The Pros and Cons of Working in an ESL Training Center
Tips, advice, and things to be prepared for
China is saturated with training centers. Think of these as after school programs. If there’s a skill a kid is interested in, or a parent wants them to improve on, they go to a training center for that extra practice.
These centers can range from extra training in learning English to music or art. Parents in China want the absolute best for their children, even at the cost of their own well-being.
Foreigners from all over the country come to China to teach English. There’s such a demand for learning English that a foreigner can live a productive life there if they play their cards right. You don’t need to have any teaching experience either. As of December 2019, you can take a course called TEFL-C before you start teaching to make up for the experience some cities ask for.
Some people I’ve worked with taught for years, while others were fresh college graduates. One woman I met had an engineering degree before she started teaching! You meet people from all over the world.
For six years, I worked at a training center while living in China. While it was a rewarding experience, it’s hard work. You have, at most, two hours to teach them words or sentences in English. It feels like a…
