First and foremost, I would like to say teaching is a noble profession. After graduating from my education degree, I had a desire to share the skills I learned in school.  I decided to take a leap of faith and explore a different part of the word. This decision then motivated me to enrol in  OnTESOL’s courses, which prepared me to become an ESL teacher. About the author: Steven Oyeinbonoghan Clerk is a graduate of OnTESOL’s 120-hour Advanced TESOL certificate + 20-hour Teaching English to Young Learners course. He currently teaches in Jingmen, Hubei, China.  The Benefits ..read more

Teaching English with IEduKids in China has its benefits, from working flexible hours, to sharing resources with a supportive and friendly teaching team to living in an innovative and cosmopolitan city! Read on to find out the top 4 reasons to teach English with IEduKids in Shenzen, China. 1. Small Class Sizes and Flexible Work Hours At IEdukids, we teach young children 3-6 years old and our class sizes are between 4-6 kids. Lessons are two 45 minute classes with a break in between. Kids come on a weekday and every other Saturday. Our (negotiable) working hours right now are 9am-12pm & 2-7 ..read more

I was motivated to become an ESL teacher to have a career with which I could travel. I didn’t want to be tied to one place or one company, and becoming an ESL teacher gives me the freedom to work basically anywhere around the world. Not only is the career flexible, but it is also viable, as ESL teaching is a fast growing industry with great opportunities. Rayna Abernethy is a Canadian native now residing in Shanghai (and she doesn’t miss the snow one bit)! She is currently teaching English in Shanghai, China with EF English First.  Growth, Travel and Constant Learning The best benefi ..read more

 When I was a university student I studied in China for one semester, and I had such an amazing experience that I decided to come back for work. I like being an ESL teacher because I have the opportunity to help real people solve real problems. Sometimes, the problem is passing an exam, or getting a job, or studying abroad. However,  for every class and student I teach, I am also helping someone. About the author: Ian Bonnano is currently teaching English with EF English First in Shanghai, China.  Learning From Another Culture For me the real benefit of teaching English in Shang ..read more

My motivation for becoming an ESL teacher began with learning foreign languages, combined with my love of working with children.  I had toyed with the idea of teaching all through university, but it wasn’t until I put it into practice, in schools in France and India, that I realized how much I enjoyed it and wanted to continue doing it.   I researched TESOL/TEFL courses and decided to kick-start my ESL career.    About the author: Anna Hough is currently teaching English with EF English First in Guangzhou, China.  Why Guangzhou? I wanted to live in Guangzhou because it ..read more

I was motivated to become an ESL teacher so that  I could help people achieve their goals and to be proud of my career choice at the same time. I also wanted to give my family the opportunity to see the world and experience a diverse culture for an extended period of time.  About the Author: Keith Downing is teaching English online from the Shanghai office. Apply for 1,000+ TESOL Jobs in China! The Benefits and Challenges of Living in China Since arriving, I have really transitioned as a person. My confidence level, food preference and social abilities have truly blossomed. I’ve als ..read more

I have always loved working with children! I never set out to be an ESL teacher specifically, but I love China and wanted to find any means to live here. Being able to teach children was just an added bonus! Working overseas provides you with an experience unparalleled to anything you can get back home. You are not only tossed into a new style of working, you are also immersed in a culture so unlike your own. The differences can be startling but also enthralling! That being said there are so many people going through the same experience that it is easy to find support. I am currently working i ..read more

I love learning new languages.  In high school, I took Chinese as a Foreign Language lessons, so one of the main reasons I wanted to live in China was to improve my level of Chinese language proficiency. Becoming an ESL teacher made it possible for me to work abroad, but also live in an environment where I am the non-native speaker! Why did I choose Harbin? Apart from going to a place where Mandarin Chinese was spoken, I wanted to live in a place that is cold enough for snow, I wanted to save some money, and I wanted to be in a a medium-size city with low pollution. Harbin meets all these ..read more

In 1998, I was enlisted in the Canadian Navy for an exercise called “RimPac.” During this exercise, I had the opportunity to visit several countries that I had never visited before. They included: Japan, Korea, Russia, China and Mexico. I was so enamored with these new countries that I started looking into how I could spend more time visiting them. Becoming an ESL teacher would allow me to visit these countries and work so that I could actually get to know the people and cultures a bit. About the author: Devin completed the 120-hour TESOL certificate course and taught English in China between ..read more

It’s been more than 3 years since I started teaching English overseas with EF. I wouldn’t say that my story is extraordinary by any stretch of the imagination. I am just a normal guy from the UK who chose to do something a little different with his life, and I can now say that this was the best decision I ever made. In this post, I will share with you a few insights into teaching abroad, more specifically teaching in China. You may not be ready for this big move, but when you are I would recommend following a similar path to me. About the author: Richard Solomon is teaching English in China wi ..read more