Work Abroad in China - FAQ's

Unfortunately, due to local visa regulations for English teachers, only passport holders from the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa (for China only), can be considered for our job openings.

Due to visa regulations, we can only hire teachers on 12-month contracts. To teach English with EF, you must be willing to live and work abroad for at least a year. We have also found that it will give you enough time to travel, explore, learn about the local culture and settle in!

Successful applications will receive a call or email from one of our recruiters within 78 hours of applying.

Yes, you must have a Bachelor’s degree to teach abroad with EF due to local visa regulations. Without a Bachelor’s degree, we are unable to consider your application. However, if you obtain a bachelor's degree within the next 4-6 months, you can also start the process early. Thank you for understanding.

We hire all year round, but we recommend you apply as early as possible to give you more choice about locations and starting dates.

No. We never use Chinese in the classroom. Don’t worry if you think that sounds strange; when you do our sponsored TEFL course it will become clear how we do this. Most cities in China have English road signs and English metro stations. Many restaurants have menus in English, and if they don’t they generally have pictures. Learning some basic survival Chinese when you arrive, such as addresses for taxis and some types of food is recommended though just to make things a bit easier. In most large cities you can even order food using apps in English.

Yes. Previous teaching experience is not necessary but is valued if you have it. We will give you all the skills you need to help you feel confident standing in a classroom. As long as you have a Bachelor’s degree in any subject we can help you with the rest.

No! EF provides full-time, salaried teaching jobs in China and Indonesia. Although this is a job that offers full training and support, you are not required to pay to participate in the program. Instead, we will do our best to help you relocate to your new country. We will pay for your first two weeks of a hotel stay and cover some of your visa costs. In many cases (depending on location) we will even pay for your flight upfront.

It shouldn’t be too difficult to adjust; we have a community of over 2000 teachers in China who help and support each other. We have our own social network where teachers can ask questions and look for assistance. Along with that, we organize social and cultural events for our teachers, most of which are free, to help them meet other teachers and to understand Chinese culture.

If you teach kids and teens, you can expect to teach up to 20 hours per week. These 20 hours will be spent in class teaching, and you will spend the rest of your time in school lesson planning, providing student feedback and sometimes helping students. Your working week is usually five days, with two consecutive days off. Your weekend days will not be Saturday and Sunday, as you might be used to, but two weekdays which is standard in the industry. In your first year, you will also have 10 days of annual leave, as well as 11 days of national holidays. This will give you enough time to take short trips on your days off and travel during your vacations.

This depends on your lifestyle. Your salary is paid in the local currency which is way above the local average. You should have enough to save money, pay student loans, travel, eat out a few times a week, and enjoy a good social life. Take a look at the cost of living in China to learn more. If you share an apartment with other teachers and eat Chinese food, you will have more left than if you have your own place and eat western style food every night.

Although some schools in the smaller cities provide housing, on the whole, EF doesn’t. While housing can be a concern for most of our new teachers, we have found that it is better if you get to choose your living situation. If you prefer to live alone, you can live alone. If you prefer to save money and live with roommates, you are free to do so. You can choose where you live, who you live with and choose to live in the part of town that you like. When you arrive, we will provide two weeks of hotel stay for you, so that you have time to house hunt.

During your onboarding training, you will have a session on housing, so that you know what to look for, and we’ll put you in touch with English-speaking housing agents so that you can find the right place for you.

Yes, we do. EF offers three types of insurance. We work with two companies to provide health insurance to all of our teachers. Our insurers have a standard package, which is a little cheaper. The standard package allows you to use public hospitals and health centers, and you will be reimbursed for any treatment. The premium package requires you to contribute more. However, this insurance policy will cover the cost of most international medical centers. EF will match your contribution each month, and the insurance will be deducted from your salary automatically.

It is a company requirement that all teachers are covered by medical insurance. You can choose to use your own medical insurance, but you will be required to show us that you have one in place when you arrive. It is a requirement that, as a minimum, coverage matches that of the standard package EF offers.

Don’t worry, everybody has questions. It’s understandable. The best thing to do is apply so that we have all your details and can make sure you meet the visa requirements. Once we know that, one of our recruiters will contact you for an initial chat before moving to the interview. This is the best time to ask those questions; others can be asked at the interview.