LOVE ENGLISH: IS TEACHING ESL IN CHINA WORTH IT?

When I first came to China, it was 2014. I was young, naive, and full of hope for my future. Shortly, after arriving to China, my dreams were crushed, my personality was imprisoned and I felt like I was walking on egg shells. Sometimes, I think coming to China was the worse mistake I ever made with my life. In other ways, I love China with a full heart and it's where I learned a lot about business, which means learning about the dark side of business.

The thing about the ESL world, is there is a lot of money to be made, but most of the money goes to the board of directors and the agents. The teachers who do the overwhelming bulk of of the work, see little rewards. The salaries in China for an ESL teacher range from about 10,000RMB to 20,000RMB a month. That is about @1,538 to $3,075. The salaries can be slightly higher, or lower, but the average salary is about, 16,000 RMB. This salary can provide you a good life in China, but not in AMERICA. The average teacher in AMERICA, makes about 45,000 USD to 60,000 annually. That is almost twice the money and dealing with the prices of the visa or the visa run, this pay difference might keep you at a disadvantage. 

Financially, it is not a better deal to work in China as an ESL teacher, instead of working in AMERICA, as a native teacher, but it could be if you get a package deal that offers housing allowance or free accommodation. The cost of living is lower in China than America, but that's changing. I would not go to China for the money, at least that cannot be your main motivation because there are too many challenges, and teaching ESL is not big money, it's an opportunity to try something different and get a good start in life, but this unique opportunity is only suitable for certain types. If you get homesick easily and do not like to try new foods, don't even try to teach abroad.

Teaching English abroad can also be a trap, which I will elaborate on in a later article, but basically, it's easy to lose your time, your purpose, and your self in China. What was supposed to be a gap year, can end up being your entire life. I will also write an article about common mistakes to avoid your first year teaching in China. 

You will certainly need to make sure you are working for a legitimate company and have all your documentation in order to obtain a proper work visa. No matter what a company tells you, or how much they promise to pay you or get the visa at a later date, do not go to China on the wrong visa. This leaves you vulnerable  to exploitation and even jail time. 

China is not America. You will grow to love it or hate IT, but you will need time to adjust because CULTURE SHOCK IS A REAL THING!!! China will shock you. We don't even go to the bathroom the same way. Many westerners will fear squatter toilets and chopsticks and the behavior of the Chinese people is extremely different than what you are used to back home. We are talking thousands of years of history and tradition, that you have no clue about, so China can be a little challenging to get used to, which is why many expats flock to the bigger cities.

There are many draw backs to life as an ESL teacher, including, loneliness, isolation, being exposed to a lower standard of hygiene and a number of frustrations that revolve around communications issues, like not being able to order food, direct a taxi and being cheated be the locals. You are more likely to be taken advantage of and exploited in the work market because it will be very hard to protect yourself legally or even explain what happened. As a general rule, Chinese people side with Chinese people. You will be the outsider in this country, which means if life where a game, you cannot be the winner. You can come in second place if you play the game carefully, wisely and with respect. 

You will certainly need to make sure you are working for a legitimate company and have all your documentation in order to obtain a proper work visa. No matter what a company tells you, or how much they promise to pay you or get the visa at a later date, do not go to China on the wrong visa. This leaves you vulnerable  to exploitation and even jail time. 

To get a clear picture if teaching abroad is right for you, we highly recommend you contact us for a consultation at Loves English. You can message me directly at lyonbrave@yahoo.com  

You will certainly need to make sure you are working for a legitimate company and have all your documentation in order to obtain a proper work visa. No matter what a company tells you, or how much they promise to pay you or get the visa at a later date, do not go to China on the wrong visa. This leaves you vulnerable  to exploitation and even jail time. 

TEACH IN CHINA

Culture shock 

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