2 years TEACHING experience, or just 2 years work experience (non-teaching) ok?

[kroy123]

It's said that a bachelors degree and 2 years work experience (if you don't have a TEFL currently) is required for a work residence permit, but does this have to be 2 years "relevant" or "teaching" experience, if you're going to be teaching English in China? I am unclear on this as some websites say "teaching" experience while others just say "work" experience.

 

I have ~5 years of work experience in marketing and business analytics from my home country (Australia) after graduation, but have not taught English before. I am unclear whether this is sufficient for a work residence permit, or whether I should have the TEFL certification in addition.

[mungouk]

This is from the regulations (document is 2 years old):
 

Quote

Teachers of foreign languages. Teachers of foreign languages generally shall be engaged in the teaching of their native languages and shall have a bachelor’s degree or higher degree and language teaching experience of at least two years. Those who have had degrees in the field of education, language or teaching, or have acquired a qualification certificate of teaching at their own countries or a recognized international certificate of language teaching shall be exempted from the restriction on work experience.

 

This is if your job description is officially a teacher though.  Many foreign teachers in China are in theory working as some kind of "consultant" (marketing, recruitment, etc) according to their contracts.

 

Having neither a TEFL qualification nor teaching experience isn't going help with landing a teaching job, but who knows what any specific employer is looking for. If they want someone obviously foreign-looking who can help with contacts in Australia (maybe applications to Aus universities, assuming that market hasn't just imploded) as well as doing some teaching then maybe you would be a good fit. 

 

I think the practical answer is that you would need to apply for a post and get the job offer, and the employer would take it from there. Similarly they might be able to convert your tourist visa to a residency permit. (It happened to me.)

 

 

 

 

[ZhangKaiRong]

20 hours ago, kroy123 said:

It's said that a bachelors degree and 2 years work experience (if you don't have a TEFL currently) is required for a work residence permit, but does this have to be 2 years "relevant" or "teaching" experience, if you're going to be teaching English in China? I am unclear on this as some websites say "teaching" experience while others just say "work" experience.

 

I have ~5 years of work experience in marketing and business analytics from my home country (Australia) after graduation, but have not taught English before. I am unclear whether this is sufficient for a work residence permit, or whether I should have the TEFL certification in addition.

I'm just curious - why did you decide not to look for positions relevant to your experience (especially because it seems from your other posts that you are already in China)? Depending on the quality of the work experience you have, it should not be too hard to find a job in the field of business / financial analysis. I also saw that you were preparing for HSK6, so your language proficiency should also not be an issue. At the local branches / subsidiaries / JVs of international companies, you would have a chance, not to mention the consulting / risk advisory parts of the big 4 and tier 2 firms. A good LinkedIn profile helps a lot, even without being in China you could secure some interviews.