Have you ever wondered what it is like to work as an English teacher in China? Thousands of schools in Beijing advertise on the Internet offering attractive salaries and flexible working hours for native English speakers. Sounds like an amazing opportunity to gain some extra cash, right? Well, your perspective might change after you enter an office of a language school.
If you are a qualified English language teacher looking for a full-time job, then you are quite lucky. The process of getting a job is rather simple and most of the language schools provide visa sponsorship, accommodation and meals. You might even be offered airfare reimbursement.
If you are just a native English speaker without teacher’s qualifications, you still have a chance of getting a fulltime job in one of Beijing’s language centers. You can get 12,000-20,000 yuan ($1,817$3,028) per month, depending on your experience and university degree.
However, if you are just looking for a part-time position to earn some extra money in your free time, be prepared to undergo a long and painful process before your language school finally assigns you some students.
Signing a contract does not actually mean getting the job. It always depends on the students.
Most of the schools offer very expensive one-on-one tuition for students. In order to make sure that both the kids and their parents are satisfied with a new teacher, the school offers them a free demo class. This basically means that you will have to give the student a free 30-minute class before you get approved. Be ready to give several demos before you get a student – many Beijingers already know the system and enjoy walking from one school to another to get tester classes without charge.
As soon as you finally get your dream student, make sure you read the contract carefully. If you fail to meet all the teaching requirements, you will not be able to get the full compensation.
Were you more than 15 minutes late for your class?
Then you need to give a student an additional class without pay.
Did you cancel two classes this month? Well, in that case, half of your hourly rate would be deducted from the next two classes that you give.
In addition, do not expect to get your salary right after your first month of work. As schools are afraid that you might suddenly leave without notice, they usually keep your first salary as a “deposit” that will be returned to you at the end of your contract. Last but not least, do not attempt to talk to parents in order to make a good impression of a friendly foreigner. You are not allowed to contact them. Beijing language schools always panic if they see teachers approaching parents – since language centers serve as a middleman between the foreigners and Chinese parents they always suspect that you are trying to steal their customers.
It is a hard job, but if you are passionate about teaching and love children, give it a go. And remember the above tips and suggestions – being more careful will certainly make your experience more rewarding.
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