Why I Moved to China, and Is Teaching There Right for You?

Why I moved to China

I never really thought about moving to China until my friend got a teaching job here. He moved to Wuhan, China, to teach at a language center. He was already a licensed teacher back home and had taken Chinese language courses in university, so this wasn’t some crazy move or anything.

In 2019, after an entire year of planning, several other childhood friends and I came to China to visit him. This was only the second country I had ever visited besides Mexico. We landed in Shanghai and spent a few days there exploring the Bund, checking out local places, and talking to random expats.

After that, we went to Wuhan for a few days, which was an absolutely crazy experience. Anyone from pretty much anywhere in the world going to a city like Wuhan is in for their money’s worth. Wuhan doesn’t have a lot of expats or foreigners. Being an inland city that isn’t known for tourism, you’re in for some unique experiences. Here, I met several other expats and actually had some long conversations with them. The idea of moving abroad was starting to form.

It was only about two weeks after returning to the States that I decided I was going to get a job teaching in China. No education degree. No teaching experience. Just making a decision that felt like the correct decision.

I ended up getting a job in Shenzhen and moved there to work at a language center. That’s where my story in Asia starts.

Is teaching in China right for you?

Teaching in China can be very rewarding. People come for different reasons. Maybe you want to try teaching without committing to an entire career. Maybe your priority is saving money. Maybe you want to learn Mandarin, experience a culture very different from home, or live somewhere in Asia that makes travel easier. For me, China has also been a home base from which I can explore the rest of the region.

Teaching salaries in China can be attractive relative to living costs, especially compared with some other destinations. But pay varies dramatically by employer, city, qualifications, and school type. China generally has much higher salaries than nearby countries, but I would not assume that every Chinese teaching job beats every job in Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, or South Korea. Compare actual written offers, living costs, and the number of paid months.

The trade-offs

You may be dealing with language barriers, unfamiliar apps, different expectations at work, and a management culture you are not used to. Some jobs are demanding. Some schools expect meetings, parent communication, classroom preparation, reports, summer camps, or other duties that are not obvious when you see the job advertisement. That can change the job completely.

There is a reason the salaries are so high.

Living here can be convenient once you understand the systems. Before that, even setting up a bank account or getting delivery to your apartment can be frustrating. You can learn it, but do not confuse “I can adapt” with “I should accept any conditions.”

Two schools, two completely different lives

Imagine two schools near the same metro station in Shanghai.

Same city. Same job title. Completely different day-to-day life.

Those are illustrative contrasting scenarios, not two specific offers I am verifying here. The point is that “kindergarten ESL teacher in Shanghai” tells you almost nothing about whether the job is right for you.

I have heard people talk about living in China as the best decision they made, while someone else who lived in the same city hated the experience. The city can matter, but so can the school, your commute, your colleagues, and how much control you have over your working day.