What kind of jobs are available for TEFL teachers?

There are two main types of teaching positions available to ESL teachers in China. These two main types can then be sub-divided, mainly based on the types of students you might encounter.

Public schoolsare positions within government institutions such as primary schools, middle schools, high schools and universities. These positions are Monday to Friday jobs, where you will be teaching classes throughout the day. You won’t need to work weekends, unless the local education department asks that the school runs catch-up classes for a few special days or public holidays. Public schools always require you to teach to more students than with private schools. If you are at a university, you can expect to teach class numbers ranging from 25-50 students in one class. Chairs and tables are almost always in fixed positions, making communicative activities a little more challenging than with private schools, which have fewer students, open spaces and moveable chairs. Your classes will be mixed-ability, where some students will be very strong indeed, while others will require more time and support.

Private language centresare schools which help students to get better at English in their free-time, whether after school or out of office hours for adult students. Class sizes are far smaller so that students get more 1-2-1 time with the teacher to focus on language problems and the facilities in the school are much more comfortable. You will always be required to work weekends, as this is the time when school is out or full-time working adults have time to learn a language. You can also expect to work evenings too, often until 9pm. You will usually get one or two days off a week sometime during weekdays. One advantage that private language centres have over public positions is the training which you receive. Because private training centres compete with each other to provide the best language learning experience for students, it is important to them to make sure that their academic team is the finest locally. Most schools will have teacher training and development workshops as a regular part of your working hours, so you will grow and develop as an EFL teacher.