Rather than diving straight into a career in their home country, some people want to travel the world upon graduating from college or university. However, instead of going down the traditional backpacking gap year route, why not consider working abroad by teaching English in China?
Teaching English abroad is a fantastic way to gain experience, meet new people, and to travel the world, all while earning a salary. While the freedom of a backpacking style gap year is enticing, teaching English abroad can not only grant you future job opportunities but provide a much more immersive experience.
Read on to find out some of the benefits of working abroad in China after graduation!

1. Earn a salary while traveling the world
Although the thought of traveling and earning a salary seems too good to be true, the hype is real! Not only is the teaching in China salary high, but it also comes with a range of perks and benefits, such as:
Reimbursed airfare
Free accommodation or stipend
Health insurance
Bonus upon contract completion
The teaching in China salary typically ranges from $1,500 - $3,500 USD per month - or even more - depending on qualifications, experience, location, and the type of school. When you combine this with a moderate cost of living, the saving potential for teaching English in China is enormous.
After completing an academic year, many teachers receive a month’s bonus. Combining this with a convenient location to begin their travels across Asia, teachers often spend their summers traveling before returning for the following academic year. Whether you want to visit South Korea, Japan, Thailand, or Vietnam, you’re only a few hours away when teaching English in China.
However, you don’t need to stray too far if you’re already in one of the most diverse countries in the world. When you’re not in the classroom, you can visit the Great Wall of China, the Shanghai Tower, or the Giant Panda Sanctuary in Sichuan province. This expansive country will have your to-do list growing indefinitely.
2. Working abroad will immerse your in a foreign culture
While traveling and backpacking across the globe is a great way to visit iconic landmarks and make new friends, it rarely offers cultural immersion. Working abroad allows a great opportunity for cultural immersion and the development of a global mindset - inside and outside the workplace.
Backpackers often spend only a few days here and there, barely scratching the surface of one country. Alternatively, English teachers in China become active members of the community. You’ll regularly visit idyllic cafes, bustling food markets, stylish bars, and much more on a daily basis, slowly but surely establishing your second-home abroad.
Additionally, you’ll see the same students each day as you help expand their English vocabulary and improve their fluency. ESL students are often inquisitive about the life of their foreign teacher, and developing a rapport between students not only helps learning but increases your sense of belonging in China. As a form of “slow travel”, teaching English in China allows you to embrace an entirely new foreign culture and also to learn from it.
Whether you decide to learn Mandarin, cook native dishes, or refine your skills in Chinese martial arts, work abroad and living among the local community - not only traveling in China - can help you establish a network and a second-home. Whether it’s Beijing, Shanghai, or Shenzhen, working in China will grant you extensive insight to life in this unique culture.
Read more: The Best Places to Teach English in China
3. Build your resume and career through international work experience
Whether you’re using teaching English abroad as a productive form of “gap year” or you’re working towards a career in teaching, teaching in China is a fantastic way to bolster your resume. To work in a country with such a significant presence in global economics and business will pay dividends and help you stand out among the crowd.
For those who see teaching abroad as a short-term option, international experience can illuminate your resume. Not only does it display independence, proactivity, and cultural awareness, it shows that you’re willing to go beyond your comfort zone in the workplace.
Long-term teachers will also reinforce their resume because teaching English as a foreign language presents them with many more obstacles than traditional teaching. In addition to classroom management, teachers must balance language barriers, cultural differences, and lesson presentation, showing that they’re more than capable to lead a classroom in their home country.

5. Networking and making lifelong connections through work abroad
As an economic and business superpower, living and working in China comes with a range of benefits that go beyond salary. Whether you meet other foreign teachers, co-workers, directors, or make friends with local businessmen, you’re expanding your network! Whether you immerse yourself within the local community or the expat community, connecting with other professionals will provide you with plenty of career opportunities in the future.
If you’re much more about “living in the moment”, you’ll make friends for life teaching English in China. Teaching English abroad can be overwhelming initially, but you’ll find plenty of support with foreign teachers. These teachers will be undergoing similar experiences of wonder, intrigue, culture shock, and the inevitable bliss after adjusting to the new environment.
As an English teacher in China, you have a great opportunity to meet new people - inside and outside the workplace - and form connections for life.
5. High demand for English Teachers in China
With over a billion people living in China, the demand for English acquisition is high, especially in major international hubs such as Shanghai or Beijing.
Although China is an international hub and has a far greater population than other Asian countries, its English Proficiency Index trails behind other countries such as South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, and so on. As a result, the demand, salary, and benefits for English teachers are also high.
The academic environment in China is also notoriously competitive, with parents wanting their children to gain any edge possible through additional tuition. Additionally, many Chinese students venture abroad to the U.S. and the U.K. to seek university education, and they need a minimum level of English to achieve this.
Not only does this grant you plenty of opportunities to teach general English in public, private, or international schools, but you can also capitalise on a niche. If you come from a business or science, for example, you can offer English for Specific Purposes (ESP) lessons. Here, you will teach older students and adult professionals English within the context of their work (or desired industry) to improve their English within the workplace.
Kickstart your career by working abroad in China!
The benefits of working abroad and teaching English in China after graduation are numerous. Whether you are career-driven, want to experience a new culture, or meet new people, teaching English in China offers a path for personal, professional, and spiritual development.
Teaching in China covers all aspects for a successful career and experience abroad, as it allows you to earn a salary, see the world, reinforce your resume, and form lifelong connections.
Kickstart Your Teaching Journey in Shanghai Today!
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