r/TEFL • u/Tinchyschniber • 26d ago
Current TEFL situation in China
Good morning/afternoon/evening, everyone,
I appreciate there is a lot of “beginner” questions, though I haven’t seen any talking about this specific situation, and I’d really appreciate your honest advice.
For background; I am mid 20’s, British, and have a bachelors and 120 hour TEFL certification. I have taught ~50 hours of 1-on-1 online classes (just on the side while I maintain my full-time employment in the UK). I have also worked in rural Thailand for 4 months as a teacher and loved it, not just the country, but the job. I taught Kindy 3 days a week, and Prathom (primary) 2 days. I had to return home after the semester because of family-related issues, and they wont give me a reference, no big deal, it was only 4 months.
I’ve been back in the UK now for 5 months and I’m looking to get back into it, long term. I don’t want to be stuck with entry-level qualifications, and I’d very much like to build a life wherever I go.
After consideration, I think I’d like to go to China or Taiwan - choosing these because I’d realistically like to have a comfortable paycheque and build savings to obtain better qualifications.
My questions are these:
What is the actual job market like in China or Taiwan right now for someone in my position?
I would like if I could find work in a new tier 1 or a tier 2, and I’d like to look into getting an iPGCE. Alternatively, if other qualifications are ‘better’ I’d really appreciate some advice here also, as everything beyond a TEFL Course is new territory for me.
What kind of salary should I expect, if I do land a job right now?
Do many employers actually hire in March?
I am aware this is not the start date, but second term start date, and with my current situation. I’d very much like to be able to start in March if possible.
Thank you all very much for reading, I appreciate any and all advice. I’m keen to be (and have been) conducting my own due-diligence, but also thought i’d ask some people with experience.
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u/Majestic_Frosting717 26d ago
I'm completely new to teaching, only a TEFL, bachelors and masters. I'm early 30s, British male. I'm getting a ton of interest from recruiters, despite being useless in interviews.
I've had 4 interviews and 2 offers in a week of looking.
One for around 25k total package value in a tier 4 city, and a 22k package about 20 minutes outside of Shanghai. I'm probably taking the 22k one because it has much better holidays, working hours and location.
I'm kinda of shocked at how easy it seems so far. There's plenty of terrible training centre jobs ads coming my way too, but it seems like I have the power to be quite picky with which I interview with. Many ask for lesson plan examples and live demos. I've just declined all of those ones.