How to Find the Best Paid Teaching Jobs in Beijing

Written by Premier TEFL Published 30 May 2015 ~3 min read

Teaching jobs are one of the best way to work and travel to Beijing. There is also a demand for English teachers in the Chinese capital. Apart from gaining valuable teaching experience in one of the best cities in the world, you will earn money to fund your travels. Whether you just want to explore everything that Beijing has to offer or take regular trips around China, a teaching internship will help you cover those costs. Let’s first take a sneak peek into Beijing and what would be live to live and work there. Beijing is one of the cities in the world with the highest population, counting up to 21.5 million habitants. Just like any other metropolitan city, it’s full of life and colour, with things to do at any time of the day. Whether you want to admire the Great Wall of China, eat authentic and delicious Chinese food, go grocery shopping for scorpions and snake skin at the Donghuamen night market, or take a day trip to the Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, you will never run out of things to do in China’s second largest cities. Living and working in Beijing will give a better insight into Chinese culture, history and traditions. No matter how much of a curious tourist you are, there are some thing you can only discover if you spend more time in the country and actually live with the locals.

Teaching English in Beijing

There’s never a shortage of opportunities to teach English in Beijing. Most schools will recruit over the summer period with the starting date for September.

Teaching English in Schools

In China there is a high emphasis on English language skills for young learners, and they have dedicated bilingual schools. However, even in private and public schools the English language is a priority in the curriculum. Regardless of the type of school you work for, you can expect a yearly contract and accommodation included or at least partial payments towards it. Sometimes you will also have lunches included at work. In terms of working hours, you can expect to work up to 25 hour classroom time with young learners, and additional preparation time. You can expect to earn a salary of $1500 - $2500, in addition to free accommodation.

Freelancing

If you prefer to work flexible hours and have as much time as you want to travel and explore Beijing, you can also become a freelance English tutor. You can give private lessons to your clients or become a freelancer for a private school. The latter will give you a bit more income stability, and it’s a good starting point if you’ve just arrived in the country and you have no contacts. For private lessons you can expect to earn for up to $25 an hour, for one-on-one or small groups. If you work for a school, they usually set the fees.

Volunteering

If you prefer to teach English in the rural sides of China, there are many volunteer opportunities where you would actually live with locals that often can’t afford paid education. This is one of the most fulfilling experiences as you would make a difference is someones life and help young learners shape their future and escape poverty. The volunteer programmes would usually cover all your travel costs and living expenses, and the contracts tend to be a few weeks long.

How to Get the Best Paid TEFL Jobs in Beijing

If you want to land the best paid jobs in Beijing, you would aim to either work for a private school or university. These institutions offer the best salaries and also include accommodation around the campus. In order to secure one of the high paid teaching jobs in Beijing, you need to follow the next 3 steps:

1. Get Qualified

A teaching qualification from one of the accredited TEFL courses is quintessential in finding a job in one of the high-end institutions. If you choose to work at a college, they usually want you to have a bachelor’s degree and some teaching experience. In case you are just starting out, you could first get some volunteer experience and then apply for your dream job.

2. Apply At The Right Time

Most private schools and institutions recruit during the summer period, so ensure you have all your qualifications ready by then. Send applications to all the schools you want to work for, and check out any current TEFL jobs here.

3. Get a Visa

You can enter China on a tourist visa that allows you to stay in the country for 90 days. For working permits, the school you work with can arrange everything for you.