Bill Said:

If you teach English in China do you have to have a degree in teaching?

We Answered:

China has changed a lot over the last 3-4 years, and although it was very possible in the past to simply get a job teaching English in China with no degree, experience, or qualifications, it is no longer possible.

Current laws state that in order to be employed as an English language teacher in China, a person must have:
1) A Bachelor Degree or higher (it doesn't have to be in teaching)
2) A TESOL Certificate (ie. specialist training in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages; but if your Degree is in TESOL it'll cover point 1 and point 2)
3) At least 2 years teaching experience (it doesn't have to be language teaching)
4) Be at least 25 years of age (an addition to prevent people lying about work experience - in China people start Uni at 19, and a BA takes 4 years, so by the time you have 2 years experience you must be at least 25)
5) Be from the USA, UK, Canada, Australia or New Zealand

There are a lot of ways around some of these requirements. For example, the only quality TEFL programmes are the Cambridge CELTA, the Trinity Cert TESOL, and University conducted TESOL training programmes of 160 hours or more with assessed teaching involved - but many people get weekend or purely online certs. A lot of employers will only go for the recognised ones, but the government allows any kind, and demand for native speakers is high, so if you're not worried about the quality of the company that hires you, an onliner will do.

Also, people with 2 years work experience in any field can often get in, as employers will just fluff your resume when they apply for a visa (ie. they'll change your resume so that it looks as though you have 2 years teaching experience instead of whatever else you were doing). Many schools do this, even the ones who are more picky about the teacher training. But if you have no work experience at all, they don't have anything to play with.

Also, the government has its own way to decide on exceptions to point 5 - and non-native speakers with fluent English (or native speakers from South Africa) who have extensive qualifications (eg. MA/PhD TESOL & over 5 years teaching experience) may be accepted. Companies however, have no way of knowing for sure, and are more likely to higher those from the 5 countries mentioned above to save going through all the rigmarole and red-tape for an application that might just be denied in the end.

Finally, there are plenty of companies that will employ you as something like a 'consultant' but actually have you teaching, or even employ you on a Business Visa. Many people do this and get away with it - but you must be warned, it does mean you are illegally employed, and you could be fined and/or deported if there ever was a crack down.

Hope it all works out for you though!

Marion Said:

Best place to teach english in china or korea?

We Answered:

I recommend from experience teaching in a public school. you will work the least hours and have the most vacation time. most recruiters will try to push you to the hagwon jobs. i think work and play or canadian connection are great recruiters. This website has great information about it from the perspective of an English teacher who has been there. and a great explanation of hagwons and what it is like to work there.

Julio Said:

any good programs to teach english in china?

We Answered:

In Taiwan (not China), there is Hess, among several other reputable firms.

Be patient, and the other ESL teachers (e.g. Craftylass) in this category should be able to provide some helpful advice in regards to work in Mainland China.

Ana Said:

What is the easiest and cheapest way to go and teach English in China?

We Answered:

It shouldn't cost you anything. If someone wants to charge you, he is a crook. Go to Dave's ESL Cafe. I forget the web address, but you can google it. There must be thousands of ads for English teachers in China on that site. I don't think they get paid very much, but it's probably enough for a young, backpacker-type person to live on relatively comfortably in China. I teach at an international school and we get paid normal salaries and benefits, but you have to be a certified teacher with experience, international experience and higher degrees preferred. If this description fits you, or even if you don't have the experience but you are a certified teacher in any subject, elementary or secondary, go to the University of Northern Iowa job fair next February, or to an ISS or Search Associates fair. The UNI fair is the cheapest, but the ISS and Search fairs are more often and in more places.

Brian Said:

I'm African-American woman who would like to teach English in China, but I'm afraid of the prejudice?

We Answered:

Yes, there is some racism, especially in the recruitment of teachers.

They tend to favor English teachers who are Caucasian.

Based on what I hear, they are more apt to hire a blond Polish who can't speak English than an African American who is a native English speaker.

Kent Said:

Do I need any type of certification to teach english in china/taiwan?

We Answered:

Hi. I am an experienced English teacher who has taught in Asia for over 7 years (Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan). The difference between teaching in China and Taiwan are many, but the biggest is money. In Taiwan, you can get a very good salary. You could easily travel and live on it. In China, you make a good salary relative to the local people but would not be able to take foreign vacations a few times a year. In Taiwan, the living standards are quite good as well. The air is clean and the people are very friendly. I enjoyed teaching there. If you are ethnically Chinese, you need to minimize this in any interview. English teachers in Asia are very stereotyped. Looks are very important. More than qualifications to be sure. You do not need to attain any kind of certification. If you do, it amounts to usually 50 dollars more a month in salary. Most language schools have a specific way of teaching and will train you to their specifications. If it is your first time to go there, I recommend going to teach Summer camp. That way you can get an idea of what you are really going to face before you sign into a contract. I taught at american language village. They were not the best camp, but paid me well and kept to all their contract commitments. The payment was high enough for 1 month of teaching to pay my airfare, take a trip to Bali and sightsee in Taiwan. If you go to China, you will not find such great needs. Websites such as www.daveseslcafe.com are great to help you find real decent paying jobs teaching overseas. The competition is higher. They even have specific pages for jobs in Korea or in China. If you need more information, send me an e-mail. Teaching in Asia can be a lot of fun. Just make sure you research your company before you start.