How to Qualify to Teach English in China

Do you dream of travelling the world; of experiencing new cultures and learning about how other people live their lives in different parts of the world? How about visiting China and finding your way around places like Beijing, Chengdu, and Foshan; wouldn't that be great?

Well the simple fact of the matter is that anyone can do it – anyone can; anyone who is "footloose and fancy free", has a bachelor's degree (in any subject), who is independent, and who enjoys a challenge. You will need to be a British citizen, or an American, an Australian, a New Zealander, or an Irishman or woman purely, from the point of obtaining a Visa, but you've not heard the best thing of all yet; not only can you do it, but you can do it for free!

What's the catch? There is none - you just have to be willing to become a teacher of English language as a second language, to students across a wide range of ages in a foreign country. "What me a teacher?" I hear you ask, "I have no language or teaching qualifications and it will take ages to get them", you'd probably explain. But when we are talking about teaching English as a second language, and providing you are native English, or that you speak perfect, fluent, English; you already have 90% of the qualifications that you need. Yes of course you will have to learn how to format lessons, and how to lead a class of students. But it is not exactly rocket science, and there are TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) courses that you can enrol on all over the UK, whereby you can gain the necessary practical qualification in a matter of days. You can even sign on for an online course.

The most basic TEFL qualification requires about 20 hours of teaching and qualifies you on classroom performance and etiquette. There are also courses with lengths of 40 hours, 60 hours, 120 hours, and the top course - a 140 hour course. Apart from the 20 hour course all others are combined courses teaching the mechanics and principles of TEFL, and also giving you practical experience in front of a class of students.

Learning to teach English in China is a very rewarding experience. You may be teaching students between the ages of 15 and 35, all of whom will be eager to learn and understand what has become the world's number one language in terms of commerce - English!

Deciding to teach English in China, or any other countries that use TEFL's teachers is a monumental decision, one which will change and enrich your life forever. To find out more about teaching ESL (English as a second language), simply type "Teach ESL in China" into your browser window, and follow the links provided. You will find a wealth of information telling you everything that you need to know. Good luck!

Teach English Abroad and Contribute Towards Global Understanding

We actually spend more time working, following our chosen professions, than we do anything else. It's therefore undeniably important that you should gain as much job satisfaction from your work as possible. Being tied down to a job that you neither look forward to doing at the beginning of each day, and you can't wait until the clock works its way round to 5 PM (or whatever time it is that you may finish), is sheer Purgatory. But if you're lucky enough to have a job that offers you complete job satisfaction, you always feel that the job is worth doing, and you'll enjoy carrying it out too.

Undoubtedly the most satisfying jobs are those whereby you interact with other people and help them to achieve things that will improve the quality of their lives. In this sense, teaching is one of the most beneficial jobs, one that significantly improves all of our lives. With the English language now being spoken so widely in the world, most countries accept it as their second language. In order to educate their population in how to speak English, several countries now employ TEFL qualified teachers (TEFL stands for 'teach English as a foreign language'), and is the industry standard qualification for those who wish to travel to foreign countries  searching for ESL jobs (English as a second language).

Helping people to learn a second language that will enable them to join in and communicate with the rest of the world is an immensely satisfying role. Not only that but you'll also have the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life and to cement new friendships with them. As an ESL teacher you will be immersed in the local community giving you a wonderful opportunity to become part of that community, to learn new values, and to understand the wants, the needs, and the achievements of others in their local environments.

If you are a British national, and you hold a bachelor's degree in any subject, then you are eligible to apply to teach English abroad. The TEFL qualification that you need, to become an ESL teacher, can be taken at many learning establishments across the UK, or, if you prefer, or it is more convenient, you can take the course online. The most basic of the courses offers a 20 hour training period in front of a class of real foreign students. There are several other courses available, the most comprehensive of which is a 140 hour course and involves learning TEFL doctrine as well as being given practical classroom experience. Any one of these courses will give you a qualification that will entitle you to teach English broad, but obviously the better the qualification, the better the post you are likely to be offered.

Once one contract is completed you are totally free to request another in that same country, or another country if you prefer. You can find out more by carrying out some online research, there are many helpful websites. So if you're looking for a job with a maximum of job satisfaction, and travel to other parts of the world, signing up to teach English abroad an ESL teacher, is for you. Not only will you be making a valuable contribution to other people's lives, it's also a great way of seeing the world!

Teach English in South Korea and Get to Know the People, and the Country from the Inside Out

Teaching any subject is a very fulfilling occupation, one of the few that potentially offers a high degree of job satisfaction. Some subjects are however more useful than others in a day to day context out there in the big wide world, and learning a foreign language must surely rank as one of the most important skills, especially if you have 'wander lust'.

Here in the UK, we are one of the luckiest nations around, because many countries the world over speak English to one degree or another. Certainly you've got a good chance of making yourself understood in most towns and cities in the civilised West, and it tends to make us rather lazy as far as language is concerned, whilst most other countries are very keen and active to learn and improve their English speaking skills. The spread of English is obviously closely related to the old colonial days, that and the economic power of the USA and to a certain extent the UK too.

Teach English in South Korea

South Korea is no exception when it comes to desperately wanting their young people to learn what is generally being accepted as the global language of commerce – the English language. They have in actual fact set up a special program (the EPIK – English Program in Korea) which is administered by the South Korean Ministry for Education, and which is responsible for hiring over 1,000 ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers each and every year.


What a great ambition to have though – going to South Korea, experiencing a totally different culture with its wonderful heritage, customs, sights and sounds, and getting paid to teach your native language to South Korean students. For any individual with that 'wander lust' we talked about earlier, it must be like a dream come true. But how to go about turning that dream into reality - where would you start?

Well luckily many people happen to share the same goal; to teach English in South Korea. But even with the EPIK being in existence, there is still a huge gulf between a young person (or a person of any age come to that) having the desire, and having the nerve to take the plunge and start consulting with a foreign government department. But like so many things these days; when a problem arises, the online fraternity that is the World Wide Web, picks up the challenge, and before you know it, solutions begin to appear.

For ESL teachers wishing to teach English abroad or in countries such as South Korea, there are now several excellent websites that can provide all the help and support that you need to complete a successful application. They can even help you to land a specific post. These organisations have gathered invaluable insider knowledge and experience in recent years, and know everything there is to know about how to put together a winning application.

Not only that, but they can give you an enormous amount of help when it comes down to knowing what to expect, and knowing how to behave. Living in a foreign country means immersing yourself in the culture, so the more you know beforehand, the better prepared you will be.

Teach English Abroad and See the World for Free

Are you adventurous? Do you want to travel the world, see far off places and experience different cultures and customs? If the answer to these questions is yes, and you'd also like to get paid for doing it, then becoming a teacher of English as a foreign language in another country or countries, could be just the job for you.

ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers are currently in great demand, and the more the English language gets used and accepted as being the world’s preferred language for commerce, the greater that demand will become. A TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate is all that you need to become a fully qualified ESL teacher anywhere in the world, and you don’t even have to speak the local language yourself. Of course it's always a common courtesy to be able to speak a few words, and if you do, you'll find that people will respect you even more. But when in class, nothing but English gets spoken.
TEFL teaching is not particularly difficult. As a native Brit you will have already acquired all the language skill that you need. Your job as an ESL teacher is to help your students with the vocabulary, their pronunciation, and their English conversational skills.

Debbie John and Richard Mann in Phatthalung

TEFL courses are available across the UK. You can also study remotely online. There are several qualifications available, from a 1 day course to 1 month course made up of 120 hours worth of study. Your course will also include first-hand experience of being in front of a class of foreign students, so that you do not feel too much like a fish out of water the first time you assume your professional role.

The great thing about being able to teach English abroad is that you get to live in the country of your choice, and there's no better way of learning about a country, how its people live, what the local customs are, and how day to day life unfolds, than through total immersion. But the fact that you can get paid for it too is so cool as to be almost obscene.


You'll find the pay good, in fact in many cases, by local standards, the pay will be excellent. But on top of that there will be many other benefits too.  These benefits will vary from country to country, but many of them are common. For example in some countries (South Korea is one) you'll be given free accommodation; in others you'll be given a generous living allowance. You will always get a certain amount of paid holiday time (again this will vary from place to place), and your weekends will be yours to travel and explore as you see fit. You will usually be given medical cover, and will often be given free local language lessons.

Once you are qualified to teach English language abroad, the world is your oyster, and if you're a wannabe globetrotter, there's no better occupation for you.  You only live once, (well, so most of us think), so you owe it to yourself to grab the opportunity.


 So why not go online now and find out more about getting your TEFL qualification and becoming an ESL teacher in a foreign country?