Hi! Planning to quit my job and move to China but am having second thoughts… I’m currently living in Vietnam, and the pay is good but could be better. Easy work cos I’ve been with the same company for almost a decade and know the ins and outs. But it isn’t fulfilling and school environment is toxic. I’m a Kindergarten Teacher, Filipino, with an MA degree, TESOL, and TEFL certification. I also enjoy getting random certificates like Thanos collecting infinity stones.
Where should I look for teaching jobs to get a high chance of being hired? Thank you!
You can’t legally teach English here, not sure if kindergarten teacher is technically different, but TEFL jobs are going to be shit ones for toxic employers hiring you illegally by saying you’re not teaching English
I am aware that many schools prefer to hire native English speakers. I have just been in two minds about staying here or looking into other countries. Whats the pay scale? Will it be worth the move?
It’s not preference. The law says only people from “native English” countries are even eligible to get visas to teach English.
These countries are: United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland and the United States
Filipinos baseline aren’t allowed to be hired, so any roles you get will be with the wrong visa and the pay/work environment probably won’t be good because it’s not a legal job
Ohhhhh… I didn’t know this. Thanks, that’s super helpful! I’ll have to check if Kindergarten counts as teaching English or not.
It definitely does, I’m just not sure if it falls under English teaching. You would be allowed to teach classes in English (for example if you had a PhD in CompSci) at a university or international school. You just can’t teach the language itself (legally).
*as teaching English. Sorry I wasn’t quick to edit. I’m new to this app. But, thank you so much for your replies. Very insightful. My expectations now are more grounded in reality.
To clarify, you need a passport from the above countries to teach TEFL, not necessarily English. You can teach ELA/English Literature at an international school provided you have a teaching license/certification, though it probably would need to be from a major English speaking country. I believe similar rules apply for teaching English as part of a general elementary/kindergarten teaching job, but I'm not as familiar with teaching at that level.
If they have a bachelors degree in English, it is possible to get a valid work visa. That is a recent change in the laws. Not sure how it works exactly.
I have a Bachelor of Secondary Education degree, with a major in English.
Sounds like you meet the requirement to teach English. A bigger school that is experienced with visas should know how to do it.
Thank you. I’ll keep looking into it.
Yeah I have someone at my school who teaches and isn't from one of the 'Native English' countries
Move to China and just dont think about it. You'll get higher pay and multiple other benefits. So just go for it. There are only some schools that can pull off hiring you though.
Thank you!
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You can have a work visa without having the work visa for the right reason.
Thanks! I’ll keep looking.
Your highest chance of getting a job in the mainland as a non-native english speaker is if you work for a real international school.
Not a nonsense bilingual school. Not a foreign language school. Not an experimental school. A lot of fellow expats don't even realize they work for fake international schools. Not a bs 'sino-collab' school - 99% of these are cash grabbing fake international schools where they are simply paying to use the name.
If you work at a real international school that does not allow mainland ID cards, does not follow the mainland curriculum, does not need to have the flag on the wall, does not need to do the gaokao, etc. A school that allows only children with foreign passports. Then these schools can hire teachers of various ethnic backgrounds. The work permit will state a job title like "guo ji xie xiao lao shi" (typed in pinyin so most can understand). These schools are competitive to work for. I worked at one before and all of my non-native english speaker colleagues were very qualified and experienced.
All that being said. There are not many true international schools left. Many have not been able to enroll enough foreign children. Due to expat bubbles shrinking in many cities and local talent replacing engineers etc, some of these schools have been re-licensing and enrolling local students.
Your other realistic option is if you work for a school that hires you as a subject teacher. However you could be working illegally if you are not teaching what is stated on your work permit.
Backup of the post's body: Hi! Planning to quit my job and move to China but am having second thoughts… I’m currently living in Vietnam, and the pay is good but could be better. Easy work cos I’ve been with the same company for almost a decade and know the ins and outs. But it isn’t fulfilling and school environment is toxic. I’m a Kindergarten Teacher, Filipino, with an MA degree, TESOL, and TEFL certification. I also enjoy getting random certificates like Thanos collecting infinity stones.
Where should I look for teaching jobs to get a high chance of being hired? Thank you!
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You may have heard already, but as a Filipino, your best bet for China is if you can be a subject teacher. Lots of Filipinos teaching math or science in China. If you can't teach a subject, it will be harder for you. Teaching English is not unheard of but the school usually is doing some monkey business to get you a valid visa. Only Filipinos with at least a bachelors degree in English can get a work visa. It wouldn't be unheard of for a bigger school to say you are teaching something else on the work visa. If the school can not get you a Z work visa and residence permit then don't go anywhere near them.
With all your education, would consider whether you really want to go to China as opposed to another country. Filipinos in China are usually paid less, sometimes half of what others are paid. I've seen it over and over. It's completely wrong on many levels but it happens every day and there are many Filipinos who just put up it. I would seek a country where you will be paid equal to your peers with the same experience and education.
I’m also looking at Japan and South Korea, but it seems there are fewer opportunities there. Spain was another option but the pay is too low.
The China education market has shrunk considerably in recent years and it feels like this is gonna be the trend for awhile. Much more competitive for good jobs. There are lots of very poor quality bilingual schools that are not really international. I've seen more than my fair share of toxic schools. With your education I think you could get a job in a western county like the US and Australia.
What city in Vietnam?