Chongqing at a Glance

Chongqing (ˈʧʊŋˈʧɪŋ, ch-AW-ng-k-IH-ng), also pronounced as Chungking (['tʃuŋ'kiŋ]), is one of the biggest cities in Southwest China. It gained the name 'Mountain city' for it lies in the mountains. It has a long history dating back to the Xia Dynasty. The name Chongqing means 'Double-Blessed' in Chinese. The name was given in 1189 (Southern Song Dynasty). At the time of the Anti-Japanese War, it was the capital of Nationalist China. From 1954, Chongqing was part of Sichuan province before being designated as one of the only four municipalities directly under the central government, together with the other three cities, namely Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin. Resultantly, it was hugely expanded in terms of land and population, and has been developing at a dramatic speed since then.

Where Is Chongqing

Located in the upper stream of the Changjiang River and connecting 5 provinces, it has been an important transportation junction of the western part of China.

Population of Chongqing

Up to 2019, the government has reported the population of Chongqing is over 30 million. By the total area of 82403 square kilometres, the population density is estimated to be 350 people per square kilometre.

Weather in Chongqing

On average the temperature of the year in Chongqing is 16~18℃. In the hottest month in summer the mean temperature reaches 26~29℃, and the in the coldest months the mean temperature goes down to 4~8℃. Yearly the average precipitation is 53.4 mm. From May to September is the rainiest time of the year. As a humid city, Chongqing usually has a relative humidity of 70%~80%. As a result of its topography and climate, Chongqing is a foggy city, with averagely 104 foggy days out of the whole year. By contrast, The City of Fog, London, has merely 94 foggy days in the year on average. Consequently, not much sunshine in Chongqing throughout the year. The air quality od Chongqing is comparatively good. The number of days with good or excellent air quality of 2019 in Chongqing is counted to 316.

How to Get to Chongqing

The total straight line flying distance between Guangzhou, the closest tier 1 city, and Chongqing is 980 km (609 miles). For driving, the distance is 1459.7 km (907 miles). Taking a high-speed train from Chongqing to Guangzhou takes less than 8 hours.

Teach English in Chongqing City, Chongqing

Overall, there are 3 kinds of institutions (click and see our definitions) in Chongqing that need foreign ESL teachers.

• International Schools
• Training centres
• Kindergartens

They differ in terms of responsibilities, salary, and requirements. Here we will first elaborate the how the jobs are like in international schools, training centres and kindergartens, before introducing the salary condition, after which we will explain the requirements.

International School Jobs in Chongqing

There are a good number of international schools in Chongqing, such as Depu Foreign Language School and Chongqing Yew Chung International School. Subject teachers are needed in these schools, including history teachers, maths teachers, science teachers, art teachers and music teachers. Many other positions are available as well, such as SAT/A-level trainers and other English-based course teachers. Additionally, some schools need leaderships such as principal or academic directors. In Chongqing, the most demanded positions are ESL teachers. Mostly, ESL teachers will be teaching students aged from 6 to 18 according to the school. They will basically be teaching for 20-25 hours per week, working 5 days per week depending on the school they work for. The schools may also require the ESL teachers to plan lessons, to organise activities, to evaluate student progress and provide ongoing guidance, to prepare tests and to grade exam papers, etc.

Click and check more information about these top international schools with TTJ:

• Depu Foreign Language School
• Weiming School (Chongqing Campus)

Kindergarten Jobs in Chongqing

Many international kindergartens have been founded in Chongqing, such as Hongwen Montessori Academy and HTD International Kindergarten, as TTJ has recorded. Basically, the kindergarten teachers are English teachers. They are required to deliver English classes to small kids aged from 3 to 6 in bilingual kindergartens, but some kindergartens cater for younger children, for example, 18-month-old babies. They might also be responsible for assisting with English-related events and supporting room leaders, etc.

Training Centre Jobs in Chongqing

A large quantity of training centre ESL teacher jobs can be found in Chongqing. There are various sorts of training centres for different groups of students with different purposes. For instance, some training centres teach small kids, and some teach teenagers or adults. Training centres often have their own course systems respectively. In high-end training centres, the ESL teachers will be preparing and delivering high-quality English lessons, as well as collaborate with local teachers to provide necessary academic services to students and parents. Mainly, they attend classes, training and meetings, provide feedback on students’ performance, and engage in necessary communication with parents. One thing that makes training centre ESL teachers different from international school ESL teachers and kindergarten ESL teachers is that they do not work on weekdays necessarily. Students tend to come to raining centres in their spare times, usually after school or after work, which means training centre ESL teachers are highly likely to work in the late afternoon, in the evening or at weekends.

How Much Do You Get Paid to Teach in Chongqing?

According to Chongqing City&Salary 2020 Research Report, the pay is generally rather competitive. There are many factors that affect the salary, such as the type of the institution you work in. If you teach in an international school, the average minimum monthly salary is ¥19,000.00 ($2713.20), the average maximum monthly salary is ¥23,556.00 ($3363.80). The average salary of an ESL teacher in a Chongqing international school is ¥21,278.00 ($3038.50).

If you teach in a kindergarten, the average minimum monthly salary is ¥13,750.00 ($1963.50), and the average maximum monthly salary of a foreign kindergartener in Chongqing is ¥19,000.00 ($2713.20). The average salary is ¥16,375.00 ($2338.35).

For ESL teachers in Chongqing’s training centres, the average minimum monthly salary is ¥12,863.00 ($1836.84), and the average maximum monthly salary is ¥18,900.00 ($2698.92). The average monthly salary of a training centre teacher in Chongqing is ¥15,882.00 ($2267.95).

Chongqing ESL Job Requirements

The job requirements vary depending on the institutions and the job type. Generally, the requirements cover educational background, teaching experiences, the English level, and licences.

• Educational background: bachelor or above.
• Teaching experiences: international schools and kindergartens are stricter than training centres on this. Most international schools and kindergartens would require at least one year or two years related experiences, and some ask for longer and more specific experiences, while training centres sometimes accept candidates with no experiences.
• English level: native English speakers are benefited. However, not all positions require native speakers. Non-native speakers are encouraged.
• Licences: not all jobs need teaching licences. Teaching licences here includes PGCE, PGDE iPGCE, QTs/QTLS and SACE. However, in international schools, chances are that you must have a teaching licence to teach. In kindergartens and training centres, certifications such as TESOL, TEFL or CELTA will be enough for you to get the job.
• Others: no criminal records. This means candidates will receive a cleared background check. Some institutions may have requirements for age, say, less than 55 years old.

For more detailed information, please refer to the city report below this article.

Living in Chongqing, China

Chongqing is an exciting city to live in. The living expense is not high, so with your salary, you are able to live a high-quality life. There are enjoyable food, fascinating resorts and warm and friendly people. See how it is like to live in Chongqing, and you will fall in love with this city.

Things to Do in Chongqing

Chongqing is famous for its spicy food. Sliced Meat with Crispy Rice, Chongqing Noodles, and most famously, hot pot. Derived from Chongqing, hot pot is one of the most favourite dishes across China. In Chongqing hot pot restaurant, you can choose the vegetables, meat and other food you like and dip them into spicy boiling soup until they are cooked before you eat them.

Apart from food, Chongqing is also a fantastic resort. In the first place, Chongqing hot spring is a world-class tourism resource. The only city that has so many hot springs as Chongqing is Budapest, the capital of Hungary. Several famous hot springs are Chongqing Bolian Hot Spring Resort, Rong Hui Hot Spring City, Hai Tang Xiao Yue Hot Spring, etc. It is beyond doubt that Chongqing is the best hot spring paradise.

Other than the hot pot and hot springs, Chongqing has another attraction, the giant panda. Giant pandas mostly live in Sichuan Province, where Chongqing used to belong to. Since Chongqing is just next to Sichuan, it also has giant pandas. The Chongqing Zoo is well-known for its giant pandas. It is one of the earliest bases of giant panda breeding. The huge Panda House (11,000 square kilometres) in the zoo is often filled with tourists from all over the world who wants to see the cute animals in their homeland.

Cost of Living in Chongqing

Numbeo gives a general insight into the living expense in Chongqing. Accordingly, living in Chongqing is not costly. Renting an apartment with one bedroom in the city centre is ¥2083 ($297.45). Necessities such as water (0.33 liter bottle), is ¥2.25 ($0.32). Imported beer (0.33 liter bottle) is ¥20 ($2.86) while local beer is ¥5.25 ($0.75). For transportation,  Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) is ¥10 ($1.43), every one extra kilometre costs ¥3.11 ($0.44).

Where to Live in Chongqing

There are several places that many expats would choose to live in: Chongqing Tiandi noble residential area, Chongqing Xintiandi, etc.

Chongqing Subway Map

Chongqing City&Salary Report