How Did I Get My Job In China
The Application Process
HOw did i get my job in china
The requirements
The requirements to become a foreign english teacher in china and in most foreign countries are pretty simple:
you must have a college degree: your major doesn’t matter; as long as you have a 4 year degree from an accredited school in an english speaking country, you are good. I was hired having a bachelor’s in Marketing.
You can’t have a criminal background: You can’t have any arrests (even minor arrests) in your current city of residence.
Be a citizen of an english speaking country: Countries like Australia, USA, England, Ireland, canada, and new zealand. I am sure there are more, but these are the ones that popped in my head.
You need a valid passport: This is self explanatory. You can’t travel to a new country without it.
Be ESL or TEFL certified: The most important one of them all except for not being a criminal is being Certified to teach English. You can honestly get hired as a foreign english teacher without having a college degree and just having a ESL or TEFL certificate. However, it’s just harder to find those Opportunities, because most schools require a degree. Tip: if you have an education degree or English degree, you don’t have to get certified.
Applying for a job
Getting hired to work for York English had many layers. I first had to do a lot of research on where to apply. I decided to go through an Teach abroad agency/travel company instead of applying for individual teaching jobs on my own.
Benefits of applying Through an Agency:
full support from application process to throughout your contract (great for first time Foreign English Teachers)
visa support/reimbursement
interview prep/support
Guaranteed job offer
documentation prep support
Housing provided (Usually free or stipend is offered)
flight Reimbursement
airport pick up
usually there’s in-country support throughout the contract
typically a private school that offers school materials & training
Drawbacks to using an agency:
high fee to apply (usually $900-$2000)
job opportunities Offer lower pay than the average schools
usually hired at a learning center vs an actual school
Work hours offered might be weird or longer than average school
Sometimes no housing support. Might have to find one on your own, but you can negotiate a housing Stipend sometimes with your new employer (imagine trying to find an apartment on your own in a new country? YIKES!)
I found a young lady on YouTube who was teaching abroad in Thailand and she went through a travel company called Green heart travel, a company that offers teach abroad programs, international internships and study abroad programs in various countries.
I applied for their China teach English abroad program. Why Did i decide go through them instead of applying for a job on my own? Well most importantly, What i loved about GreenHeart travel was that their china program was FREE to apply. Most third party agencies charge a hefty fee ($1000-$3000) to apply for a teach abroad program. Also, this will be my first time living/working abroad, i wanted FULL support from beginning to end. Doing this without an agency Can be hard If you don’t know what you’re doing. The school I was hired though provides all teachers with a free apartment, free medical care, flight and visa reimbursements, in-country support, airport pick up, training (so good if you have never taught before) and full visa process support. There are other Benefits that were offered which I didn’t want to lose out on.
Getting the job
Chinese Children at York English in China | photo Credit: Greenheart Travel
Once i submitted my application, someone from Greenheart Reached out to assist me with the rest of the application process. They helped me with my interview prep, which i aced and connected me to york english. My interview with York English was a video interview. We talked about the opportunity and living in China. I was asked questions about why I wanted to teach, my experience with teaching (if i had any; not required either), The interviewer gave me scenarios that typically occur in the classroom and asked me how I would respond or handle those classroom events, and if I had any questions to ask the interviewer. From there I waited two weeks for a response and was offered the job via email. After all the excitement, it was time to prepare my documents and apply for my visa. I will share that process in a later post.
As you can see the process to get a job in China is pretty easy, especially if you have all the requirements i mentioned above. I Chose to go through a third party company because of the support. I have never moved to a different country before; doing this all on my own would’ve been a nightmare. However, after speaking with a few people who have done this before, I will go out on my own the second time around because there is a potential to make more money applying directly with a school. I am so excited for this opportunity and my awaited adventure. See you in my next post!