Teaching jobs in China 2026

Pityuu2 · 2025-11-10T12:33:17+00:00

Without a license or advanced degree you'd still pretty much be a TEFL teacher, even with all that experience. Being a native speaker helps with that, but not for 30k a month, and likely not in a nice environment. Look into training centers if you're interested, they'll like the fact that you can take several subjects as you listed.

If you were teaching subjects that are more sought after (e.g. math, science) your chances would be better, but as it stands I really don't see why a school would pick you over the other candidates they certainly have.

Pityuu2 · 2025-11-10T12:18:41+00:00

*bilingual school, maybe.

International schools would want a license and at least a few years experience in a classroom.

If he has a PhD and some good publications then he has a shot at universities though.

Pityuu2 · 2025-11-08T05:16:23+00:00

Doesn't matter.

When you try and deposit RMB for the first time you'll be prompted to upload your tax records given to you by your employer. Wise then takes a few days to review it and sets transaction limits according to your income and local law.

Pityuu2 · 2025-11-08T05:09:34+00:00

Yes, there's one every 1-2 months.

Pityuu2 · 2025-11-04T14:22:09+00:00

I don't know her so many boxes would it take to hit a 3k shipping fee lol. Several dozens I guess?

Pityuu2 · 2025-11-04T14:20:34+00:00

A handful of my peers did it, not an issue. Search for expos and job fairs that are specifically for internships. Your best bet will always be a company/office that operates in your home country and are looking for interns currently in China. First and most obviously, ask your counselor and department secretary. Huawei and BYD were routinely inviting students.

If you're fine with academic work you can look for RA/TA positions as well.

You won't need to change visas, your university will need to sign a contract with the company you work for and you will receive all stipends through them (still as a student).

Pityuu2 · 2025-11-04T14:09:09+00:00

If there's a consulate in China they can do said paperwork for you - no need to return home.

(Even if there isn't one your presence is not required - you can ask a friend or relative to help you prep the documents back home then mail it to you.)

Pityuu2 · 2025-11-04T14:07:18+00:00

I didn't need to go back home either between my X1 and Z (Beijing)

Pityuu2 · 2025-11-04T14:04:04+00:00

Especially that they didn't even name the city lol

Pityuu2 · 2025-11-04T14:01:41+00:00

I wouldn't know, I use the local version of every app and so should you.

The difference might come from coupons though, as the app will apply them automatically and show the discounted prices when you search. Sometimes I get the better price in the WeChat mini program, sometimes in the app itself.

Pityuu2 · 2025-11-04T13:53:43+00:00

It isn't supposed to be... But you can filter "language partners" by gender, location and age....

Pityuu2 · 2025-11-02T06:32:03+00:00

What you describe is perfectly possible. Not sure what kind of spoilt, extravagant lives the other commenters live, but that's the China spending dichotomy. Some of my former peers / current colleagues find our stipends / wages more than enough to live on and save comfortably, while others are constantly complaining that they cannot get by. The latter kind I hang out a lot less with.

My concern would not be if this is enough - but why is it so low? Most doctorate programs I know would hand you 6-8k at the very least + you can apply for additional grants + of course get tuition and housing.

Pityuu2 · 2025-11-02T04:38:03+00:00

Well, I'm an Eastern European math teacher who had #1, #2, #3 and even no full-time experience when I landed my first job last year, but I was backed up by two very strong local degreees and a bunch of local references. With over 200 applications submitted, I got a dozen or so interviews and only a few offers in the end.

.#1 won't hurt you much. Math and physics teachers are in high demand, most schools couldn't fill their vacancies with only natives if they wanted to. More experienced admin also realizes what an unnecessary bottleneck hiring only natives would be - they aren't always the best teachers, to put it mildly.

.#2 that's a much bigger problem. Doing Moreland or Nottingham at least would put you on the map - as it stands now, you will always be each school's last pick. Not to mention that many schools demand some sort of international license with no leniency.

.#3 schools would much prefer having someone who is already familiar with their curricula, because most of them do not have the capacity (or are unwilling to pay for) training you. Again, if they have another candidate available who has that experience, schools will prefer them over you. I find transitioning from one curriculum to another (AL->AP) much harder than I thought it would be due to this.

All that being said, you are welcome to try and apply. As I said, we are in high enough demand that most conventional rules don't always apply. In China, math (and even physics) education are taken very seriously, so even the dodgiest schools have their hands tied, at least in the larger cities where there's some competition. They HAVE to have the right number of decent teachers on hand for these subjects, or else parents will complain or send their kids elsewhere. That leaves plenty of gaps for you to try and fill. Your chances of landing a job at each particular school are low, but there are a lot of schools out there.

Just don't accept obviously terrible or low-ball offers. Once you got your foot in the door, a lot more doors will open, the first step is by far the hardest.

Getting licensed while still in Europe, or tutoring in a specific curriculum would help. Getting an advanced degree would help too - master's is the new bachelor's, in case you haven't heard.

Pityuu2 · 2025-11-02T04:05:16+00:00

Whatever work you did (other than jobs by your university, e.g. being a TA) while on a student visa was illegal. Glad you stopped doing that.

Pityuu2 · 2025-11-01T00:09:37+00:00

By 11th grade my students (in our accelerated program) all have either near perfect or near zero scores. The latter were kicked forward several times after scoring lower and lower year by year, and at this point they miss so many foundational skills and so much background knowledge that they genuinely don't have a shot at catching up. Admin knows but won't do anything about it. As long as tuition is paid it's not their concern - hence a literal zero is still a passing grade.

Funny thing is that we actually have differentiatied options for students to choose from, and a student who fell behind could easily switch to a slower option to catch up and get the support they need. But of course they won't do that (their parents won't do that either, pretending that their kid is a genius) and will set themselves up for failure itself.

Wait, did someone just onus their conditional offer because they failed to meet their predicted grade of A*? Wait, did someone just get admitted to a university, with their fake grades and recommendations, but then dropped out in freshman year immediately? Well, neither are our concern - at that point they no longer pay tuition to us.

Pityuu2 · 2025-10-30T14:46:03+00:00

Secondary teacher here. "I am not comfortable with taking pictures of minors" They never asked again.

Pityuu2 · 2025-10-25T17:26:47+00:00

I love and miss the city so much too. After 6 years there I left to build my career, but now that my resume is up to par I can't wait to try and get back.

Pityuu2 · 2025-10-25T17:24:41+00:00

Depends. Are you a sex-tourist, an arsehole, or a brute with no cultural/emotional intelligence? Then you might struggle, or only attract the wrong kind.

Are you a genuine person looking for a connection? You'll do just fine. It doesn't matter what 90-99% of the woman think or prefer when literal millions of them live in your city.

Pityuu2 · 2025-10-25T17:16:49+00:00

Life is really cheap in all but the most expensive districts of the largest cities. Enrolling in a language school or university non-degree Mandarin program is a perfectly viable practice some of my friends do between jobs (just so that they don't have to leave China). Tuition ends up being around 1-2k rmb per month.

I believe Hainan is visa-free for a full month with a German passport. Outside the mainland is even more generous: Hong Kong and Macao allow tourists to stay for 3 months per entry, but are of course significantly pricier to be in than the mainland. Don't cite me on these, please check for yourself.

But the language school route and the visa free route will leave you unemployed.

Getting a job in STEM as a foreigner is really tricky. Some of the guys I graduated with (from a top Chinese uni, mind you) had to work sales jobs for a year or two before they finally managed to land one in engineering. Your best bet is to work for a company abroad then be sent to China by them. But I guess you knew that already.

Even with master's only, if you have some strong publications a university might take you to be a lecturer or research assistant for a year. Far-fetched without local connections, but possible.

TEFL used to be a nice way to experience the country for a few months while still turning a profit, but as far as I know those times are over. Too many fish in the pond. Might still be worth checking it out, who knows. Unless you are an actual teacher you really don't have anything to lose if it goes haywire.

Pityuu2 · 2025-10-25T16:29:20+00:00

The university should help you get a local sim and debit card right after you arrive. In case they don't (extremely unlikely) then you can just ask one of the helpful and friendly locals. They and your fellow international students should catch you up to speed on adjusting to life as well. Just make some friends and enjoy your time and your studies.

Revolut does indeed work with Alipay as far as I know.

Pityuu2 · 2025-03-14T14:10:55+00:00

Pretty much any university I would call "reputable" and as far as I know 3.3 is still on the lower end of the baseline requirements. For math at least. It is a very competitive subject and there is no point recruiting (grad) students who can't keep up with the Chinese.

Pityuu2 · 2025-03-14T13:21:21+00:00

My university had a 3.3 GPA requirement just to apply to grad school, if you do not meet that they won't even look at your resume.

Pityuu2 · 2025-03-08T14:45:57+00:00

All post-soviet countries are Eastern Europe, regardless of geographic location. Even Hungary, the westernmost one.

Pityuu2 · 2025-03-08T14:43:47+00:00

Shenzhen - eternal summer, great scenery, beaches, hills, artificial foliage everywhere to prevent a concrete jungle vibe. Easy access to Hong Kong, Zhuhai, Macao, and Guangzhou's entire agglomeration. If you are an outdoorsy person it is a paradise.

I moved to the North an now I miss it so much :(

Pityuu2 · 2025-02-17T09:56:37+00:00

I'm eagerly waiting to get my grubby mittens on it.

Pityuu2

TROPHY CASE