American High School ESL teacher Jinhua, China

• This position is for an American teacher, with a native accent under 58 years old. (Chinese government regulations do not allow teachers to stay once they reach 60).
• Experience in China preferred.
• Two to three years of full-time ESL or English teaching (preferably at the secondary level) required. .
• Recent teaching references required.
• Candidates must have a college diploma from a U.S. university and an ESL certificate or a U.S. state teaching certificate.
• Teaching couples are welcome to apply.
• Candidates with non-teaching dependents or school-aged children will be considered on a case-by-case basis. There is no English school for dependent children. They would have to attend a public Chinese school. 

The position at the school is not very demanding compared to other positions at language schools. The class load is very manageable and class sizes are usually 10-12 students. There is plenty of time during the day to do your planning. Weekends are free. The curriculum is flexible to accommodate the experience and expertise of the teacher and to account for differences in English ability levels of the students, which can fluctuate from year to year. 

The teaching contract is with AiQing High School, a public boarding school for grades 10-12. There are approximately 2,000 students in the school. It is the No. 2 school in the city. High Bluff Academy has partnered with Ai Qing to provide native English instructors and oversee the International Program of 40-60 students. The program is in its 12th year.

Salary and benefits:

• The school provides roundtrip transportation,
• $3,000 to $3500 USD per month paid in local currency at the current exchange rate.
• Local medical insurance provided.
• Chinese taxes are paid by the school.
• The school provides a fully furnished apartment and utilities.
• Subsidized meals are available at the school cafeteria. The food is good and costs about $1-$2 per meal.
• Foreign teachers get the same paid holidays as the local staff, including three weeks for Chinese New Year.

Teaching duties: 4-5 classes per day of 40 minutes each. Class size is 10-12 students. Exact times of the classes will be determined upon arrival.

Local environment: Jinhua is a beautiful city with clean air (by Chinese standards) surrounded by lush, green mountains. They recently opened a luxury hotel complex and shopping mall not far from the school. There's a Starbucks, McDonalds, and other American fast food as well as many Chinese restaurants. The food is great in Jinhua and you can find fresh seafood as well as their famous Jinhua ham. Zhejiang province is the wealthiest in China and there are great daytrips from Jinhua to Hangzhou and other historic sites. Shanghai is two hours by express train.

The city is very safe and our teachers have never been the victims of theft or any other problems. Bicycles are available for rent all over town; buses and taxis are readily available. So far, none of our teachers have opted to buy a car. (One bought a motor scooter)

You will find the people to be very friendly and honest. The English teachers on the school staff are quite happy to assist you with whatever you need. The parents of the international program students have invited the foreign teachers on many weekend outings with their children acting as tour guides and translators. There is also a local language school that provides bilingual teacher’s aides and translators for you. The language school comes on campus to teach TOEFL prep classes to our students and in return, they are required to help the American teachers with shopping, setting up cell phones, travel arrangements, etc. The staff is quite competent and eager to please.

The cost of living is very low in China, so teachers can reasonably expect to save 50% of their salary, depending on lifestyle and travel. The contract ends June 30, but there are other employment opportunities teaching English over the summer if teachers wish to remain in Jinhua. Otherwise, you would have an unpaid holiday from July 1 to August 31, if the school offers a new contract for a second year. Many of our teachers have stayed for two or three years.