Why Teach in China?
From ancient temples and natural wonders to purpose built cities and stunning skylines, it’s not hard to see why China is becoming an increasingly popular destination for both tourists and expats.
The rapid economic growth of recent years has given rise to an extraordinary period of cultural transformation; today temples lie between tall buildings, street stalls line the way to giant malls and tuk tuk’s queue behind supercars, making now a more fascinating time than ever to visit China.
With development has come a surge in the demand for learning English and with a population of 1.36 billion, it’s no surprise that the Chinese market for foreign teachers is the largest in the world. Schools all over the country are looking for native speakers to help inspire and build the confidence of their students, creating exciting opportunities for those looking to teach English abroad.
Below, we outline some of the key benefits of teaching English in China:
Boost your CV
It’s no secret that nowadays international work experience is highly valued and is something that is sure to stand out on your CV. China’s increasing global importance makes any related experience or knowledge extremely relevant and could well help you get ahead in your chosen career!
Whether or not you wish to pursue a teaching career, teaching English in China is sure to equip you with numerous skills that are important to employers in many different industries.
Unlike many other countries, in China foreign teachers are responsible for planning and teaching their own lessons to large groups of students. Although this may be a daunting prospect, it demonstrates being able to step outside of your comfort zone and will help you develop your public speaking, leadership and organisation skills to name a few.
The skills you gain from teaching and living in a vastly different cultural setting lend themselves well to all kinds of career paths and such an experience will certainly not go unnoticed!
Discover a Different Culture
Living and working in China gives you the unique opportunity to live like a local and truly immerse yourself in the culture. Whether it’s getting your breakfast from a street seller or spending your Saturdays at a karaoke bar, you will soon create a routine and pick up habits from the locals that make your experience memorable. Your colleagues will likely want to get to know you and help you explore your city, giving you the perfect opportunity to learn and see China through a local’s eyes.
You will soon discover that living and working in China will teach you more about the culture than any textbook could!
Get a Taste of Teaching
Though our placements are designed to suit people wishing to go down any career path, they are a fantastic opportunity for you to discover if teaching is for you. This hands on and immersive experience gives you a taste of what it’s like to be a teacher without having to commit to a long-term qualification.
If the experience helps you decide you do want to pursue a teaching career, it will certainly help you gain valuable skills and experience that will help a future Teach First or PGCE application. Many of our teachers have decided to go down this route and teaching in China has helped them secure a place.
Make a Difference
Chinese students hold a great deal of respect for their teachers and really appreciate being able to learn from a native speaker of English. They tend to really enjoy the foreign teacher classes, as the ideas and activities you bring to the class differ greatly from those of their Chinese teachers and provide them the opportunity to learn in a more interactive way.
Any context you can bring to their learning, such as role plays or photographs of your life at home, will grab the attention of the class and be a source of great interest. As much as you are there to teach them the language, you are also there to teach them about your culture and this is something students really appreciate hearing about.
Through your teaching methods and ideas, you can make all the difference to your students’ progress and the excitement and energy they bring to your lessons make the experience extremely rewarding.