Top 10 reasons why you should teach in China

Many of our teachers are asking us about life as a teacher in China and what opportunities are available. Some teachers are based in Korea and want to make the move over to China, while other teachers are back in their home country trying to decide on the best location for them. We decided to put together a quick list of reasons to choose China as a location to teach. As always, feel free to email our team at hello@teachola.com for more details.

1. China has rapidly caught up with other markets for ESL jobs and salaries. Many teachers are now able to save more than even graduate teachers in their native-English countries.
2. Cost of living is generally comparatively low in China, especially in the “smaller” (by Chinese standards!) cities. You will find that your money will go a long way compared to other locations.
3. Apartments tend to be spacious with high ceilings and larger living space.
4. Spending an average of 25 hours a week in the classroom allows many teachers free time to pursue hobbies and interests, including learning Mandarin, martial arts, or artistic pursuits.
5. With the huge demand for English teachers, there are a variety of positions on offer, teaching ages from pre-school/kindergarten up to adults, with often multiple positions available at a school, if you want to be placed in the same school as a friend or partner.
6. China is very couple-friendly. If an unmarried couple get employed at same school, it’s rarely a problem if they want to share an apartment together. In China it’s very much an ‘each to their own’ mentality in that regard.
7. There is a huge variety of backgrounds amongst westerners living in China. You will meet engineers, writers, bankers, doctors, entrepreneurs and of course, lots of other teachers! This is especially true in the larger cities of Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shenzhen etc. Many expats originally come to work as teachers and then move into other areas of work.
8. Since most things are now made in China you can find some incredible deals on clothes, electronics, etc. (some are low quality but some will last you for years!).
9. China is a gigantic country with a population of over 1.3 billion people. You could spend your whole life backpacking through it and not see everything.
10. This is one of the oldest cultures in the world with an incredibly rich history and a wealth of traditions and festivals to experience (not least Chinese New Year!) For the historians and culture vultures out there, you will never get bored.

We only work with reputable schools in China. At least one member of our team always visits any school prior to deciding whether to work with them or not. We like to keep everything transparent so we will always offer multiple email address from current or previous teachers.
Get in touch with our team if you want to find out more at hello@teachola.com