Looking to Teach in China - Questions

[youvegotmail]

Hey guys, as the title said I'm looking to maybe teach in China next school year but I have a lot of questions which I thought could be answered by some of you guys.

Firstly, I was looking at doing a 120 hours TEFL course (100 is online), is this enough, will schools accept this or is that a poor "qualification"?

I will have a degree in Psychology by this time, A Levels, and teaching assistant experience from working in a school 1 day a week as part of my university module, and volunteering in the school prior to this. Will the school experience and qualifications be valued?

I'm a little worried I won't have the cash to go this year, I might be able to save £1.5k-2k for around July or so, will this be enough including flights from UK, the TEFL course, and money for the first month or so? Do I need to pay for Visas and insurance - how much can this come to?

I'm looking to go with 3 friends, what are the chances we would be able to either stay in the same/nearby accommodation, same/nearby school?

Obviously, I can not speak one word of Chinese, is this bad or will this be covered in TEFL or is this irrelevant?

My parents think I over simplify everything so if there is anything that could be problematic that I haven't mentioned, have you got any advice or anything else worth mentioning?

Have you got any places in China that you recommend teaching in?

I'm sure I will have more questions, just having a mind blank.

Thanks a lot in advance.

[aroberts42]

Firstly, I was looking at doing a 120 hours TEFL course (100 is online), is this enough, will schools accept this or is that a poor "qualification"?

 

120 is standard and even better than what most schools are willing to accept. But better quality schools will require the 120 hour course, so go with that just to be safe.

I will have a degree in Psychology by this time, A Levels, and teaching assistant experience from working in a school 1 day a week as part of my university module, and volunteering in the school prior to this. Will the school experience and qualifications be valued?

 

Yes and no. Most schools say they require some teaching experience, but in actuality they just want your white face in the classroom. Your experience in the classroom will probably be of more value to you than to them.

I'm a little worried I won't have the cash to go this year, I might be able to save £1.5k-2k for around July or so, will this be enough including flights from UK, the TEFL course, and money for the first month or so? Do I need to pay for Visas and insurance - how much can this come to?

 

You will need to pay for:

your flight one-way ~700 GBP

your TEFOL ~ 240 GBP

your visa ~ 60 GBP (I'm not exactly sure on this as I haven't done it in a while, might be closer to 100 GBP now)

one month to live on before you get your first check ~ 300 GBP

This is the bare minimum you will need, but totally doable. 

 

I'm looking to go with 3 friends, what are the chances we would be able to either stay in the same/nearby accommodation, same/nearby school?

 

It would be very easy to find placement in the same city, probably easy to find placement in the same part of town, hard to find placement at the same school. Most schools hire only 1 or 2 teachers at a time.

Obviously, I can not speak one word of Chinese, is this bad or will this be covered in TEFL or is this irrelevant?

 

Irrelevant. You do not need to speak Chinese to teach English.

My parents think I over simplify everything so if there is anything that could be problematic that I haven't mentioned, have you got any advice or anything else worth mentioning?

 

Just keep asking questions as they come to you and explore these forums. When I was planning on coming to China 4 years ago, I started in these forums and found them to be very helpful.

Have you got any places in China that you recommend teaching in?

 

Depends on what you are looking for. China is a big place. You looking for it? You can find it. If you are more specific about what you are looking for in your experience, I am sure people can offer suggestions. 

[icebear]

I'm looking to go with 3 friends, what are the chances we would be able to either stay in the same/nearby accommodation, same/nearby school?

 

It would be very easy to find placement in the same city, probably easy to find placement in the same part of town, hard to find placement at the same school. Most schools hire only 1 or 2 teachers at a time.

I would strongly caution against trying to teach in the same school, anyway. One of the big advantages of moving abroad, China or elsewhere, is breaking out of your bubble and getting another genuine chance to "start over" with regards to yourself, your circles, etc. Most people only get that twice - when they go to university, and when the leave university. Some don't even get it then. A move to China provides a great opportunity to branch out your interests, experiment by making friends you may not have in your old life, take risks, and in general try very new things. Having old friends just down the hall from you reduces these opportunities.

 

I would suggest trying to find gigs in nearby cities/towns, or at the closest in different districts of the same city. That way you have the independence to each experience something different and that is "your own", but can still get together on weekends easily enough to catch up, provide support during the tough times, commiserate or offer advice. 

 

I speak from experience. After my first term of teaching (in a big program, with no one I knew) a few of my friends from university came and joined, following all the great stories I'd told them. It was great to have them around, but it basically felt like college again - the experience changed a lot from what I enjoyed so much about it. It definitely ate into the time I spent with new friends, both expats and Chinese. After the next term we all went our separate ways (in China) - which was a good move for me, and from what I heard they enjoyed it a lot more as well - they finally got to experience that 100% fish out of water feeling that even one friend nearby can shatter.

[youvegotmail]

Great, thanks a lot for all of the tips.

 

Icebear, thanks for the advice, I completely understand what you mean, but I do not know these 3 guys well at all, one is a good friend but the other 2 I have met once or twice so meeting and getting to know them could go either way. Regardless, I'm not the type of person just to want to stay in my comfort zone, especially in another country so I'll try to not let it restrict what I do, but thanks for the heads up.

 

aroberts42 that was great information, thanks. And in regards to where I'd like to go, I personally was thinking the further south, the better, it's closer to Thailand/Cambodia etc and when it's term break I assume travelling there for a week or two would be doable, assuming our earnings cover that? And we really weren't sure if we shoudl go rural or city areas, I'm assuming city life is a lot more entertaining, what are the advantages and disadvantages of City/Rural areas?

 

Thanks again.

[icebear]

Most positions should pay enough to support modest travels during the break. You may want to look into provincial capitals in the southwest, such as in Yunnan or Guizhou provinces, if proximity to SE Asia matters for you. Kunming is frequently highly rated by foreigners and Chinese alike.

 

Wages may be lower there than in the east, but I'd guess the cost of living is too, so it may not drastically impact your ability to save a bit for travels.

 

The advantages of city/rural are essentially as you mentioned. A few thoughts on advantages:

Urban:

• Plenty of social and free time options
• Normally a good transport hub to other areas in the region
• Likely easier to find standard Mandarin speakers
• Easier to find 3 positions close by

Rural

• You are forced to interact more with locals that you might avoid in cities
• Less English language support (more Chinese motivation)
• Relatively more unique experience
• Slightly better chance of developing lasting relationships (just my guess)