The Best TEFL Jobs in China

Updated 6 October 2015

Here's the information for China forThe Best TEFL Jobs in the World. You might also want to look at The Best TEFL Jobs With Worldwide Employers.

There are many, many foreigners living in China, but because it's such a big country, depending on where you live, you might not see other foreigners regularly. It's nice to get an idea about what it's like to teach English in China before you go. Here are a few good books written by teachers who have taught in China. They're definitely worth a read!

Visa rules are changing in China. In theory, you now need a TEFL cert, a degree, 2 years teaching experience, and to be over the age of 24. Although you may be referred to as a foreign guest or a foreign expert, don't forget that the reason that you're in China is because you are an employee.

Many good jobs in China are part of consortium agreements through Western universities such as those in Australia, the UK, and the US. You'll usually need a Master's degree and a couple years experience. If you know of any other good ones, please let me know by emailing me at naturegirl321@yahoo.com

1. Ameson: They have the American High School (+AP) Programme (AHSP) that pays up to $5,000 a month. They need English literature and composition, Math, Science, and Social Studies teachers. You'll teach a max of 20 hours per week. Free furnished apartment or housing allowance, airfare, Chinese lessons, and more. 
2. Australia Education Assessment Services (AEAS):  Great chance to earn a bit extra by giving exams on the weekends. You'll need to train with them and pass the test before you can get hired.
3. Beijing University of Foreign Studies: You'll get about $2000 a month, plus housing, and not have to work a lot of hours.  
4. British Council IELTS examiner: They need people to give oral exams on the weekends in various cities around China. You can also grade written exams. Pay is usually around 3,000 rmb for a weekend plus they'll help pay for your transport, hotel, and food. You'll need a TEFL cert and 3 years teaching experience. Contact exapps@britishcouncil.org.cn  Edit: It seems the British Council will be phasing out part-time weekend examining. 
5.  British Normal University and Hong Kong Baptist University BNU-HKBU: They have positions in Zhuhai. You'll need at least an MA with extensive related work experience. Research interests and experience are desirable. You'll get a two year contract with salary commensurate with qualifications and experience, medical insurance, and housing. Email recruit@uic.edu.hk
6. British School of Nanjing: They need teaching assistants with at least a BA. Salary starts around 6,000 RMB and you'll also get medical, flights, relocation costs, accommodations, lunch, and 170 days paid holidays. Email hr@bsn.org.cn
7. Brookhaven College: You'll work between 8 weeks and 9 months. It's a part-time position that pays $45.09 an hour. You'll need at least a BA in Linguistics, English, Foreign Language (with a major in TESOL), Bilingual Education, or Education plus teaching experience or graduate coursework. You can see their job on the Dallas County Community College District website. US citizens only. 
8. Bryant University-Beijing Institute of Technology in Zhuhai
9. Carnegie Mellong University-Sun Yat-sen University
10. Chengdu University of Technology: I heard through the grapevine that they pay well, but haven't been able to find any job adverts of theirs.
11. China Agricultural University: They pay $2400-$2800 a month, tickets home after each semester, and provide housing. Master degree required. PhD preferred. 
12. Clark - Shandong University of Science and Technology: For English teachers they pay about $2500 a month plus provide housing, airfare, and baggage allowance. Subject teachers, such as Business and Finance get $3000-$4000 a course. You must be a US citizen or green card holder and have an MA. Here's an example of their business advert. 
13. Colorado State University-East China Normal University
14. Coastline Community College in Guangzhou: They recruit off of tesol.org You'll need a Master's plus at least 3 years experience and to be an American.  TOEFL prep and experience teaching overseas are desirable. For teaching a max of 20 hours per week and being on campus for a total of 30, you'll get about $12,500 per semester plus housing, flights, and weekly living allowance. Contact Chris Mefford (cmefford@coastline.edu)
15. Dipont Education: They hire teachers to teach in A Level and AP centers around China. It seems like now they prefer hiring teachers with licenses. However, if you don't have a license and are able to teach subjects like math, science, business, or economics, you should apply. Salary and benefits are rumoured to be pretty good.  
16. Dongbei University of Finance and Economics (DUFE): At the Global Institute of Management and Economics. You'll get 15,000 RMB plus 2,500 for housing, 8,000 for relocation. You'll teach two 45 minute lessons a week with 8 classes. You'll need to have university teaching experience and research skills. There are lecturer, senior lecturer, assistant professor, and associate professor positions available. You'll need a minimum of a BA in English (or similar qualification) and experience teaching tertiary/university students.  
17. Duke-Kunshan University-Wuhan University in Shanghai
18. Elan School: BA plus at least 1 year teaching experience required. Applicants already in China are preferred. You'll teach literature and writing courses to K-12 students, help in the library, and research and develop projects. Salary is $25,000-$40,000. Elan School is part of Time Education China.
19. Fairmont Schools: The Joint Diploma Manager who works with Fairmont and partner schools gets about $60,000-$70,000 a year
20. Fort Hays State University: Master in English, TEFL, Linguistics as well as experience teaching English composition preferred. You'll need to be an American.  Pay is $20,000 plus benefits and flights. They work with Shenyang Normal University and Sias International University.
21. Gidear Education: 11,000rmb per month plus free housing, and 3 meals a day during workdays. You'll also get an 8,000 a year travel bonus and they'll reimburse you for visa fees. 2+ months paid vacation and a 10% yearly raise. Children are aged 2-6. The owner is Taiwanese and has been educated in the US and the foreign manager is American. Contact: email: sasimirobot@gmail.com or phone: (+86) 183-0960-5353
22. Glasgow Jinan: They just signed an agreement and might have good jobs in the future. 
23. Glasgow- East China University of Science and Technology: They pay about $2500 a month plus benefits.
24. Hanshan Normal University: You just need a BA. Not the highest paying job out there. They don't cover airfare or utilities like they used to, however, teachers get about 7000-7600 RMB a month. They also get paid over the summer if they renew their contract. Here's an old job advert of theirs.
25. INSPIRITAS: They need a head teacher for an international school. You must have a BA and at least 3 years experience. You also need a certification, license, or degree in TESOL or ESL. INSPIRITAS works with international schools to prep students for admission to top-tier American universities. Employer will assist with relocation costs. You'll get $30,000-$50,000 a year tax free, accommodation, up to 10,000 rmb for airfaire, 12,000 rmb for a annual completion bonus, paid summer and winter vacations. They will also help with visa fees, work permits, and airport pickup. 
26. John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Nanjing Campus
27. Kaplan: 200,000-280,000 rmb a year plus free accommodations (or an allowance), flights, baggage allowance, insurance, settling-in allowance, and paid leave. Regular EFL positions as well as a variety of EAP positions are available. You'll need a Master's degree and at least 2 years teaching experience. They work closely with NCUK and SBC. They work with NCUK (Northern Consortium UK), SBC (Sino-British College), USPP (US-Sino Pathways Programme). Although the information might be a bit old on their site, the application form is usually kept up-to-date.
28. Keuka College in Xiamen: pay is 10,000-20,000 rmb a month to teach Business, Business Managment, Economics, Accounting, or Finance. You'll need a Master's in the subject you want to teach. Here's their job advert and a list of their partner universities. 
29. Korean International Schools: They're in Beijing, Dalian, Kunming, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, Tianjin, Wuxi, Yanbian, Yantai, and Zhongshi. Pay is usually around 10,000-14,000 rmb a month plus benefits. However, you're working in a Korean environment. 
30. Lancaster University and Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
31. Manchester Business School China International Centre, Shanghai
32. Massachusetts International Academy: teachers work at Shida High School for two years before going to the US. $35,000-$35,000. You'll be hired by CERNET Education. 
33. Missouri State-Liaoning Normal University in Dalian: 12,000-16,000 rmb a month plus furnished housing and flights. You'll need a Master's plus at least 2 years teaching experience and to be an American. They need teachers to teach Political Science, Math, Science, History, Speech, Law, Accounting, Economics, Geography, Computer Information Systems, and English.
34. Mother Goose Academy: For teaching children aged 1-5 years old you'll get $2000 a month.You have to work 40-45 hours a week and work on Saturdays and Sundays. You'll be provided with airfare, paid holidays, medical, housing, and a contract completion bonus. The website is for HK, but they are expanding into China, starting with Dalian. mothergoosejobs@gmail.com 
35. New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) Nanjing: They just opened in 2007. It seems that they mainly need subject teachers, but might also need TEFL teachers. 
36. New York University (NYU) Shanghai: Another consortium university that has started in China. They don't offer salary details, but I imagine it would be similar to what other consortium universities offer.  
37. Northern Consortium United Kingdom (NCUK): You'll need a Master's plus at least 2 years teaching experience. They work closely with Kaplan and SBC. 
38. Shi Da in Xining: You'll get to work with ethnic minority students. 
39. Sino British College (SBC): About 22,000 rmb a month plus accommodations, living allowance, flights, baggage allowance, insurance, settling-in allowance, and paid leave. You'll need a Master's plus at least 2 years teaching experience. They work closely with NCUK and SBC.
40. Soochow University: EAP Instructors are needed at the College of Nano Science and Technology.   You'll need an MA plus teaching experience. Assistance with relocation costs. An interest in science and teaching experience in China is preferred. Email yangyangcnst@suda.edu.cn 
41. Southeast University-Monash University in Suzhou
42. Sprout for Future: They have an on-campus and online school. You'll teach about 25 hours per week, 40 weeks per year and teach kids ages 6-12. The pay is $25,000, plus housing, and flights.  
43. Sydney Institute of Language and Commerce (SILC) at Shanghai University
44. University College Dublin-Beijing University of Technology: they advertise on their site on tefl.com, They offer 10,000 rmb plus 2,000 for housing. You'll be teach 14-21 hours.  
45. University of Birmingham in Guangzhou: They opened in 2011.  
46. University of Denver at Beijing: You'll need a Master's degree and at least 2 years experience. Pay is about $40,000 a year.
47. University of Dayton, China Institute, Suzhou Industrial Park
48. University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiaotong University
    
49. University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC): All jobs offer benefits such as accommodation allowance, travel allowance, and insurance. You can see some sample salaries and requirements below. They also need people to teach Economics, International Business, International Communication, International Studies, Art and Design, Math, Computer Science, Social Studies, Chinese, International Politics, Environmental Engineering, and Physics. They might also add more subjects in the future. Here's where they advertise their jobs.
• Course tutors in the Centre for English Language Education: salary is 339,554-369,000 rmb. You must have a DELTA or an MA in ELT / Applied Linguistics, extensive teaching experience, experience outside of Western Europe is preferred. You must be confident in analysing language and providing explicit, constructive feedback. Experience teaching in China or teaching Chinese foundation level students would be a distinct advantage.
• Senior Course Tutor in the Centre for English Language Education: salary is 411,458 to 491,303 rmb. In addition to having proven management experience in EAP and EFL courses, you must have a DELTA or an MA in ELT / Applied Linguistics, extensive teaching experience, experience outside of Western Europe is preferred. You must be confident in analysing language and providing explicit, constructive feedback. Experience teaching in China or teaching Chinese foundation level students would be a distinct advantage.
• Preliminary Year Senior Tutor for English Language and Literature in the Preliminary Programme: salary is 411,458-491,303 rmb. You must have an MA in English Language and Literature or related field, QTS (qualified teacher status) for example, PGCE or other professionally accredited qualification, and substantial experience teaching English Language and Literature at the secondary/post-secondary level.
50. University of Southampton at Dalian
51. Wenzhou-Kean University: They need English, Philosophy, Computer Science, Finance, Accounting, International Business Management, Economics, History, Political Science, Math, Biology, Marketing, and Interactive Graphic Design teachers. They might also add more subjects in the future. You'll need at least an MA (PhDs are preferred). They don't list salary, but say that they include travel, housing, and relocation.
52. Xiao Jiaotong Liverpool University (XJTLU): Pay is about 17,000-25,000 rmb a month plus housing allowance. Here's where they advertise their jobs. 
53. Yucui: Pay is about 10,000 rmb a month. They work closely with Kaplan.
54. Zhejiang University of Technology through the University of Tasmania 

IELTS in China
China is a big market and they currently have 4 centres there: Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Chongqing. They have also been known to examine in other capital cities if the need arises. They're always hiring and often advertise on Dave's ESL Cafe.

While your income might not be stable, it's a nice source of extra income. One week you might get 10 written exams to grade, but the next you could get 60. Some people have reported getting about 3000 RMB for a day and a half of oral English. Since many employers in China pay 4000 to 10,000 RMB a month, 3000 RMB for a weekend is pretty good money. Some people have been able to make an extra 10,000 to 15,000 a month. You may need permission from your current employer in order to work for someone else. Check your contract just in case.

Due to the fact that giving exams is tiring and you will probably be asked on do exams twice a month, although in Beijing some people have done exams three times a month. Exams are usually on the weekends, but they can also be held during the week. If you are required to travel the British Council will help pay for your transport, hotel, and give you some money for food. Many people enjoy giving exams as it provides a different environment than teaching, pays well, and boosts their CV.

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