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Best Places to Teach English in China

By Geddy Gee
Teaching English in China and how to select the best places from Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and more
Teach English in China
Denny Ryan | Unsplash

China is one of the most exceptional countries in the world, no matter what’s your perspective on it. In the last couple of decades, the country has experienced massive economic and educational growth. At the same time, it is important to say that it wouldn’t be possible without the collaboration with rest of the world.

For instance, Chinese people have been learning English for the last couple of decades. In fact, the country was known for its countless private and public schools that focused only on providing the locals with this knowledge. So, nobody should be surprised with this place is among the best places to teach English in the world.

We are talking about a vast country, with more than a billion population. Therefore, there are countless places where you can live and teach English. However, we want to provide you with a list of the best places for you to go when you have this goal in mind. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best places in China for teaching English.

Shanghai

Shanghai, as the financial heart of the country, is definitely the best place for you to start your journey. Naturally, you can always move to another city if you find the lifestyle there to be too fast for you, which is a common occurrence. Nevertheless, we still believe that this is the best place for you to start teaching English in China.

Most people can recognize the city because of the famous image of the biggest skylines in the world being in this city. We are talking about a modern city, filled with possibilities both for foreigners and locals to work. When you take a look at the number of English teaching schools here, you will see why this is the case.

Naturally, those who choose to come to Shanghai will see that this is a city with a high standard of living. At the same time, it is a place where you can enjoy countless activities. We are talking about the biggest city in the country, even though it is not the capital. Therefore, Shanghai is the way to go.

Beijing

The country’s capital, with its 20 million population, is definitely among the best choices you can make when you want to come to China and teach English. One of the most important reasons why so many foreigners choose this place is due to the high salaries, which are much higher than other places in the country.

Beijing is filled with a lot of English schools, and the need for employing foreigners is never ceasing. According to a certain study published back in 2018, we can see that the city had almost 10k foreigners living there whose job was to teach English. Of course, the need is not so high these days, but it is not nearly as low as some would think.

Therefore, many foreigners with this set of skills can easily find a job here. What needs to be said is that the level of skills required for this job has increased over time. So, if you don’t have a master’s degree in English, then we would recommend you seek employment in some smaller cities in China.

Shenzhen

Shenzhen is one of the fastest-growing cities in China. At the same time, it needs to be said that this one is the most modern out of all of them. It has become a major economic center with a plethora of foreigners living and working there. So, the need of learning English is quite high in this city.

Even though it is the most modern city in the country by far, you will find the costs of living much lower than in Beijing or Shanghai. But when you compare it to the number of job opportunities those other cities have, you will see that the difference is not that high. For that reason, Shenzhen has become a preferable option for quite a lot of foreigners.

Luoyang

The next place we want to talk about is Luoyang. For those who didn’t know, this city used to be the capital of China a couple of centuries ago. Even though it is a relatively small city by Chinese standards, those who have been there can confirm that it still has a lot of the charm it used to have as a capital.

Since the population of this city is not comparable to cities like Beijing or Shanghai, you can have a much more relaxed experience. Also, you can find countless cultural and natural wonders in the region. So, whenever you are interested in visiting some places you haven’t been to before, you can drive just for half an hour and see all the beautiful sites this region has to offer.

A significant reason why we believe Luoyang is a perfect place to live and teach English is that the number of foreigners is pretty limited here. That’s why you will come across more job opportunities for yourself. If you are a person who prefers a quiet and peaceful life, then we believe Luoyang is the place to be.

Sanya

Last but not least, we want to mention the city of Sanya, located on Hainan Island. We’re talking about the southernmost province of the country, which means you can pay a visit to Vietnam whenever you like it. The border is just a couple of hours away from the city. Anyway, Sanya has a warm climate and it is filled with countless excellent restaurants.

The local population hasn’t been exposed to western influence as in some other cities. For that reason, it represents a great opportunity for foreigners to visit and start having classes. Another reason why you would probably want to come to Sanya is that it has some of the most beautiful beaches you will ever see.

In Conclusion

Teaching English in China offers countless possibilities for foreigners. Here, we’ve presented you with a list of the cities where we think you will get the best working conditions and a number of job opportunities.

Written by Geddy Gee for TEFL Net November 2022
Ex-teacher, traveler, and writer at Teast
© TEFL Net

One Comment

  • aaron vorbau says:

    Luoyang is amazing. Nearby is an American-funded university called Sias University.

    Check it out at en.sias.edu.cn

    They are always hiring and have had up to 140 international faculty (pre-Covid).

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