Teach English in China: Salary, Budget, and Essential Tips

Embarking on a teaching adventure in China is an exciting prospect for many ESL educators. This comprehensive guide provides crucial insights into the financial aspects, including typical salaries and effective budgeting strategies, and sheds light on cultural and linguistic nuances that will aid your success in the classroom. Whether you are a seasoned instructor or just starting, this information will help you navigate the rewarding experience of teaching English in the Middle Kingdom.

Salary Expectations for English Teachers in China

One of the first questions on any prospective teacher's mind is, "How much can I earn teaching English in China?"

The salary landscape in China is diverse, greatly affected by location, the kind of educational institution, and your experience level. The opportunities available in China for english teachers depend on which school you choose to work at and your own qualifications and experience. Here's a breakdown:

• Public Schools: 6,000 to 10,000 RMB per month.
• Private Language Institutes: 6,000 to 16,000 RMB per month.
• Universities: 7,500 to 30,000 RMB per month.
• International Schools: 12,000 to 30,000 RMB per month.

It's essential to thoroughly research the averages for the specific city and institution you are targeting. The average salary range can fluctuate wildly, but by understanding average compensation per different school setting, you can more accurately asses your potential for salary.

Budgeting for Your Move to China

Moving to a new country requires thoughtful financial preparation.

Understanding the local cost of living is crucial for effective budgeting. Major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, known as "The Big Three," offer the highest salaries, but they also have higher living expenses. Thoroughly assessing your needs and lifestyle will help you determine how much to budget for accommodation, food, transportation, and leisure. Don't forget to factor in upfront costs like visa application fees and initial setup expenses. Chinese supermarkets not only provide an amazing insight into the Chinese way of life but they are also an affordable solution to food and beverage costs, leaving you with money for fun and adventure.

Maximizing Your Income: Earning Extra Cash

ESL teachers can boost their earnings by tapping into the high demand for private language tutors.

Many educators are supplementing their base pay by offering private language tutoring services to pupils. This is particularly appealing to middle-class families who want to provide their children with more in-depth English language instruction outside of traditional school environments.

By taking advantage of such possibilities, teachers in China can significantly increase their income, which will enable them to have a better standard of living and possibly save money in the future. Prices for one-on-one tutoring Sessions may range from 180 RMB to 250 RMB per hour (or $26 to $36 USD).

Beyond Salary: Additional Benefits

Beyond the base salary, many schools offer enticing benefits packages to attract qualified teachers. Free housing or a housing allowance is common, helping significantly reduce living expenses. Some employers also pay for round-trip airfare, making the initial relocation more affordable. Understanding these additional benefits is vital for accurately assessing the overall value of a job offer. Here is what the average teacher could expect from each school type:

Research and Visa Requirements

Before committing to a position, thoroughly investigate the school's reputation, its history, and the experiences of past and current teachers. It's also vital to understand the visa requirements for ESL teachers in China. Be aware of the specific qualifications needed, and verify that the school is authorized to sponsor work visas. Misrepresenting your qualifications or working on the wrong visa can have severe consequences.

What to Watch Out for Before Signing Your TEFL Contract

As the saying goes, "better safe than sorry". You should ask somebody you trust to read through your contract before you put any ink on paper. To avoid having your time wasted or being taking advantage of, you should check the list below:

Daily Costs

While prices in China are rising, the cost of living remains favorable compared to many industrialized nations. Here's a glimpse of the daily cost of essential goods and services:

Food & Leisure

A breakdown of sample costs relating to food and leuisure can be broken down to this:

• Milk (1L): 7 RMB
• Eggs (12): 7 RMB
• Carrots (1kg): 5 RMB
• Chicken breast (1kg): 15 RMB
• Rice (1kg): 8 RMB
• Bottle of water (1.5L): 3 RMB
• Bottle of Chinese beer (.5L): 4 RMB

and a few sample leisure expenses:

• Three-Course mid-range restaurant dinner: 80 RMB
• Quick restaurant meal of rice or noodles: 25 RMB
• Large dumplings, a common street food: 3 RMB
• Housekeeper (2 hours): 30 RMB
• Massage (30 min): 40 RMB
• 1-month Fitness club membership: 150 RMB
• Movie ticket, international release: 65 RMB

Transportation

A breakdown of transport costs:

• Metro Ride: 3 RMB
• Taxi rate per km : 2.2 RMB (start fare ~ 10RMB)
• 20-min taxi ride across town : 25 RMB
• City bus : 2 RMB
• 3-hour bicycle rental : 8 RMB (plus 100RMB deposit, returned)
• Ferry crossing : 2 RMB

Sample Teacher Budget

If we make a budget for a sample teachers income we can estimate it as following:

• Gross income (salary) : Up to 13,500 RMB
• Rent: 3000 RMB
• Utilities (electricity, gas, water): 200 RMB
• Phone & Internet : 300 RMB
• Food: 1500 RMB
• Insurance: 295 RMB
• Remaining disposable income: 8,205 RMB

In China, ESL instructors have the potential to significantly increase their profits and financial well-being due to a mix of favorable variables.

Understanding Mandarin

Although not always essential, learning some Mandarin Chinese can immensely benefit your experience. It can help you more successfully connect with your students, especially at lower levels. My language studies, particularly in Chinese, ultimately took me to mainland China and Taiwan. With the help of just learning basic mandarin, you can express your genuine interest in their culture and build stronger relationships. Being able to pronounce names correctly is extremely important, and Chinese culture is very direct in their requests. This can give you insight into any future cultural understanding or awareness for your job.

Avoid Cultural Differences

Chinese culture can be very different to ESL teachers home. For example, while most public speaking and writing exercises can be great teaching activities, they are not so well received by all cultures. These need to be handled with sensitivity, and one of the great things with western education is that the students are encouraged to develop and state their opinions. However, one must realize that not all class cultures share this ideal and you might need to get the students to see speaking and debating skills in a different light for such activities to be effective.

Be Aware of Chinese Learner Anxiety

Many Chinese are anxious about speaking English with natives - more so than is to be considered normative. As such teachers may need to be extra careful about building rapport and help students feel safe from criticism.

Kindergarten Teacher

A well known and convenient place to work is in a kindergarten. Usually teachers have several classes in the morning and in the afternoon and just go from one classroom to another to carry out 15-30 minutes lessons depending on the children’s age. Some kindergartens have a different system where teachers spend the whole day in one classroom, but in those cases there are less students in groups.

Training Center Teacher

Work in a training center is quite flexible. Typically classes begin in the afternoon and finish late in the evening. The schedule is completely packed and sometimes teachers have a very short break, plus they often work weekends and are off on 2 weekdays instead (often Monday and Tuesday). They also offer classes to students of different ages and have a particular program for every level to teach.

University or Public School Teacher

To get a job in a public school or a university one needs to have a lot of qualifications and need to do some networking as such positions are rare.