how to find teaching English jobs in China?

[Alexjijia]

Hi Guys 

i am newbie on this forum and i have a question to you?

I want to go to China as an English teacher and does anybody know any trustworthy and safe Chinese teaching job offer web site? 

I found some job offers posted on websites but i have know idea how safe it is.

thank you for your replies

[aone]

http://www.anesl.com/  hope can be of some help

[Melanie1989]

This is one i've been looking at: http://www.teslchina.net/ Looks pretty good to me.

[Abe]

I think the problem is not whether the website is safe and trustworthy, because the job offer sites just post the ads.  Only a placement agency would actually deal directly with employers, and from what I hear, your better off not using one of those.

[ChTTay]

Daves ESL Cafe is the most popular 'jobs board' for positions in China.

 

Teachers for Asia is an agency based in Ireland that a few of my friends have found jobs through. They don't just hire from within Ireland; http://www.teachersforasia.com

[hedwards]

I think that just like schools there are good and bad recruiters. The thing that you have to be mindful of is that even the best recruiters are still likely to be operating under Chinese cultural influences. Which means that the communication may or may not be what it should be. Especially if there's any bad news.

 

That was the only real issue I had with my recruiter when I was over there, but it can be a huge problem if the school is unhappy and the recruiter is asking for more time, but none of this is being communicated to you. It's enormously frustrating to know that you're just about where you should be and then have to start over because nobody was telling you anything.

 

But, there are a few things to be mindful of, they need to be licensed to hire foreigners, the job requirements for teaching should really include a BA, 2 years of relevant experience and such. Beyond that, a bit of advice I read earlier today, and completely agree with, they should have some pride in the support they provide to teachers transitioning to China. China is a really hard place to navigate if you can't speak Chinese and really read some as well, so having support makes a huge difference.

[Shelley]

@Alexjijia what is your native language?

 

Having just looked at your other posts my question has been answered, not English, as I suspected.

Edited November 11, 2014 at 12:49 AM by Shelley

[ablindwatchmaker]

@hedwards

 

Is it necessary to have a BA? I am a senior but am so fed up with life here and administrative isues with my unviersity that I would jump on a plane tomorrow if I could find a decent job in China. I am that desperate to leave.

[hedwards]

Depends how legal you want to be. I know that there are schools that will hire without having a BA and I know of at least one recruiter that will hire without a BA or teaching certificate. So it's definitely possible. The problem though is that you can't get a Z-visa without the degree, certificate and a couple years of work experience. Which means you'd have to either work illegally or you'd have to come in under an F cultural exchange visa.

 

I'm not really up on that and things may well have changed in the last couple years. But, be aware that if you go the cultural exchange route that they're not supposed to be paying a wage, it's a stipend at most and you shouldn't be making any real money doing it.

[ablindwatchmaker]

So even with a degree, if I dont have teaching experience I can't get a Z-visa?

[hedwards]

That I'm less sure about. I don't think it has to be teaching experience, I think tutoring experience works. But, even there I'm not sure how mandatory that is. Most of the other teachers at the orientation didn't have any experience that I could figure out.

 

But, that was a couple years ago and it depends where you are in the country. I think the closer you get to Beijing and major cities the more closely it's likely to be observed.

[ChTTay]

There's a few similar topics floating around the forums on requirements for teaching. Really you need...

- Native speaker

- Over 25

- Degree holder (BA)

- Two years teaching experience

- TEFL cert (any kind)

You need to be able to cobble together at least two years of teaching experience from somewhere, whether it be tutoring math to third graders or actually teaching English. Another issue is that this experience is supposed to be after you graduate. As a result, the school I work for in Beijing mostly hire foreigners who have taught abroad before (in Europe, elsewhere in Asia or in China).

As Hedwards suggests, the requirements for teaching here tend to be less strict the further you are away from major cities. Less popular, smaller cities can get away with bending the rules as, otherwise, it will be hard for them to attract foreigners.

Despite this, regulations are tightening up somewhat everywhere. It would be easier if you met all but one of the above rather than you didn't tick three of the above boxes. Equally, not being a native speaker is a lot more of a deal breaker than not having experience.

After your degree, assuming you meet all the requirements apart from experience, you'll likely be able to find a job here. Regarding the experience, you could always stretch the truth a bit. Equally, if you tell a school straight up you don't have experience, it might not even matter to them. They may take it upon themselves to lie for you when it matters.

[noony1990]

Hey Guys, Firstly, after all this time there is still no sure fire way to get a guaranteed quality teaching position in China, however i find that to be part of the adventure. With the wealth of information on the internet, find a well paid suitable position and then research it to the fullest extent. If you deal with a recruiter you can ask to speak to the employer directly, then ask him to connect you with some westerners already working at the school. Make sure you check out their personal facebook and check that they seem real people. Skype them, talk to them, be frank with them. They will almost always be positive about their boss however if there's any serious problem then it would be very hard through direct communication to hide it from you. Then, when you are happy with the school take the plunge and go for it. The thrill of going over to China for the first time is one of the bigggest thrills of the adventure, as many people lack the guts to go through with it and see the job through. When i went, it was a risk, the agent didnt give a dam about me or the school but it was lucky that the school for me turned out to be a good one with an honorable, fair boss who stuck to and above the conditions stated in the contract. 

I worked in China for 2 years, now I have my own job site and Im an agent, Im hoping that by being one of them that has been there and done that people will trust my positions and experience and feel safe about the positions i offer.  Thats the idea anyway! Best of luck with getting a good job. Theres still plenty of work out there yet! and plenty of adventures to have, Also, learning Chinese over there works wonders for your future prospects. 

 

Ben 

 

<Admin Edit: Spammy links removed>

 

Sorry about the links, but trust me they are specific to the questions raised and up to date and useful. Hopefully with more sites like this we can drown out the unskilled, spammy recruiters and get better jobs for all!  I do miss China, it was awesome!

[lip420]

You don't need a degree to teach in China. If you want to do it legally then yes usually you do. But some employers will hire you on an F visa if you don't have a degree - which isn't totally legal still. TEFL certificates aren't required legally either, however some schools can require them though. I have taught in China, Korea and Taiwan.

[lip420]

Last I knew it wasn't two years of teaching experience it was 2 years of post graduate work experience. Something change?

[ChTTay]

I would say Most people generally want to be employed legally. Teaching on any visa that isn't a work visa is just illegal, it's not 'not totally legal'.

 

The teaching experience rule depends where you are. In Beijing and Shanghai most likely an enforced requirement.  I believe that it was originally only made a requirement in Beijing but that doesn't mean other cities and employers can't follow suit.

 

If you are goin off the tourist trail a bit then requirements will be less. In this case, it may just be 2 years experience of anything ... or even no experience. As I mention above, some places will be desperate to get a teacher so even if you only meet 2 of 5 criteria they can problem bend the rules for you.

[hedwards]

ChTTay, you're forgetting about the cultural exchange visas, those are legal to teach with, but there are restrictions on where you can work beyond the typical licensing. Also, they can pay a stipend, but they can't provide a salary. As far as I know, that's perfectly legal.

[ChTTay]

Hedwards, good point.

 

I guess when I think of 'work', I'm thinking ... fully paid work. Aren't those "placements" where you are paid a stipend often sold as volunteering placements or, as you say, a 'cultural exchange'? I'm sceptical of these as, especially with longer term ones, you essentiall do normal teaching work for much less money. If it's short term, then I can understand it a bit more as you can't find many teachin jobs on less than a 6 month contract. 1-3 months teaching somewhere for the experience.