| Deciding where to teach is the most important decision | | | | China for a while. Find students by posting ads on web |
| you make after deciding to move abroad, but the | | | | sites or through personal connections you make while |
| options for teaching English can seem overwhelming. | | | | teaching. Students are readily available.5. Teaching for |
| Here is some guidance.1. Kindergartens: These can be | | | | a Recruiter: Being approached on the street by |
| mind-numbingly boring, and if you hate singing don't | | | | recruiters is a daily occurrence for a foreigner living in |
| apply. However, working with children is extremely | | | | China. They will take around 50 percent of the total |
| rewarding. The kids have almost no inhibitions and are | | | | salary, but working for a recruiter does have benefits: |
| very affectionate. Pay, in a large city such as Beijing, | | | | you are going to be working for public schools that |
| Shanghai or Guangzhou, is a minimum of RMB 150 | | | | can't afford a full-time foreign teacher.6. Business |
| (about $18) per hour and usually more, with little | | | | English Teaching: Teaching business English usually |
| preparation or outside work. This can be the highest | | | | requires a TEFL certification (which can be acquired in |
| paying teaching job available, but generally does not | | | | China or Thailand) and a heavy workload-more than |
| include rent or a plane ticket, and may require more | | | | the usual 15-20 hours a week with evening and |
| than 20 teaching hours a week.2. Boarding Schools: | | | | weekend hours. However, the students in this setting |
| Unlike their Western counterparts, boarding schools are | | | | are very eager to learn and work hard. The company |
| fairly common and spread throughout the countryside | | | | may provide lesson plans and should give a housing |
| surrounding large cities. Paying anywhere from RMB | | | | allowance in addition to the base salary of around |
| 4,000 to 9,000 (about $480 to $1,090) per month, | | | | RMB 8,000 (about $970) a month.7. Advanced Degree |
| including apartment and reimbursement for an | | | | Programs: If you have a master's degree, particularly |
| international flight upon completion of the contract, | | | | an MBA, you can make a good salary working as a |
| these are the best deal. Not only does the salary more | | | | professor for a master's degree program at a |
| than cover living expenses, it allows travel, with one | | | | university. The teaching load is light, but you will have to |
| month vacation for spring festival, two months for | | | | do lots of preparation for lectures, paper assignments, |
| summer, and two weeks' paid vacation. The younger | | | | exams, and hold office hours.8. Career Teaching: If you |
| the kids, the less marking but the more discipline | | | | are a career teacher you can make a good salary, |
| necessary. It is very important to go over your | | | | paid in foreign currency. You can save money and live |
| contract carefully, as it is in any teaching situation in | | | | like a king. The salary is up to $40,000 a year. |
| China, and talk to several former foreign teachers at | | | | Competition for these jobs is a lot fiercer than for the |
| the school. Perks can include free food and free | | | | other foreign teacher jobs. |
| Chinese lessons.3. Summer and Winter Camps: These | | | | For professional teachers, there are really two |
| are the best way to make some extra money while | | | | options: |
| traveling. Lasting from one week to one month, you | | | | 1) Private pre-college preparatory programs for |
| can make RMB 5,000 (about $600) for two weeks. | | | | Chinese students; |
| Although these are intense work environments, it is | | | | 2) American and international schools, where students |
| well worth it. Not only is it a great experience to | | | | are children of expatriates. |
| interact with kids, but you also get the chance to | | | | Working for universities is not lucrative and often does |
| spend time with Chinese teachers and college | | | | not pay for airfare, but usually includes room and board |
| students (like camp counselors). You can also consider | | | | and gives you the chance to work with students who |
| working at a camp during a holiday from your regular | | | | often have a fairly high level of English.Eve is a |
| job.4. Part-Time Teaching and Tutoring: This is | | | | freelance writer living in Brooklyn. |
| something you can generally do only after living in | | | | |