Kindergarten
are renowned for being among the best-paid (and easiest to secure) ESL teaching jobs. The catch? You really must love working with children. Kindergarten teaching jobs rock if you’re enthusiastic and enjoy being creative at work. These jobs’ high pay, lower working hours, better conditions and overall lower stress levels translate into enviable teaching positions for the right candidates.
Having a chance to finally sit back and recount my experiences teaching kindergarten in China is a therapeutic experience. Finally, I can take a little time to reflect on my teaching years here in the Middle Kingdom.
I’ve spent most of my time in China teaching in kindergartens, and I can say, without doubt, that I have LOVED (almost) every minute of it.
Teaching children, especially very young ones, isn’t for everyone. You must have tons of patience and the right temperament. I found it very useful to be from a large Irish family (with so many nephews around!) I naturally developed the right skills to deal with and bond with little people. I didn’t think of it at the time, but as I arrived in China and started teaching in a kindergarten, I realised that I didn’t have to start from scratch. Being around and relating to children felt natural, and I soon realised I had an inherent knack and desire to educate them. If you share a similar inclination – or think you might – a kindergarten teaching job might be the right gig for you too.
If you’re contemplating a career teaching kindergarten in China, I thought it might help to share my insider’s experience. Getting a little ‘know-how’ can go a long way in helping you understand what you’re about to get yourself into. I’ll get into the ins and outs of kindergarten types in China (yes, there are several!), what an average teaching week looks like, what you are expected to do and, lastly, what you can expect to earn. I hope all this information will help you decide if teaching kindergarten in China is the right career path for you.
Note…if you are indeed cut out for it, you will have an absolute ball!
Kindergartens in China – how they differ
As with all school types in China, kindergartens come in all shapes and sizes. The most prestigious kindergartens are aligned with international schools – they have tremendous resources and are excruciatingly expensive to attend. As a result, the teachers who manage to nab a job in these are typically highly qualified (but not always) and hold either a teaching license or an Early Years degree. They are also handsomely paid.
Then there are privately-owned kindies that offer a local Chinese curriculum or follow an international one. You’ll soon learn that following a specific curriculum will impact your hours, workload, and annual holiday.
Let’s get into more details.
As the need for ESL teachers in China continues to grow at a fast rate, and given the accompanying rise in interest by foreign teachers in discovering this fascinating country, we believe the need for an honest and transparent connection between the two worlds is more crucial now than ever before.
