Teaching jobs In China: get Paid $2,900 / Month With a legitimate school

teaching jobs in China are very easy to come by these days, but finding a legitimate school – one that pays on time, helps you obtain the proper visa and actually does things by the book – is very difficult. The Internet is flooded with tempting ads from shady recruiters and schools in China promising the world, but when teachers arrive, too typically they are let down by their employers.

We had a couple of teaching jobs in China during our year spent in the country. Both were at Shane English schools in Yangzhou. We’ve said it many times on this blog, we loved the school and can’t recommend it enough.

IMPORTANT NOTE: We are not officially recruiters for schools in China and while the school does pay us to help them bring teachers to the school, our commission is never taken from teacher’s salaries. We recommend this school and this school only because we worked for them personally and trust them 100%. If you are talking to recruiters about other teaching jobs in China and they tell you there is a fee for their services, please look elsewhere. You should never pay to find teaching jobs in China. Also, make sure that the school you go with pays for your flights, offers insurance, pays teachers on time and helps you obtain the legal Z-visa to work in China.

Our English teaching jobs in China

We completed a one year contract with Shane English school and not only were we always paid on time, we were refunded the full cost of our return flights to China, the school covered the cost of our lovely 1 bedroom apartment, they paid for our health insurance, gave us regular bonuses and even gave us free Mandarin language lessons.

By the time our contract was complete, Dariece and I had saved over $20,000! The cost of living in Yangzhou and Shaoxing is so low, plus we had very few expenses because the school was paying for our accommodation, so we were able to save enough for a year of travel after a year of work.

The best part is that during that year we only worked around 15-20 hours per week! As far as teaching jobs in China go, Shane school was about as good as it gets.

Of course, that’s not as good as what we earn now as travel bloggers, but this was before we really grew our blog and it was enough to pay for our travels, which is all we ever asked for. plus we had a blast the entire time.

We loved our time in Yangzhou. We became close pals with the other teachers (both foreigners and locals), enjoyed the city and learned a lot about Chinese culture. Plus, the food was amazing!

So why am I writing about this experience nearly 4 years after we finished our teaching jobs in China? because the other day Shane English school contacted Goats On The Road, knowing that we have many English teacher readers, and asked us to help them fill twelve teaching positions by the end of the year.

We’ve written a lot on this blog about how terrific our experience with Shane English school was and because of that, we’ve had hundreds of people emailing us asking us if we can help them get a job. So far we’ve helped quite a few teachers get hired there, but it’s always been one teacher at a time.

This is the first time that Shane English school has had so many teaching jobs in China that need to get filled. This is because they are expanding rapidly. Not only have English teachers around the world realized that they can trust Shane English School, but they are becoming one of the most trusted schools for parents and students in China.

Requirements For English teaching jobs in China

Before going any further I think it’s important that I list the requirements for these teaching jobs in China. There are not very many, but they are 100% required in order to get the job. These regulations aren’t put forth by Shane English School, in fact, the government requires these to be true for all teaching jobs in China.

Please do not apply for these teaching jobs in China if you do not:

Have a passport from USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, new Zealand

Have a university Bachelors degree (in any subject)

Speak English as a first language

That’s it. If you meet these requirements, please click the button on the bottom of your screen to apply.

If you do not have a TEFL certification, that is okay. The school will put you through a TEFL certification program once you’re in China and pay for it 100%.

Although teaching experience is preferred, it is not required by Shane English School. They offer an extensive 2 week training program to help teachers get accustomed to the curriculum and lesson structure before actually teaching a class.

About These teaching jobs in China

Shane English school is looking to fill 12 positions for English teachers at their schools in Yangzhou and Shaoxing. They have other schools all across the country, but for these particular teaching jobs in China, the positions are only at their Yangzhou and Shaoxing branches. We loved our time in Yangzhou because it was not a very touristed place, but it still had plenty of restaurants, parks and amenities.

How much Do These teaching jobs in China Pay?

Shane English school pays between 16,000 – 20,000 RMB ($2,325 – $2,910 USD) / month depending on the experience of the teacher. There are also regular bonuses for retaining students. When we were teaching in China, we frequently received bonuses of over $100 for retaining our students (meaning, they signed up again to be in our classes).

You will also receive a 3,000 RMB ($435) contract completion reward after you finish the first full year of teaching.

Will The school pay for My flight To & From China?

Yes. Shane English school will reimburse you for the cost of your flight to China and back home after you arrive in the country. When we worked there, the school also helped teachers out with loans so that they could pay the damage deposit on their apartment.

Will The school have a Valid contract in English?

Yes. Shane English school produces valid legal contracts for the teaching position in ENGLISH for you to sign upon arrival. There is nothing shady in the contract and everything is straightforward, though I do recommend you read it over should you be hired by the school.

How many work hours Are required For These teaching jobs in China?

Your contract with Shane English school will state that you will not work more than 30 hours per week maximum. In our experience with the school, we never worked more than 15 – 20 hours per week and the school was very good about helping us choose classes and hours that worked for us. You will work a maximum of 5 days per week with 2 days off every week to explore… guaranteed.

Do I have To speak Mandarin To get Hired For teaching jobs in China?

Absolutely not. In fact, you are prohibited from speaking Mandarin in the classroom. These are full English immersion schools so you do not have to speak any Chinese language in order to be an English teacher in China. However, the school will pay for you to take Mandarin language classes if you so choose.

Will The school pay for a nice apartment For Me To live In?

Absolutely. The school not only pays you enough to get a nice, modern apartment for the duration of your stay in China, but they also drive you around and help you find a place that suits you best. Our apartment was a short walk / bike ride away from the school, was clean and modern and very near to a stunning green park, mall and lake.

First arriving at Our apartment in Yangzhou China
Will The school help Me obtain a Valid work Visa (Z-Visa)?

Yes. It is illegal to work in China without having a valid working visa. If you are looking for other teaching jobs in China and they are telling you that you don’t need a z-visa, then they are telling you to work illegally in China. If you were to be caught teaching English in China without a z-visa, you would be deported. Shane English school helps every teacher get the z-visa and they pay for it 100%.

Will Shane English school assist Me With a new Life in China?

Yes. In fact, Shane English school goes one step further than any other school in China that I know of. When we worked there (and still today), there is a “Foreign welfare Advisor” (FWA) who helps you with every aspect of life in China. I’m not kidding! When we taught in Yangzhou our FWA was Standy, an incredible guy who did everything for us. From helping us to order Chinese food to paying our bills, he was our full-time 24 hour assistant.

Meet Standy. Not many teaching jobs in China come with a personal assistant!
Aside from working in some big office downtown, I don’t know many jobs that come with a full-time assistant. Standy was also our best pal during our time in China. He came out partying with us, he taught us about the culture and he helped us assimilate into life in China.

Can I also accept Tutor teaching jobs in China on the Side?

The principal of Shane English school is very open to teachers taking tutoring jobs on the side although she usually requests that you find your clientelle outside of the Shane customers as they have their own extra classes available. Tutoring jobs in China generally pay around $20 – $30 / hour.

If you’re from Canada or USA and want to teach English online, I highly recommend checking out VIPKID. As long as you have a TEFL certificate and a degree (in any field), you can teach English online from anywhere in the world and earn $22 / hour! If you accept one of these teaching jobs in China from this post, you could also teach online on the side to earn extra money.

Since you only work around 20 hours / week at these teaching jobs in China, you could teach online 20 hours per week as well and earn around $4,600 / month in China!

What is the City of Yangzhou Like?

Yangzhou is a lesser visited place in China, but there are still plenty of wonderful sites. There are terrific grocery stores, some lovely parks and a charming “old town” in its core. It’s also very close to main Chinese attractions like Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou and it’s well-connected by a bullet train.

When we lived in Yangzhou, we spent our time cycling around our neighbourhood, going out to delicious Chinese restaurants, hanging out with our pals (mainly the other teachers – both Chinese and foreign), and going out to bars at night.

With a population of 4.4 million (small for eastern China) the city is busy enough that you never feel bored, but quiet enough that you don’t feel overwhelmed by the population (like you would in Shanghai or Beijing).

The climate is nice during the spring, summer and fall, but gets cold and snowy in the winter. Still, the city is stunning in the winter, with the snow twinkling on the temples of the old town.

What is Shaoxing Like?

Shaoxing sits on the south end of the Yangtze Delta about 350 km south of Yangzhou and has a history far older than that of Yangzhou. The natural scenery in Shaoxing is sublime and while it has a population of 4.3 million people, the varied landscape of rolling green hills and clear rivers make it a very serene place.

The school is Shaoxing is run by the same people who run the school in Yangzhou, so you can expect the same level of professionalism and legitimacy. They also have a terrific group of foreign and Chinese teachers there.

What is The cost of Living Yangzhou & Shaoxing?

One of the best parts about these particular teaching jobs in China is that they are in inexpensive cities. While bigger cities like Shanghai, Suzhou and Beijing are much more expensive, Yangzhou and Shaoxing remain wonderfully affordable. When we worked for Shane English school in Yangzhou, they didn’t pay as well as they do today, and we still saved $20,000 in one year (without working any side jobs).

The chart below was created by Shane English school to compare the cost of living between Philadelphia and Yangzhou. I think that the numbers for Philadelphia are very conservative and still you can see how low-cost Yangzhou can be.

Taking into account the fact that Shane school gives you enough housing allowance to pay for your 1 bedroom apartment and your bills, and they cover a lot of your transportation costs to and from school, you can see how much you could save at these teaching jobs in China even if you’re not living very frugally.

In the above chart, it says that the monthly cost in Yangzhou (same in Shaoxing) would be $630 / month. This would be a very generous budget because the school pays for your housing and transport, but even if you spend $630 / month in China and you’re earning $2,910, that would mean you would save over $27,000 in the year. That’s plenty to pay for a year (or two) of travel!

If I like The teaching jobs In China, Can I Stay?

If you finish your first year contract with Shane English school and you want to stay longer, generally the school is very happy to have you sign another contract. As long as you prove that you take the job seriously, you should have no problem staying for another year (or indefinitely). many teachers stayed for multiple years while we were teaching at Shane and that’s a good sign of how terrific the school is.

The best part is that generally if you stay on for a second contract, you will get a big pay raise because the school won’t have to pay for your flights and training again. one of the teachers who started at the same time as us stayed with Shane for many years and eventually became the academic manager making very good money.

How Do I apply For These teaching jobs in China?

It’s really quite simple to apply. All you have to do is email me and I will help you get the job. You will have to attach the following documents to the email:

Your Resume / CV (Don’t worry if you don’t have teaching experience)

Your Passport (MUST be from USA, Canada, Australia, new Zealand, UK, Ireland or South Africa)

Your university degree (MUST be a Bachelor’s degree in any field)

That’s it!

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