Want to teach English in China? Here’s my 10 tips to succeed

This includes all the mistakes I made, and how you can avoid them.

So buckle up, and enjoy my 10 tips to help you plan your teach English in China experience.

Any questions? Just leave me a comment at the bottom. I respond to each one.

1. Plan the heck out of it

I know planning sounds boring.

But if you don’t get the planning right, you’re planning to fail – or however the saying goes.

Would you prefer teaching in the humid tropics of China (e.g. down south), in the freezing cold (e.g. far north) or somewhere in between?

China covers a massive area and doesn’t have one climate. So, choose your city wisely.

Similarly, when it comes to the kinds of schools you can teach at in China, public schools and private language centers are like chalk and cheese.

For example:

• Public sector positions pay lower but you work fewer hours
• Private centers pay higher but you work way more hours including on weekends.

Choose the age of students that suits you. If you’re young, have loads of energy and love little kids, then teaching in a Chinese kindergarten may be for you.

But if you’re older and have less patience (like me!), perhaps teaching at a university would be preferable.

Once you’ve narrowed down your preferences, you can then focus on other stuff like your salary expectations. I talk more about salaries next.

A big mistake that I made when it came to planning my first teaching in China adventure was I allowed the program I was on to dictate where I was sent.

I ended up teaching at a private boarding school in the middle of nowhere!

While teaching in rural China does have its positives, doing things like going to a cinema or even getting a pizza were a one-hour bus ride away.

Also, because it was a boarding school, the students had limited parental guidance and basically ran amok. I saw China’s ‘little emperor syndrome’ firsthand.

Teaching spoilt students was hard. Many of the kids disobeyed simple instructions, and some were disrespectful to me.

I even had to teach a class of special needs kids. I’m not qualified for that at all!

After the first school, I was much better equipped to teach at my next schools.

2. It’s not all about the salary

Choosing a teaching job in China based on salary alone is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.

Some jobs may seem enticing with a salary of double what’s on offer at another school. But you need to carefully weigh up everything as the schools that offer the highest salaries generally expect you to work 40 hours a week.

This may include what’s known as office hours – compulsory time you need to spend in the staff room preparing lessons and marking papers.

And, typically the higher paying roles involve weekend work in lieu of a couple of days off mid-week.

If you’re looking for more of a work-life balance where you can lap up the local Chinese culture, consider a smaller salary involving fewer contact hours.

I remember asking my recruiter to find me a role that had the least possible teaching hours. I wanted as much free time as possible to explore the country!

It’s a trade-off and only you will know what’s right for you.

For more on this, here’s a helpful article on teaching salaries in China.

3. Be careful with job boards

Don’t get me wrong, job boards do have their place in the teach abroad community.

However, it’s important to remember that anyone can post ads, even unregistered or dodgy schools in China.

If you haven’t taught English in China before, I personally wouldn’t recommend finding work on a job board.

Why? It’s hard to compare apples with apples, and you’ll need to research each school and offer separately. It’s a lot of work, and doesn’t come without risk.

As I mentioned, you have no idea if the school is legitimate or not.

When I did my second and third stints teaching in China, I dealt with a reputable recruiter.

A recruiter can help you find the ideal role and school based on your needs. Plus, they’ll have a list of vetted schools and can help you get the legal working visa for China.

(You can check this list for teacher recruitment agencies that specialize in China.)

If you insist on using a job board, I would only apply for jobs which are advertised by reputable recruiters.

See also: How to find a job in China

4. Don’t buy the cheapest airfare

Practically all China teaching jobs include a free return flight for a one-year commitment.

Some prospective teachers mistakenly pay for their airfare before their contract is finalized. They don’t know how much the school will reimburse, so they opt for the cheapest route to China.

Your contract should be signed by both you and the school before you even think about the airfare.

Once your contract is finalized, you’ll know how much money your school will reimburse for the flight. This is important because it varies significantly between schools.

In most cases, the amount should be more than enough to fly with a reputable, full-service airline in economy class.

There’s no need to fly with a no-frills carrier or even a Chinese airline, unless you’re on a really tight budget and can’t afford the initial investment to get you over there.

But if that is the case, i.e. you are on a very tight budget, I’d probably rethink teaching in China. This is because teaching in the private sector requires you to have upfront rent money (more on that later).

Side note: You may be interested in reading about my experience on a Beijing Capital Airlines flight – possibly the worst Chinese carrier ever!

5. Do a combined TEFL course

A TEFL certificate is one of the main requirements to teach English in China, though technically it isn’t legally required.

(You can read more about TEFL certification for China here.)

Most prospective English teachers choose the simplest and cheapest option, that is, they choose a purely online TEFL course.

While this is an okay approach, I recommend doing a combined TEFL course. This is a mix of both online theory and real teaching practice.

Check this page for combined TEFL courses for China.

The minimum TEFL course length for China is generally 120 hours. In a combined course, this translates to about 100 hours of online work and 20 hours of practice.

If you’ve never had teaching experience before, I think it’s risky doing it all online thinking you’ll love teaching in real life.

You may arrive in China and find that teaching is not your thing.

The combined course I chose had the practical element carried out in Beijing. However, the ‘students’ were my fellow TEFL course participants!

I don’t recommend a course component like that because it’s a bit unrealistic. Teaching your peers is nothing like teaching little Chinese kids who don’t understand a word of English.

Not keen on forking out a little extra for a combined course? Then I recommend this purely online course by Global Language Training.

It’s super cheap and even comes with a bonus 40-hour module for teaching large classes.

6. Buy or rent a bike

Getting around China is fairly straightforward, especially in the big cities.

You’ll find yourself using buses and trains, which are cheap and frequent. You’ll also use DiDi, which is China’s Uber, and maybe taxis too.

Because it’s so cheap, some TEFL teachers even catch a DiDi to work every day (like this teacher who taught English in Dongguan).

What I’ve found though is China’s cities, especially the smaller ones, are just as easy to get around by bicycle.

On a bike, you’ll be able to get off the beaten track and discover little gems of places that you would otherwise never come across.

You have to be extra-careful when you’re riding though, as the roads are notoriously unsafe in China.

If you don’t want to invest in a bike, you can always hire one of the share bikes, e-bikes or scooters.

There are a few bike share companies in China so you won’t have a problem finding one, especially if you’re in a big city.

Rides start at just a few yuan, making it the cheapest mode of transport around.

Each time I’ve left China, I’ve sold my bike to another foreigner. Easy!

7. Download all your apps

There’s a bunch of mobile apps that will make your time in China more enjoyable.

I’ve outlined all the best apps for foreigners working in China here. In short, you’ll be using WeChat Pay or Alipay all the time!

Downloading and getting used to your new apps before you arrive is a good idea.

The most important app to download before you go is a VPN. This stands for virtual private network.

The internet is censored in China and without a VPN on your phone and laptop, you’ll find life in China almost unlivable!

The kinds of foreign websites and apps that are blocked include Google, Gmail, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, The New York Times, BBC and so many more.

The thought of not being able to use Google to look stuff up, or Facebook to stay connected with friends back home, makes me shudder.

Luckily, there are VPNs that work in China. You can check out my review on the VPNs that work in China here so you can make the right choice.

Or, go straight to the one I recommend most for expats:

If you forget to download the VPN until after you arrive, it may be very difficult, if not impossible to arrange this, as the sign-up or payment page will be blocked.

Luckily, I haven’t fallen into this trap, but I know other teachers who have! Don’t let it happen to you.

See also: Banned apps in China

8. Bring enough money with you

If you want to teach English in China, I recommend bringing a bit of money with you.

You’ll need a comfortable buffer of cash to see you through until you receive your first pay.

If you teach in a public school in China, housing will be included as part of your salary package. This means you can forget about ever having to pay for rent (which is an awesome feeling, by the way).

However, if you want to teach in a private language institute, also known as a training center, accommodation generally won’t be included.

If you don’t move in with a fellow TEFL teacher, you’ll need to find and rent your own place with the assistance of the school.

The initial rent payment can be quite high. This is because rent is typically paid every few months. There may also be a one-off real estate agent fee on top of that.

So, before you pack your bags for China, ask your school or recruiter how much rent money you should bring with you.

9. Bring certain things with you

If you want to teach English in China, you need to make sure that you’re all ready to go once you arrive. I suggest bringing the following things.

A laptop with the latest software on it

Sure, the latest computers are widely available in China, but the last thing you’ll want to do is look for one when you arrive.

Bring a sturdy laptop that has a big enough screen for you to plan your lessons as well as use for leisure time.

I wouldn’t recommend a tiny little notebook unless you’re 100% comfortable that you can spend many hours on it creating lesson plans.

Sometimes the internet connection may not be great where you’re teaching, particularly in China’s public schools or small cities.

So, have a think about anything you could pre-download onto your laptop for those awkward situations in the classroom where you’re left to think on your feet.

I started each of my classes with some music playing in the background, while students made their way into the classroom and I marked the roll.

I had my favorite Spotify playlist pre-downloaded so I didn’t have to rely on the internet if there were any issues with streaming.

A week’s worth of lesson plans

It’s worth bringing at least a week’s worth of lesson plans with you.

This will give you time to settle in and focus on other things, like getting familiar with your surroundings, buying stuff for your apartment, and so on.

I wouldn’t lug heavy textbooks with you halfway across the globe.

Special interest items

Your students will be very interested in you and where you come from.

You can plan whole lessons around the following things, which your students will love:

• Photos of your family and friends
• Foreign currency
• Restaurant menus from your hometown
• Interesting videos (just remember what’s banned or censored in China).

If you know how to play a small musical instrument, consider bringing that too!

Things you can’t live without

Common toiletries and over-the-counter medications are available everywhere in China.

However, if you’re a bit fussy like me and only like using certain brands, you’d best bring your own.

Deodorant can be hard to find so I always bring a few cans with me. Once I’ve settled in, I find out where I can get more, e.g. at Walmart.

10. Plan for worst-case scenario

I’m going to round back to planning (sorry).

But this isn’t about planning what you want to do in China, this is planning for when things may go wrong.

You could be the kind of person that just flies by the seat of their pants, and that’s absolutely fine.

But if you’re an over-analyzer like me, you’ll want all your ducks in a row.

Money in the bank

A family member may become very sick. A loved one could even die. Whatever it is, you may need to leave China straight away.

Breaking a teaching contract is a major pain for the school. It’s practically impossible for a school to replace a foreign teacher partway through a term.

But it could also be a bigger pain for you if you’ve been living pay-by-pay and can’t afford to fly home for an emergency.

That’s why it’s a good idea to have emergency funds in your bank account ready to go.

As an absolute minimum, I would say keep US$1,000 aside for a one-way journey out of China.

Travel insurance

Travel insurance is a pretty boring topic so I won’t go on about it.

You’ll receive basic medical insurance in China as part of your teaching contract.

However, you may also need travel insurance to cover things like evacuation, emergency dental work, trip cancellation and your personal belongings.

If you’re strapped for cash you could just take out insurance on your flight over and back (e.g. two days of cover). It’s up to you, but I recommend getting comprehensive insurance.

I’ve written more about travel insurance for China here.

Exit strategy

I always like to know what I’m doing and where I’m going after a stint overseas.

This will be different for everyone, but for me it’s about knowing where I’m going to be living and what kind of jobs I’ll be applying for back home.

Can you easily get your furniture out of storage? Can you use your old car again, or do you need to buy another one?

The list of questions goes on, but the more prepared you are the less you have to worry as your amazing teaching experience comes to an end.

Don’t forget the important stuff

In case you skimmed this article, your TEFL course options are:

• A cheap online TEFL course from Global Language Training
• A more thorough combined course which includes real teaching practice.

Either way, just make sure it’s at least 120 hours in duration!

Also, before you leave your country, remember to download your China VPN so you can have access to the Western internet over there.

Teaching in China all wrapped up

So there you have it. You can now teach English in China with a few more tricks up your sleeve.

I hope you can learn from the mistakes I made, and take on some of the advice as it relates to you.

Do you have any questions? If so, leave a reply below and I’ll get back to you.

Also, make sure you read the antithesis to this article – why you should NOT teach in China. Expat Kim shows the other side of the coin!

Main image credit: Supplied by Mike Cairnduff.

FAQ about teaching English in China

How much money can you make teaching English in China?

Salaries start as low as 8,000 RMB at a Chinese university (for an inexperienced teacher) and can be as high as 30,000 RMB at an international school (for an experienced and highly qualified teacher).

Is there a demand for English teachers in China?

There sure is. Demand outstrips supply, and it’s been like this for decades. However, the requirements to teach in China are stricter than they once were.

What qualifications do you need to teach English in China?

Although the minimum educational qualification is a bachelor’s degree (in any field), if you have a master’s degree then you’ll be especially sought after. Generally speaking, the higher your qualification, the higher your salary.

Is teaching English in China worth it?

From my perspective, absolutely! It will open your eyes to a different culture and a different way of doing things, you’ll meet incredibly generous and inquisitive people, and you’ll have a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you cannot get anywhere else.