be wary of the “I’m a former teacher” and “I lived in China for six months teaching English” agents who put up fly by night webs hoping to glean a fast commission from their school by introducing you. You will get no support from those outfits..

Overall, living and working in China is a wonderful experience.. Enjoy!

Be advised: many organizations forging links and recruiting English teachers may be (overt and more often covert Christian missionary groups)…so depending on your religious leanings..you decide with whom to affiliate.

Generally helpful to have completed a college diploma, better if certified in TEFL, or ESL (but not always necessary) as in China, the English teaching tends to be subdivided into speaking, listening, intensive reading (reading for detailed comprehension) and extensive reading (reading for the general idea), and writing.

Many organizations connect prospective teachers with schools, colleges, and universities. But some are fronts for Christian missionary organizations (both overt and covert), others are money makers (for the organizers), and everything in between.

If possible, do your homework so you know about the organization doing the connecting…and the teaching unit/organization where you will teach. Take the approach of a sales person and an customer. You are the sales person and need to meet your customer’s needs. That will help guide you in the lessons you do and assignments and grading.

Pay varies, but ask about the round-trip airfare to and from China and your home. Some deals include it, some don’t…and others do it with conditions….be sure you know the conditions.

Housing varies…could be included with the job (most common). The standards may be well below your home country but may be better than many Chinese.

Inquire about medical coverage…with the market economy firmly in place, expect that if things are not provided by the school, they may off-handedly toss out, “no problem, foreigners just pay more).

Coal is the leading energy source for most things….so winters can be really stressful on your respiratory system. Wear masks…soot, ash, dust, are everywhere and will undoubtedly challenge you when it comes time to keep your nasal passages and lungs clean. Oh…and people tend to smoke like chimneys, too.

Check sites like www.worldclimate.com so you can get a handle on what the seasons will be before you commit to a contract. China is a huge country and climates range widely.

Language can be challenging…so many dialects and region variants…but students want to learn English so speaking slowly and distinctly will go a long way…and then you can always point, fumble with a dictionary, and mime your way through the market place.

Be sure all your papers are in order….exiting the country before your contract is up can create some tense times at the borders.

hope this helps…good luck and best wishes.

Start at the above link and then go the ones below and use the agent reply form letter from the CFTU to ask your recruiter the key questions you need to know BEFORE you send him your resume or passport scam since 20% of all “China Recruiters and agents” are really identity thieves.

http://www.ChinaScamBusters.com
http://www.ChinaForeignTeachersUnion.org
http://ChinaScamPatrol.wordpress.com