Teaching Jobs in Hangzhou, China

Historically, Hangzhou has garnered international attention due to its pristinely maintained natural areas and impressive architecture. As the world moves into the digital age, Hangzhou is modernizing at an escalated speed, which means that English is being introduced to the population rapidly. Fortunately, this means that ESL teachers are in high demand, especially those that are native speakers, and the number of English teaching jobs in Hangzhou is only growing.

Not only are there an abundance of English language schools looking for TEFL certified teachers, but there are a plethora of tutoring opportunities, teaching jobs at public and private schools, and freelance translation positions available outside of the classroom too, which all offer the opportunity to save money by teaching in Hangzhou.

Teaching jobs in Hangzhou are most commonly available at public schools. Those who obtain teaching jobs in Hangzhou at public schools will usually work Monday through Friday, during standard schooling hours.

In addition to teaching at public schools, a growing industry in China is English training schools. These schools focus only on English language education and are open outside of normal schooling hours. Typically, teachers at English training schools are expected to teach all day (approximately eight hours) on Saturday and Sunday and at least three days during the week. Classes taught during the week are always in the evening as the students still need to attend public schools during the day.

Education is highly valued in China; high school aged students are expected to outperform their peers to compete for scholarships to universities, making school a highly competitive environment. With so much pressure to learn English, even children as young as four or five years old are being enrolled in English language programs. Hence, teaching in Hangzhou may entail working with students across a range of ages.

Requirements. Interestingly, knowledge of the local Wu dialect or even of Mandarin is not a necessary requirement to teach in Hangzhou. However, a TEFL certification is required for most English teaching jobs in Hangzhou. Luckily, aspiring teachers can earn TEFL certification in Hangzhou upon arrival, or through a variety of online programs and TEFL programs in other locations all over the world. If you hold a bachelor’s degree, even if the degree is not in education, schools may ask you to teach subjects other than English, such as basic science or math courses. Experience in multiple subject areas is therefore a huge bonus when employers are considering multiple candidates for any one teaching job in Hangzhou.

Annual Schedule. The school year in China is a two semester system; a two-week winter break and a one-month summer break separate the two semesters, with national holiday breaks throughout the year, including Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, May Day, Chinese New Year, and National Day. The ideal time for applying to teach in Hangzhou at public schools is in the summer, prior to classes starting in September, while English training schools hire teachers year round.