Finding a teaching job in China is easy, but before you accept a school what would you do? “Teaching China.net” will help you with the following.
1) Location
Research your location well. This means checking out the city so you can consider whether it is how you imagined the city to be. Beyond size, geographical location, weather and beauty, one of the most important things you can research about the city is how clean the air is. Do the publicity photos show a city disappearing into a foggy soup? Can you find articles or blogs about its air problems? Living in the most polluted cities can be a little harder on your body. The toughest stuff to breath and the best for shortening your lifespan comes from coal burning.
Checking out location can also mean looking into the street location of the school itself. Is it near the center? Is it near a bus or metro that goes into the city? Is it located within easy access of a major road? Ask the person you're dealing with in the hiring process about this, and if they can give you a map, that's even better. Some schools in China are practically islands, and if you're there you will end up spending most of your time on campus and with few things to do.
2) Administration
It's hard to qualify exactly how well a school is run, but treatment of their teachers is obviously going to be important to you. You can found out by how they treat you during the hiring process. Are they going out of their way to help you along? Are they warm and welcoming? Will they have staff to help you out once you arrive in China? Is there more than one person there who speaks English? If possible, ask to speak to a native speaking teacher or two at the school. This is very important. Communication with other westerners is easier than with Chinese, and most will honestly tell you what they like about the school, what the life is like, and some of the usual small complaints. If administration refuses to let you speak to other native teachers, this should raise some red flags.
3) Recruiters
Recruiters can be very helpful in finding the teaching job you want. You can give them your qualifications and the desired locations and salary scale, and they can start mailing you job openings. Find Work Abroad is a kind of reliable recruiter you can trust.
4) Pay and benefits
If you spend some time perusing the job openings, and especially if you have already worked a few teaching jobs in China, you can get an idea of what salary levels are like and what your experience counts for. Make sure not to get less than you're worth. Unless you are teaching in a tiny village, even the lower range shouldn't be below 6,000 RMB a month these days. Larger and more modern cities should be around 8000-10000RMB and more for corporate work or all-day work. Don't be afraid to negotiate, especially if you've got extra qualifications or experience. Better schools will also offer yearly bonuses and pay at least part of the airfare.
5) Know about your visa Before you accept the job
make sure you know what kind of visa you will get? A business visa or a working visa and who will pay the bill if you renew your visa? In order not to have any trouble you also should understand that what documents you must prepare when you apply for a visa.
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