“What do you want to be when you grow up?” used to be my favourite question, the possibilities were endless: astronaut, singer, cowboy.
But now it’s “what are you going to do after graduation?”, a question all graduates dread. This is usually accompanied by a mild sense of panic and long stream of internal questions such as “What am I going to do with my life?” and “How am I an adult already?”. In reality, all we do is put on a fake smile and reply something generic such as “I’m not quite sure yet” while we go back to trawling pages of graduate jobs and master’s degrees that we don’t really want to apply for. However, if you’re fed up, and you’re looking for a way to gain real life experience while learning key employability skills (and would love to confidently answer that dreaded question with “I’m going to teach English in China”) then keep reading.
China is a beautiful ancient country but is also developing at a phenomenal rate, which means that English language skills are incredibly desirable. Therefore, top Chinese schools are on the hunt for the best graduates to teach high-quality English lessons to children. In a 12 month placement, you could learn mandarin, travel all over China, gain work experience and add international teaching experience to your CV. You will also earn a good salary, which would be at least three times the average Chinese salary. Picture this, in less than a year, you could be living and working in China, having the experience of a lifetime.
Typically, native English speakers teach for 15-23 hours per week and students in China usually have 3 English lessons per week. For 2 of these, students are taught English by a Chinese native English teacher, following the curriculum and a textbook, and concentrating on written English. The remaining class is taught by a foreign TEFL teacher, which could be you. As a foreign TEFL teacher you would support the students’ written lessons, applying the vocabulary students have learned to new and creative exercises. So your new job would include planning fun and appropriate lessons, attending faculty meetings and all of the school’s western-themed cultural events.
So graduates, there is no need to fear, there are amazing opportunities out there, many of which you won’t have even considered. If travelling the world, getting life experience and sharing your native language (all while earning a good salary and gaining key employability skills) sounds appealing to you, then visit our blog ChinaTEFLer for more information. Best of luck!
Interested in working in China and want to find out more? Our UK agency ensures that schools are up to top standard and provides an additional layer of protection and reassurance when negotiating issues with your Chinese school. To find out the latest vetted and quality assessed top providers in China check out nooneliterecruitment.com/teach-english-in-china.
