Tefl.NET Forums

Hi,
I'm a UK university student hoping to spend some time in China over the summer. I ideally want a 4-6 week placement in Shanghai or possibly Beijing. I would like accommodation provided in addition to some kind of salary if possible. I've found a few sites which charge a considerable fee!

Whilst I don't have any formal ESL qualification I have several months worth of teaching experience in Hong Kong, where I taught all age groups at a few difference centres and schools. Can anyone recommend any placements or any websites which could meet my requirements?

Many thanks in advance.
Max

Four weeks is an awfully short time to undertake employment. You may as well just go for a holiday and enjoy the place as a tourist.

On the other hand, you could consider taking a year out altogether and immersing yourself in the culture while taking on a teaching contract.

Hi,

If I was you I would not consider getting a job in the TESOL industry until you had some TESOL teacher qualifications. You will find that, unless you have these type of qualifications under your belt many employers in the industry will not even consider you. Also having the qualifications behind you is good because it you gives the structure, and if the qualification is in the form of a degree offered by a tertiary instiution, the theoretical knowledge that you need when you are teaching.

Regards,

Hubert is wrong here. You will EASILY get a job in China without a TESOL (TESOL is a Mickey Mouse qualification anyway) as long as you are a native speaker with a bachelor's degree and preferably, experience.

Teaching is more about personality than 'theoretical knowledge'.

Yeh, I know from my experiences in HK that qualifications are not always prerequisites. I just need to find a programme or school that will not charge me £1000s (unlike a lot of projects I've found on the internet!).