The Four Best Websites for Finding Teaching Jobs in China

The Four Best Websites for Finding Teaching Jobs in China
Sep 29, 2009 By Paul Bacon , eChinacities.com

Over the past few weeks, we have been looking in some detail at the job situation for teachers here in China. One of the issues we’ve focused on has been the importance of doing proper research prior to accepting a teaching job in China. To continue this motif, we have been delving into the world of online recruitment to find some of the most useful sites for those looking for a teaching job in China. These four sites will prove useful to anyone looking to teach in the Middle Kingdom. It is important to note that these are sites focused solely on teaching English as a second language. We have ignored China-based expat sites that may list teaching vacancies (including our very own jobs section) and examined carefully the options out there for finding teaching jobs online. The four sites below are the best of the bunch. We’ve also reviewed each one and assessed its strengths and weaknesses so you can jump ahead to finding the teaching job that’s best suited for you.

Dave's ESL Cafe
Dave's ESL originated as a site aimed at teachers looking for jobs in Korea. However, its extensive job boards and teacher-based resources quickly saw its popularity increase and its scope grow. It now has listing boards for Korea and China, as well as an International list.

ESL Cafe is probably the best designed of the websites available for those searching for a job in China – its listing boards are simple and easy to use and it has plenty of useful advice. The boards are also regularly updated with approximately 30 new listings – many featuring multiple jobs – per week. These listings usually include a variety of different employers, ranging from recruiters looking to fill positions in high schools through to many of the bigger corporate language training companies. The one negative factor here is that several companies do appear on there regularly, so there is a degree of repetition involved in some of the listings – companies such as Aston and English First have listings up on most weeks.

Another key facet that makes Dave's ESL so popular is the China job forum, which allows teachers to share information about jobs around the country. Through this, newbies can ask questions about coming to China – visas, salary and school reputation are common topics - and old hands can post recommendations and warnings. The one downside to the forum is that registering can be a time-consuming process as it requires verification using quite a bit of information.

Website: www.eslcafe.com

The China Teaching Web
The most China specific site on the list, the web focuses solely on the People's Republic. This is the one key advantage as all the links on the site focus on China and China alone, meaning there is no need to sift through countless files on Korea, Japan or Europe. The supply of job listings is replenished daily with around 25 to 30 new listings appearing every week – these also tend to be well varied and not as repetitive as on ESL Cafe.

The limited scope of the China Teaching Web, which allows its listing boards to focus specifically on China, is certainly a major plus point as it provides easy to access China-specific information. However, the site's limitations also spill over into the design and some of the content. The design has a decidedly homemade feel, which is no great drawback in itself, but much of the information it includes has a similar casual unprofessional feel. The last entry in the visa section was way back in 2008 and the forum is sparsely populated with only one or two threads per month and few responses.

Website: www.teachabroadchina.com

ESL Board
Where China Teachers Web focuses solely on China, the ESL board casts as wide a net as possible. With several listing boards for jobs across the world, locating those in China can take a few minutes. However, the big bonus here is that, when you do, the selection of jobs on offer is impressive. On any given week there are usually at least 40 different listings for vacancies across China. The added beauty of ESL Board is that it also helps provide teachers with piece of mind. On other websites, the onus is on the applicants to find reliable employers and to filter out those that may be untrustworthy. ESL Board, though, not only offers vacancies, but also profiles the employers and recruiters to help identify which ones are reputable.

 

 

The large scope of ESL Board helps generate plenty of job listings and helps to offer teachers peace of mind. However, because of its scale, it lacks the community feel. Its forums are far less focused and well used than ESL Cafe and its section alerting teachers against unreliable employers – which is a good idea and potentially priceless resource – covers the whole world, making finding anything China-related rather arduous.

Website: www.eslteachersboard.com

TEFL.com
The biggest, slickest and shiniest of all the teaching websites on show, TEFL.com, offers the most comprehensive selection of jobs on an international scale. Because of its impressive scope it also features plenty of listings for China – at least 20 per week. However, the sleek overtly corporate look – and higher advertising costs – seems to attract advertisers on a similar level. This means that many of the jobs on offer are posted by larger international language companies – Wall Street, English First, Aston English.

The downside to TEFL.com's slick polished international style is that it loses much of the community feel. There are fewer job forums and much less China-specific material. It is also heavily covered in advertisements, so battling through to the actual content can prove difficult. However, for experienced teachers looking for well-paid jobs at a slightly higher level, it is a valuable resource.

Website: www.tefl.com


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Related Links

Language Teaching Jobs in China
5 Tips on Finding the Perfect Teaching Job in China
How to Find the Perfect Teaching Job in China
5 Blunders to Avoid for English Teachers in China

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5 Comments

All comments are subject to moderation by eChinacities.com staff. Because we wish to encourage healthy and productive dialogue we ask that all comments remain polite, free of profanity or name calling, and relevant to the original post and subsequent discussion. Comments will not be deleted because of the viewpoints they express, only if the mode of expression itself is inappropriate.

KMossman

This is a great guide for anyone thinking of working in China........ https://payhip.com/ComeauPublishing

Feb 04, 2021 16:36 Report Abuse

Guest426876

I must admit, Ahmed, that is not polite, I think a good teacher shows "compassion". We all make mistakes, go look at any good literature and there will be mistakes, some done purposely of course. And forgive me if I am wrong, do mountains have cliffs? "Go jump off a mountain" would suffice. I don't mean that literally! Let's keep constructive. I am sure Sangita has something to offer to ESL students! Good day to all!

Aug 10, 2019 12:03 Report Abuse

Ramya

Am looking for a teaching position in a kinder garten Let's hope for the best

Apr 26, 2016 10:50 Report Abuse

ryzerie123

Ahmed's first sentence made my day. Lol

May 02, 2015 09:39 Report Abuse

Guest2485306

Ahmed, A case of the pot calling the kettle black: Look to yourself before criticising others.

Jan 23, 2015 17:01 Report Abuse