English Teaching Jobs in
China

Requirements  

Want to become an English teacher in China but not sure you have the right qualifications?

To legally find a teaching job in China, English teachers require a bachelor’s degree and a TEFL certificate with a minimum of 120 hours or two years of teaching experience. It is impossible to obtain a Z Visa and teach English in China without meeting these conditions.

To get a job teaching English in China, you must also be under 55 years old when applying, and pass a criminal background check. It is advantageous to hold a passport from one of the following seven countries: the United Kingdom, Ireland, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia or South Africa. Unfortunately, being from a native English-speaking country does help.

While native English speakers are preferred, non-native-level speakers can still find work in education institutes in China. However, since 2019, it has become harder for non-native speakers from countries not listed above to get a visa to teach English in China. Non-native level English teachers had previously been able to obtain a working visa for China with a bachelor’s degree (preferably from a native English country), a TEFL certificate, and two years of teaching experience.

It may prove more difficult now because of the recent crackdowns on foreign English teachers and foreign language training centres. To increase their chances of getting a job and a working visa, non-native-level English teachers may want to consider teaching positions in lower-tier cities and at smaller, rural schools and language centres. An IELTS or TOEFL qualification would undoubtedly help. 

Salary and benefits 

Here’s some good news: going to China as a foreign teacher can earn you in the region of ¥9,000 – 18,000 (£1,000 – £2,000 / $1,300 – $2,575) per month, with an average teacher salary of about ¥13,000 (£1,450 / $1,860) per month. Your salary as an English teacher depends on what tier of city you work in, your level of teaching experience and your qualifications.

Salary isn’t the only benefit of an English teaching job in China. Many schools offer flight reimbursement, performance bonuses and other job perks such as free housing, free meals and even free Mandarin lessons to sweeten the deal. Also, China has near-universal health care, however, some employers may contribute to medical insurance and private health care arrangements.

Living and working in China

China is a country with so many different styles of life, significant differences in population size between cities, and differing levels of income. One teacher’s experience in a Tier 1 city, like Shanghai, is going to be extremely different to living in a Tier 4 city, let alone a smaller town or a village. Therefore, it can be hard to summarise the economic reality of living in China. However, if we pinpoint how much it can cost to live in a city like Beijing - the capital, no less - it can give us a useful view of the cost of living in a busy Tier 1 city. Then, we can compare prices in Beijing to a Tier 4 city - we’ve picked Anqing.

So, how much is the cost of living in China’s capital city, Beijing? If you don't have a teaching job that offers free housing, then you'll need to know about rent. A one-bedroom apartment in central Beijing costs about £729/$961 per month to rent. However, you don’t have to live in the city centre and pay those kinds of prices. Rents lower to about £407/$537 in other parts of the city.

In contrast, a month’s rent in central Anqing costs about £215/$282 for a one-bedroom apartment. For three bedrooms, expect to pay a monthly rent of about £344/$45.

Monthly utilities cost about £42/$56 per month, while internet access costs £10/$14 - excellent news if you plan to teach English online while you’re living in China.