Thinking of teaching in china.

[Mez25]

Hi I've recently been looking to teach in china, I have been intouch with a company called english international and their website is www.havefunteaching.co.uk I was wondering if anyone here is working for them now in china and if they are a good company to work for?

What is an average monthly salary for an english teacher over there and is it easy to live on it? I have gathered that the average national wage in china equates to £136 / month is this correct and if so an english teachers quality of life must be pretty good there?

Any advice would be great, I thank you all in advance.

Regards

Meirion Jones

[Asia-edu]

I have never heard of that company before so I can't help you much there.

The average wage you make will depend on a couple of factors. One is which part of China you want to teach in. I have taught in Beijing and here an average wage would be around 150 yuan/hr. In some other smaller cities you might have a more difficult time getting that much at first. Another is what kind of students you are teaching. If you teach in a public school through an intermediary company you might make less than if you find a nice private school and work for them directly. Private students will usually pay more as well. If you can get 1 to 1 or 1 to 2 teaching situations, you can usually charge around 200/hr.

As an English teacher, life is pretty good. You should always have enough spending money and live comfortably, but it isn't like limousines and champagne every weekend kind of living.

[Shanghai_gabo]

It's a really great way to start because you will be able to live and pay your way. I enjoyed and taught all age groups. Kids are especially great to tutor!

Good luck!

G

[MissRin]

£136 a month??

Don't take a job for less than 4,000 RMB inc accommodation. This is the bare minimum any FT in China is earning. Around £400 I think...roughly.

Yes, the average Chinese Teacher may only earn 1,500-2,000 RMB, but, bear in mind they will get stuff a lot cheaper than us. Westerners are generally thought to be rich, therefore, we pay higher prices in China than the locals do.

EDIT: Even though state schools pay less than private ones, look at the benefits you get with each. You generally get a lot more paid holidays at a state school. Bonuses for airfare and travel are usually better too.

[kdavid]

If you're new to teaching, you'll need TESOL training as well. Though not required by some schools, if you're serious about being an educator and competitive later down the road, you should attend training and earn a TESOL Diploma.

My school offers a TESOL Course and guaranteed job placement following training at a very competitive price (US$200). You can also check out the sponsorship and course benefits here.

We have eight openings for native speakers starting for our July 12 program. See website for details or email me Registrar@WillExcelTESOL.com