It’s hard to make generalisations about a teaching salary in China. After all, there are variables which make an average salary hard to calculate. For one thing, it depends where you are - as we’ve covered, there are microeconomics within China and it’s tiered system of cities where living cost and income can be substantially different.
It also depends on the school you’re working at. We’ll cover public schools, private and international schools, universities are private tutoring opportunities to uncover what can be earned teaching English in China.
Experience and qualifications also count for a great deal. You’re far more likely to get a job in a private institution or a language school in a major city if you have plentiful experience and qualifications beyond a bachelor’s Degree and TEFL certification.
Wages are continuing to rise in China, according to the country’s own Bureau of Statistics. However, it’s hard to guarantee those numbers are entirely reliable, given the enormous population.
To teach English in China, you will usually need a TEFL certification and bachelor’s degree as a minimum. The average salary for teaching English in China is $1,000 to $2,500 per month.
Take a look below at some of the key facts you should know before teaching English in China.
Public schools salary
If you’re getting your start teaching Chinese students, it’s more than likely you’ll be teaching English in the public school system. English lessons range from teaching young kids in kindergarten right up to the end of schooling age, so it’s important to be flexible and adept at changing your lessons for different audiences.
There are benefits to working in public schools; for one thing, many ESL teachers in the state education system tend to work fewer hours, have more (often paid) holidays and even get free lunch, which is both a great way to save pennies and experience some authentic Chinese cuisine.
The salary can range pretty widely for ESL teaching in public schools from about $1,000 to $2,500 per month. In a lot of cases, salary depends on where you are in China; Tier 1 teachers in public schools typically earn $1,500 to $2,500, while in Tier 2 it’s slightly less: $1,400-2,300 is an average salary. Tier 3, meanwhile, offers substantially less, with wages starting at $1,000 and tending to top out at $1,500.
