end break, students return to their desks.

If you want a job, you'll need all three: patience, intuition, and persistence. Also, do not wait to apply in the hopes that a better opportunity would arise. There aren't many opportunities to teach at prestigious institutions, so be prepared to apply when one arises.

Extend your horizons (and your search)

Teaching English as a second language is not the only rewarding profession. And no, education in Beijing isn't necessarily the greatest in China. You'll be able to tap into a far larger pool of amazing chances if you broaden your teaching horizons in terms of both places and employment types.

Subject courses at some of China's premier institutions are taught in English, therefore having teaching experience and subject expertise is a plus. About 10 to 15 percent of occupations are in subject-specific roles in foreign schools, universities, and private institutions.

Aside from that, the nation has fantastic things to offer in lesser-known places. Smaller, less crowded cities like Chengdu, Hangzhou, Kunming, and Guilin, with different cultures and natural environs, may make for great places to live.

We've now reached a very critical moment, which is this:

Don't base your opinion of a teaching position's quality just on its salary.

Most Chinese teachers will tell you that the greatest teaching positions aren't always the highest-paying ones. Why? To be an educator, you need to be passionate about what you do and willing to put in the time and effort to make a living doing it. You'll be just as happy no matter where you work or where you live because of the sort of environment you have outside of school.

Remember that your lifestyle (and cash flow) will be more heavily influenced by where you live than it would be by your pay if you decide to teach in China.

In Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, work opportunities are often less plentiful, but the overall cost of living is much less expensive. Even if your salary is 20% lower than if you worked in Beijing, your total financial picture will appear better since your day-to-day expenditures are 50% lower.

The takeaway here is that you shouldn't only focus on occupations that pay the most; look at the whole picture. Does the school have a solid track record when it comes to how it treats its teachers? Is it apparent that teaching here is a fulfilling experience? What do you think about the employment in a Chinese city? Do you like the workload? First and first, think about these more critical issues.