Do China Speak English

Elizaveta Pachina Destinations China is a great destination to start your ESL teaching career as the country offers a lot of job opportunities, high salaries and employers usually don't require many years of teaching experience. However a lot of teachers wanting to teach there have no idea how to look for a suitable position in China. Here are the top 4 tips how to find a teaching job in China. Also read: 5 Reasons Why You Should Teach English in China Since Google is not accessible in China, you won't find many available jobs there. Therefore, I suggest you create a profile on LinkedIn and indicate that you are looking for a job in China. Chinese agents and HR managers will quickly reach out to you and will invite you to talk on WeChat (a...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Destinations When deciding to go abroad and teach English, one of the first questions that follows is often: Where in the world should I teach? A quick Internet search reveals that China is among the most popular destinations for teaching English abroad. Here are 5 reasons why you should teach English in China. With a population of more than 1.2 billion, it comes as no surprise that China also has a high number of English learners. In fact, there are currently over 300 million people learning the language. The reasons for learning English can vary from case to case. Some start as young as 1 or 2 years old at English speaking kindergartens, while others learn English through their company as business professionals. One thing is...  [Read more]

Dorothy Brown Smith Destinations Alumni Experiences I have always wanted to travel and go abroad. I talked about it with family and friends on many occasions. When the opportunity came for me to teach in China, I immediately said, “NO!” I was thinking of traveling to places like South America, France, Italy, Greece, etc. because I had romanticized these places in my mind from what I had seen on television and read about in magazines. China was not even a thought in my mind! The opportunity kept coming to teach in China. I would see advertisements, run into people who had just came back from China. I even met someone studying Chinese to be an interpreter! I kept running into people who had some kind of connection with...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In 2010, I was on a cultural fact-finding mission. While living as an ex-pat in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China, I decided I would like to teach English to Chinese students. I thought it would be a fun, constructive way to spend my extra time while my husband was working. So, I took the challenge! I call this a challenge because I had no prior ESL experience at the time. I soon found that understanding the Chinese culture was going to become a priority. Is sensitivity to the Chinese cultural norms significant in teaching ESL in China? A very important puzzle piece in successful teaching in China is defined by their culture. Learning about it and implementing it in my teaching classes smoothed many a...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Destinations Teaching English in China is as popular as ever and is one of the best places to put your TEFL certificate to use. In 2014, 7.26 million students graduated with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and the numbers were expected to rise in 2015. There are over 30,000 organizations or companies offering private English classes, with the Chinese market having nearly doubled in size in the last five years and is now worth around $3.1 billion. Certified TEFL teachers in China can expect to make between 6,000 - 16,000 RMB ($942 - $2,500 USD). Those teaching at an international school, however, can make up to 30,000 RMB ($4,700 USD). How far exactly will your salary get you in China? Most TEFL teachers put away a good amount of...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Visa and Legal If you are interested in teaching English abroad, you probably quickly realized that China is one of the largest job markets for TEFL teachers at the moment. Truth is, China has over 300 million English learners and schools are hiring constantly. This large demand for qualified teachers leads to high salaries and great benefits to attract teachers to make the move. China is a great place to work in if you’re a new teacher and if you have experience in the field. However, it is key to understand the country's current visa regulations and the local preferences of schools to be able to teach English in China. Disclaimer: Visa regulations in China change very frequently. Therefore, we recommend checking with your local...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences For the past twenty years, I have had the pleasure of teaching English to Chinese students of all ages in both Taiwan and mainland China. The following are my observations: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Eugene E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. If one were to argue that Socrates was the beginning of modern Western Civilization, one could easily surmise that that modern Chinese civilization has its roots in the teachings of Confucius. While Socrates told his students that the unexamined life was not worth living and that students should question everything, even their teacher; the opposite is true with the teaching of...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Budget and Salary Destinations This guide will help you answer the question: How much can I earn (and save) teaching English in China? You’ll also find information on the local cost of living in order to figure out how much to budget for when making the move to China. Throughout the country, there are a large variety of jobs available but the salary depends on which schools and institutions you work for as well as your own qualifications and experience. English teachers in China can expect to make between 6,000 - 16,000 RMB (currently $890 - $2,400 USD). Those teaching at an international school, however, can make up to 30,000 RMB ($4,400 USD). If you are a first-time teacher, you can expect to earn between...  [Read more]

Ulysses Brown Destinations China is a popular market for teaching English as a foreign language. That's why I also took the leap and moved to China to teach. Here are 5 of the main reasons why I went to teach English in China. I studied at a university with an enormous international student body. Many of these students became good friends of mine, Romanians in particular. Most of the people with whom I associated were friendly enough, and those that weren’t found their way outside of my personal circle of friends and acquaintances. So, it can, therefore, be concluded that the majority of my friends during university were from other countries, and if they weren’t from other countries, they were from other areas. There was a caveat to this,...  [Read more]

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Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I have been working in China for more than six months now and it’s been a very interesting time for me not just to learn more about the country and its people, but also to enrich my teaching skills and grow professionally as a teacher. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Evgeniya S. When I arrived in China, I hardly knew anything about specific features of teaching in that country, so I thought that the knowledge I had was quite enough to handle the classes in kindergarten or primary school. But since my first working day, I have often been surprised and even sometimes perplexed by what I have seen at kindergartens and schools in China. Many teaching techniques and methods that Chinese...  [Read more]

Ramon Perez Destinations Alumni Experiences The prospect of working in a foreign country can be an exciting experience for any person seeking a change a pace. Every country has a unique adventure to offer, and many times we ask ourselves, “Which is the right place for me?”. Here, we are going to discuss on how to gain access to the bountiful opportunities China has to offer for English language educators. Despite some strict governmental policies China has in place, the English language labor market is open to native and non-native speakers.   Before you can embark on your new and exciting journey to China, there are some steps we must follow before we are eligible to work there as a non-native English speaker. Take an...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences China is an incredibly popular country for English teachers. Teaching in China is in high-demand, and there are many perks to working in such a large country. Options include teaching children and adults privately, as well as becoming an instructor in public schools. If an English teacher decides to teach at a university in China, there are key considerations to learn about before making the move. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Priscila E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. At most public universities in China, public funding will limit the pay and resources available to English teachers. Wages are often less than private...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Destinations If you are interested in teaching English as a foreign language, it is probably not news to you that China offers some of the best opportunities in the world for teachers. The country has over 300 million English learners leading to an incredibly high demand for qualified teachers in all parts of the country. Teacher salaries are very lucrative, ranging between 6000 RMB and 12000 RMB per month, or around $1,000 to $2,000 US dollars, and added benefits such as paid housing and airfare make China a great destination for new and experienced teachers alike. However, you should be aware that a TEFL qualification is necessary in order to secure a work permit to teach legally in China. Find out more in our step-by-step guide...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences There are many behaviors and simple acts of conduct that may or may not be considered appropriate in any given circumstance or country. There are multiple examples for specific regions of this world. In this assessment, I would like to focus on China. Mandarin is the main language, within which there are multiple dialects. In a way, I can see a similarity between the English language and that of China. Taking the major English speaking countries of the world, that’s including the United Kingdom, United States, or any other speaker of English in the first language including Australia. Every country has words that if not in slang, are spelled, worded or pronounced differently. This leads me to the following...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences With English being one of the most widely used languages in the world, many individuals are learning English in China. The learners include children, businessmen, etc. Although the learners have their own reasons for studying English, there are three main problems that the Chinese learners face while trying to learn English. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ning G. The first issue is that learners pay too much attention to memorizing a new vocabulary while ignoring the phonetic symbols. In China, memorizing English words is the ‘standard ’approach to learning English. However, this learning approach is not a comprehensive technique for learning English. In the memorization-oriented...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Reviews & TESOL Reviews For ITTT, our community of students and alumni is the most important to us. That’s why we’d love to share what our course grads have to say! This will not only have others make a better decision in whether TEFL/TESOL is for them, but it will also help the ITTT community grow bigger and stronger! The below answers were given from real ITTT alumni who have agreed to share their thoughts for our blog section. Priscila Silva I'm from Brazil, currently living in China. I took TEFL/TESOL course because this course is highly demanded by schools and I chose ITTT because it is extremely well recommended by former students My favorite part of the ITTT course was to watch the videos, they were all really useful...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching profession is in fact, is out of my wildest dream when I was young. after completing my undergraduate studies major in marketing, I had worked in multiple fields and traveled to many countries which gave me chances to met a lot of a different kind of people, the local and foreigner.with the knowledge and experience gains throughout the time, I decided to retire from my current field and move on to China as my wife is from people of the Republic of China (PRC). This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Shao Y. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. I am Malaysian and now is the right time to stay close with my family there. At...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Destinations China is the largest EFL market in the world. Beijing is not only the country capital but also one of the fastest-growing cities in Asia and the world. Beijing is a commercial, educational and cultural hub in China and has a lot to offer to anyone coming to visit. On top of that, Beijing is home to thousands of foreign English teachers, many of whom are not ready to leave and have made the city their permanent home base. Beijing has been the capital throughout many of China’s dynasties resulting in a great number of historic attractions and sites to be explored in the city. The most important historic attraction is probably the Forbidden City, one of the largest palace complexes in the world. Visitors and locals...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching English is a challenging undertaking, and your students are looking to you for guidance. I am writing this summative to the reference to my teaching journey in China at a university. I was a master's student in English language and Applied linguistics at Central China Normal University. One day, I have been offered by the dean of the English department, if I can teach English in the department to some group of Chinese students. It was my first experience of teaching abroad and enthusiastically, I accepted and started teaching English. Therefore, I have taught the English language in various levels, ages, and different nationalities such as Africa, France, Bahrain, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Mongolia,...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Destinations TEFL Information Mainland China and Taiwan form a very large part of the Asian ESL market. There are obviously many similarities but also many differences. In this blog we will look at some of the major differences in job requirement in these two regions. It is said that there were around 100,000 foreign teachers working in China until recently, so that's a huge number. China is a vast country with huge demand for EFL teachers. There are opportunities at public schools, kindergartens, boarding schools, universities and international schools. However recent regulations have changed the Chinese EFL market drastically, so it's not as easy to find work as it used to be. Basically the government has placed...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The experience of living and working abroad for sure will give us another vision of the world. If you have been in China, enough you will learn to be more patient and tolerant. Live with another culture is not easy, and we learn how to be flexible. We are different, we live differently, our environment is different, our beliefs, our politeness, our food, etc. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ana P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. “Good morning, how are you today? “- They have never asked each other how are they? Instead, they ask “Ni chi le ma?” Did you eat? These people were starving for so many years, and the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In all, English has official or special status in at least 75 countries (with a combined population of two billion people). It is estimated that one out of four people worldwide speaks English with some degree of competence. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Karen B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Having lived in Asia for over 19 years, I have seen changes in the perception of English as a global language. There have been government interventions to curtail English usage in schools – in Malaysia, India, China, and Hong Kong for example. In 1908 Mahatma Gandhi, when talking of colonialism in India, said: “To give...  [Read more]

Joanna Dineva Destinations Alumni Experiences Traveling for me is more than seeing a tourist sight and snapping a picture for your social media. Traveling is the opportunity to explore the world, immerse myself in different cultures and connect with the people of those cultures. Teaching English abroad has allowed me to do just that. In late 2019 an opportunity presented itself for me to teach English in Beijing, China. I had never been to China before. I had never traveled to Asia before. Having an adventurous soul and nomadic heart that I have, I accept the offer without too much hesitation. At the time of writing this personal experience article, I have lived in China for approximately four months and would like to share...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences As an English teacher who has experienced both education systems in China, I feel uniquely qualified to answer this question. Based on my experiences, there are several major differences between public school and international school. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Di W. An international school provides a curriculum that is not the national curriculum of China. Instead, it may offer an international curriculum, such as the International Baccalaureate (within which there is the Primary Years Program - PYP, the Middle Years Program - MYP, and the IB Diploma Program - IBDP). IB is a transdisciplinary curriculum, there are six transdisciplinary themes for all the subjects. It means in...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences The following blog post is about an ITTT graduate who shares his story on how he found a passion for teaching English abroad after studying abroad in Taiwan. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joseph S. When I began my undergraduate education, I intended to pursue a Master's degree, likely in Industrial Psychology, and then a career in that field; most likely consulting. However, as a requirement for my Bachelor's degree I needed to study a foreign language. I had studied German for several years in High School, and thoroughly disliked it, so, I was very easily persuaded by the University's Chinese Professor to try out her class - what did I have to lose? She was very friendly and mentioned...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas If you think of Chinese ESL students it is safe to assume that most teachers would immediately worry about how they should teach phonics to Mandarin speakers. It is also true that the media has portrayed the Chinese accent as one of the most challenging to understand or even get rid of. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Graciela G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Usually, the first thing you will notice as an ESL teacher, speaking from experience, is the difficulty Chinese ESL students face when it comes to the pronunciation of certain English sounds. In this essay, I will address not only the most common but some of the most...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Destinations The Chinese education market has been growing for the recent ten years. As the country is getting more and more open towards the rest of the world, the demand for proper English training becomes ubiquitous. Compared to the Russian system, where English starts to be taught in primary school, in China, they try to include English as early as the nursery. The difference in culture, language structure, and the lack of proper training of the school staff open the doors to expats. If you find a position for an ESL teacher in China, chances are you get into a kindergarten. Two years ago, I found a teaching job in a private bilingual kindergarten chain in China. There were two main branches: a multiple intelligences...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In China, there is the option to teach in either private or public institutions. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Public institutions such as universities tend to be well resourced with time set aside for lesson planning but are less well paid than their private counterparts. Although this appears to be balanced, as those who work at the universities receive more benefits and a more generous holiday allowance that allows the university teachers to make the most of being in China with ample opportunity to explore. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Emma R. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. To teach at a university...  [Read more]

Anastasiia Ovchinnikova Visa and Legal Budget and Salary Destinations TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Starting a new exciting journey as an EFL teacher abroad can also be quite stressful, especially when you are taking your first steps in this profession. When you type in “Teaching jobs in China” you immediately see that the Internet is overloaded with “incredible” opportunities for teachers, including free accommodation, a 5-hour working day, salaries of more than USD 2,500 - all with “no teaching experience required”. Sounds incredible, right? Those companies are the death traps; they most likely won’t be able to guarantee you anything and don't care...  [Read more]