Steps to becoming a teacher in China

1 – 2 – 3 steps to becoming a teacher in China this year

Teaching in China is the adventure of a lifetime, and we’re here to help you get started.

We’ll ensure you work at a well vetted and safe school, get all the correct paperwork for your visa, and get to know other people in the same boat and get all the training you need.

Here’s a step by step look at the process

First of all – get in touch. Finding a school takes 3-4 months, and the best time to start is either in August, or in February.

Once you’ve completed a successfully interview – and made a short introduction video to send to schools – this is what will happen…

school allocation

We’ll do all we can to secure the placement that you prefer.

Placements in Shanghai are exclusively available on our Training and Support package that costs £400. You can find more info on the packages we offer here.

After you sign up with us, the video you record largely replaces the interview process. The video is 1-1.5 minutes long, and our key tips for it are:

approach the video as a job interview, and ensure you dress smart and that the audio and light quality are good
talk about your professional experience, your hobbies, and most importantly why you want to come to China, and why you are passionate about working with young people. Highlight any experience you have with teaching.
smile a lot and show your fun side.

legalising documents

It’s of crucial importance to us you get all your paperwork done properly and you can relax when you get to China.

This means that in thee months leading up to your placement, you’ll be doing work to get everything in place, but we’ll help you with it.

Legalising your documents is a key part of the visa process. It means that you prove that 3 documents you need for a Chinese work visa (degree or final year statement from your university, your TEFL certificate, and your DBS or background check) are all authentic. We’ll provide detailed guidance on this, and there are agencies that can legalise the documents on your behalf.

meetings and preparation

You won’t be on going on this journey alone. There is a community of new Impact teachers in exactly the same boat as you, and our goal is to make you feel as connected to them as possible. Through these in-person and online meetings and events, but also our WhatsApp groups, we strive to put you in touch with your future colleagues – future friends.

And all throughout your journey we will introduce alumni members who have lived and taught in all of the countries we offer programs. Their role is to provide training, offer advice, insight, and tell you the things you won’t be able to find out about online.

We were once teachers in China ‍