International Schools In China

Chinese students who want to attend universities in the United States or the United Kingdom may choose from a variety of Chinese institutions that offer Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs. A Chinese international program (which may be its own school) and an overseas international school will have different focuses and pedagogical approaches.

Barb, a former middle school science teacher at a Chinese IB school in Beijing, said that despite being an international school, the school followed a Chinese timetable rather than a Western one. To provide just a few examples, the typical Chinese schedule includes a two-and-a-half-hour siesta in the middle of the day, morning military drills, and so on. There were around 30 students in each of Barb's courses, which is huge compared to the average Chinese classroom but smaller than the ones she had taught in during her twenty-odd years in the American public school system.

Barb recommends that other instructors who are considering teaching in Chinese programs do their research on the school they want to work for before signing a contract, and if possible, visit the school in person before committing to work there. She warned that "you may be caught in some very dodgy schools," so be cautious to read the fine print.

There is a common expectation placed on teachers participating in overseas programs: create their own curricula with minimal input from administration. Barb said that she frequently struggled with the provided materials despite the fact that they had to be approved by an international program board in Australia. The scientific text was riddled with inaccuracies and lacked narrative drive. The math instructors lacked a text book. Because instructors in China do not have their own classrooms, she had to organize all the lab equipment and carry it around herself. During the first quarter, two of her classrooms were comprised of students who were unable to communicate in English, much alone grasp the concepts of middle school science.

Though she did say that "school is difficult worldwide," and that Chinese children are "great," she emphasized that both of these things are true. You'll have a lot of success if you like working with youngsters.

There were benefits to writing her own lessons as well. I could do anything I wanted. At the Temple of Heaven, we combined our historical and scientific knowledge to learn about acid rain. One day, I took my students to the high school lab to watch as they dissected flowers under microscopes.

In addition to providing Western-style living quarters, food plans, airfare reimbursement, and visa help, a Chinese international program will often take care of all the needs of its foreign instructors. The salary is better than in a conventional Chinese public school, and there's potential for even more money if you put in more hours of teaching.

A more seasoned educator who is at ease developing their own lesson plans and is familiar with the Chinese education system will perform well in an international setting. Getting experience teaching AP and IB courses is a great approach for new teachers to build their resumes before taking a job at an international school or a domestic school.

Many Chinese foreign organizations post job openings on expat-friendly websites like The HiredChina, in addition to their own websites.