China offers some of the highest paid overseas teaching jobs in the world. This coupled with a low cost of living, gives you the chance to live comfortably while saving money every month!

Here's how experience & qualifications can affect your earning potential:

Bachelor’s Degree: This is the minimum requirement for teachers in China. Possessing this should set your starting salary at no less than 8,000RMB/month + housing but usually 12,000 RMB/month or more for full time work.

TEFL/TESOL Certification or 1 year teaching experience: This is the minimum requirement for Teaching Nomad. If you need certification, click here for information on getting TEFL certified!

Teaching License and/or degree in Education: If you are licensed to teach in your own country, the sky is the limit in China. Salaries typically start at 18,000RMB and can go up all the way to 30,000RMB a month or more.

Post-graduate degree: The better educated you are, the more jobs there are available. Though the pay won’t necessarily be that much higher, schools will favor your application.

Location: Chinese cities are usually divided into different tiers. The pay and living expenses are generally much higher in tier 1 cities like Shanghai and Beijing than in tier 2 or 3 cities.

Hours: As you can imagine, the number of hours you work will affect your salary. Training schools generally require you to teach 20 hours, and typically pay between 10,000-19,000RMB. At kindergartens and preschools, you can expect a similar number of teaching hours. Though the teaching hours at public and international schools aren’t much different, they require more class preparation time and are stricter on office hours.

Benefits: Many schools provide teachers with housing and reimburse for airfare. In first tier cities, some schools provide a stipend instead or simply pay a higher salary. Health & accident insurance is always included, though the terms might vary by school. Employers that require you to live on campus—some international and public schools—will provide meals in addition to free housing.

Adult & child training schools

8,000-18,000 RMB/Month. The higher paying jobs generally do not include housing. If you’re willing to teach up to 40 hours a week, you can make around 20,000/month

Preschools/kindergartens

8,000-28,000 RMB/Month. A local kindergarten will be the lower end of the pay range, while the foreign language/international kindergartens will pay more. The students are typcially 1-6 years old and teachers work weekday, daytime hours. For a certified, experienced teacher, certain expat kindergartens offer salaries of up to 28,000.

Public primary, middle, & high schools

12,000-20,000 RMB/Month. These schools almost always include housing and other attractive benefits. Salaries in tier 3 cities sometimes drop to 9,000 a month, but experienced teachers can make up to 20,000 in big cities like Shanghai and Beijing.

International schools

15,000-35,000 RMB/Month. While not all International Schools are equal, they are pretty much the best you can get in China when it comes down to money. These positions will typically require a proper teaching license or degree in education along with a solid work history.