What are the requirements to become an esl teacher in china?

© babasteve Flickr Gone To China
© babasteve (Flickr)

To qualify to work in China the law in that country states that all teachers must have a university degree, hold a relevant teaching certificate and come from either the USA, Canada, the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia or New Zealand. Usually these rules are strictly enforced, although on occasion teachers from other countries do slip through the net and are given teaching positions, particularly in locations where positions are difficult to fill.

Most vacancies are found and filled online, recruiters place an ad usually on one of the many forums online that deal with this type of work and interested candidates send off their CV or resume. A current photograph must accompany your application, without it your application will go no further. The next stage will be an interview usually held over the telephone and often conducted by a recruiter whose first language is not English.

The clarity of your answers will determine whether or not your application reaches the next stage of the recruitment process. Once a candidate has been offered a position it is usually up to the individual to have a full medical, usually at their own expense. The medical is required to prove the candidate is not carrying any infectious diseases and they are healthy enough to work in the country. Once completed the results should be sent to the recruiter in China so that they can apply for your foreign experts certificate. This will result in a letter being sent inviting the applicant to apply for their working visa. This letter should then be taken to the Chinese embassy or visa application office in the country you are residing in to apply for that visa. There are two terms or semesters in a Chinese school year. They begin usually in September and March so the best time to apply is well in advance of these months. The process can take 2 to 3 months to complete.