Section I: Teaching English in China Index

Section I spans 20 broad categories comprising 39 chapters that cover everything you need to know about China's educational system, the EFL industry in China, EFL teaching jobs, remuneration, work environment, colleagues, and anticipated housing problems, as well as the various types of ongoing adjustment problems you can expect after a few months on the job.

Each section (A through U) can be read independently of the others, although those new to EFL teaching are advised to read them in the sequential order presented below. After reading sections A through C, you might want to take our Prospective Foreign English Teacher Self-Assessment Test to determine how competitive you can expect to be for English teaching jobs in China as well as how smooth or difficult your adjustment to China will most likely be.

Finally, the Mini-Checklist in the last section is intended to advise you of questions you should be considering when reviewing any job offer and the Comprehensive Summary provides the Reader's Digest version of the most salient points from Teaching English in China.

Initial Work Issues

1. Education System
• Structure of Educational System, A Day in the Life of Chinese Students and Foreign English Teachers
• EFL industry in China today
• What Do Foreign English Teachers in China Actually Teach?
2. China TEFL Primer
• English as an International Language
• English Language Teaching Terminology
• Special Linguistic Difficulties Faced by Chinese EFL Students
• Second Language Acquisition Theory and Chinese EFL Students
• Psychology of Motivation and Chinese EFL Students
3. Teaching oral English in China from a vocational, sociodemographic and personal perspective
4. Teaching qualifications, requirements and training
• Legal Qualifications and Requirements
• Teaching requirements currently in practice
• TEFL Certification Training Programs
5. TEFL Employment Opportunities and Remuneration
• School Types
• Salary and Pay Range, Can One Live Comfortably on a China TEFL Salary
• Income Tax, Sample Calculation of Income Tax
• Foreign Teacher Housing, Understanding the Quality of the Housing Provided
• Days Off and Paid Holidays, Golden Week Holidays
• Travel and Medical Benefits
• Contracts: SAFEA Contracts and Addendums
• Teaching Locations: City Size, Pollution, Regional Language Differences
• Teaching Subjects and in Fields Other Than English; Project 211 Universities
• How To Find and Apply for Jobs
6. Working on Tourist and Business Visas
7. How To Prepare For Your Arrival in China: Z-visa Information; What to Pack
8. What To Expect Your First Week or Two After Arriving in China

Ongoing Work Issues

9. Educational Milieu, Absence of Support Services
10. Last-Minute Scheduling Changes
11. Working Split-shifts, Weekends and Overtime
12. Office Hours and Other Free Work
13. School Provided Housing Problems
14. Office Politics: FAO, Chinese and Western Colleagues; Anti-Americanism
15. No Respect as a Foreign English Teacher in China
16. Outside and Other Employment
17. Teaching Contract Renewal
18. Changing Jobs and Moving in China
19. Concluding Remarks
20. Recommended Schools. Short list of schools run by people we personally know and can vouch for.
21. Summaries
• Mini-Checklist
  A brief 25-item checklist based on guide content with links to the corresponding chapter. Best for those who have already read the guide.
• Comprehensive Summary
  If you don't have time to read the entire guide, this comprehensive summary covers all the main points you need to know before looking for a job.