Teaching in China: TEFL/TESOL Certificate

Introduction to TEFL and TESOL Certificate for teaching in China.

Nowadays, a huge amount of teaching positions are opening as the number of international and bilingual schools in China are continuously increasing. How should we be well-prepared to teach in China?

What Type of Certification Do I Need to Teach ESL/EFL in China?

There is no single degree or certificate program that authorizes a person to teach ESL/ EFL in all areas or in all parts of the world, so the sort of credential you would like truly depends on where within the world you'd like to educate, and to whom.

Teaching in China

Generally speaking, if your essential objective is to teach English to grown-ups in China, the least capability to educate English may be a bachelor's degree and a TEFL/TESOL certificate.

Teaching Overseas

If your primary goal is to teach English overseas, you may want to contact the department or ministry of education in the country where you plan to work for more information about that country's education. Most employers request that candidates have at slightest a Bachelor's degree and a few sort of TEFL/TESOL certification. It is imperative to note that since these terms are utilized traded, completing a TEFL certificate in arrange to work abroad isn't essentially superior than completing a TESL or a TESOL certificate.

What's the Difference Between TEFL and TESOL?

TEFL, stands for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. It refers to teaching English in a country where English is not a primary language (rather, it is a foreign language). An example of TEFL would be a teacher from the U.S. teaching English in China.

TESOL, stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. TESOL includes teaching English as a foreign language (such as in the China example) as well as teaching English as a second language (TESL) in a country where the primary language is English. An example of TESL would be a teacher at an English language institute in the U.S. who teaches English to students from around the world.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that although there is technically a distinction between these two terms, they are widely used interchangeably, so either a TEFL or TESOL certificate will meet certification requirements for English teaching jobs. One exception to this is in reference to university-level studies. For example, if you decided to pursue a degree in teaching English, you'd earn a bachelor's or master's degree in TESOL, not TEFL.

Can I Get A Teaching Visa for China with A TEFL/TESOL Certificate?

Here we are, back to business: getting a Z Visa, the only legal option if you want to teach English in China. Usually, the requirements needed for applying a Z-Visa are as follows:

  • Be between 18 and 60 years of age
  • Hold at least a Bachelor's Degree
  • Have a TEFL/TESOL certification
  • Have at least 120 hours practical teaching experiences

Since you can only apply for the Z-Visa once you have a signed teaching contract in place, get your job sorted first and then come back to the above requirements.