Just because you are qualified to teach doesn't mean you should teach.
So what do you need to teach English in China? Do you need a degree, or a special certification? I remember asking these very question a little over a year ago. The answers I received varied from very harsh to helpful but what I discovered more than anything is that the there isn’t a list of items that you can just say “if you have these you will be able to teach in China.” There are some things that will give you a better chance than others in the pursuit for a teaching position in China but they are by no means a guarantee.
I’ll start with some personal requirements that would give you a leg up on the rest. The first is to actually want to really teach and I know it sounds like it would be self explanatory but you would probably be surprised at how many come here to teach who really don’t want to do it in the first place. The second is to have patience. A little patience goes along way when you see your students struggling with English. Finally, as far as personal requirements go, I would say to have a healthy respect for Chinese culture. For a foreigner the culture here can sometimes seem extremely alien but if you understand why the culture behaves the way it does it can help you adjust much easier.
As far as professional requirements, having a degree will go a long way in smoothing the path to get a position teaching. Although I would argue that you can do it without a degree as well. TEFL or TESOL is another certification that will be asked for when you apply for a position. To be honest with my current position they were more concerned with me having a TEFL more than having a degree, but that will vary from school to school. The argument goes that you can’t get a work visa without a degree or TEFL but I have coworkers who have gotten their visa with TEFL alone.
On the risk of opening up another can of worms I will not discuss a work visa yet because mine is still pending and the last thing I want to do is to cause more trouble talking about the pros, cons, and legality of teaching without a visa in China. I believe that there is an age cap on getting a visa for teaching, but I am not sure what the age is, and I don’t know if it is set in stone or flexible as most Chinese law seems to be. I will be doing research into this for future blogs so I will be able to say more soon about that.
Agencies are tricky business when using them to get a position here in China. I found them slippery enough while I’ve been here in China to deal with. So I couldn’t imagine dealing with them from back home, even though that is the normal path most will take. Make sure you check each detail of the job they offer because one mistake could have you teaching in BFE China for peanuts. Always be sure of the money. I know that goes without saying but if you don’t do your research a school in China will have no qualms about paying you the lowest wage it can get away with. One thing I’ve learned is the wages for teachers seem to be much higher in the south of China but even here you have people who will try to cheat you. The average up north seems to about 5000 to 6000 rmb a month while in Guangdong province the number is more 7500 to 8000. Next blog I’ll get into TEFL, TESOL, EFL, ESL and other teacher jargon you will hear when you start looking at education abroad.
