As far as teaching locations go, on paper China looks like a no-brainer.

Salaries are good, particularly in the most populous “tier 1” cities like Beijing or Shanghai. According to Teach Away, a licensed teacher with some experience can expect to earn as much as £40,632.

What’s more, an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development report from 2016 reported that the Chinese government’s investment in education had increased by 19 per cent every year in the preceding decade - and it said that growth was expected to continue.

There are plenty of schools, too. As of 2017, there were more than 560 international schools in China, and according to ISC Research, there are now over 200,000 pupils enrolled in international schools - a 14 per cent rise on the previous year.  

For international teachers there, opportunities to explore both China and her neighbours, once restrictions allow, are appealing and affordable.

So why is it that school leaders are reporting a shortage of applicants?

Teaching in China: Securing a visa

Even prior to the pandemic, securing a visa to work in China required no shortage of red tape, says Gemma Tonge, who teaches at a British international school in Beijing.

Beyond all the usual documents, which have to be prepared by a solicitor and reviewed by both Chinese authorities and officials at the British embassy, there is also an “extensive medical check”, including a blood test.

Now measures aimed at suppressing the spread of Covid have added another layer of complication. In November 2020, the Chinese government announced that it was temporarily suspending entry for non-Chinese nationals holding valid visas.

Until recently, continued uncertainty has left schools largely reliant on those already living in the country, says Emmanuel, a senior leader at a school in Shanghai.

“It’s mostly teachers being recycled, because coming in is really, really difficult,” he says. “As of 26 April, a couple of days ago, people are still uncertain. We’ve hired a few people [from] outside, but we’re still uncertain whether they will be able to come in time, because you never know.”

For Garry, a senior leader based in China, it has been “a year and a half of guessing”. And all this uncertainty has led to fierce competition for employees already based in the country.

“If you’re in China, and you want to move, you’re gold dust,” he says. As soon as somebody becomes available, they almost get attacked by schools saying, ‘Come on, work for us - we’re really good, we’ll offer you a good package.’”

High demand for teachers

Clearly, this is all good news for teachers already in China, with schools falling over themselves to provide the best possible package of benefits.

Furthermore, according to Emmanuel, it has meant that staff who are currently in the country are the ones who are more settled and committed, and not just “tourist teachers”. He thinks Covid has “streamlined” professionalism among the teaching community, making clear exactly which teachers are “worth their salt”.

However, what about for teachers on the outside looking in?

Well, despite uncertainty around immigration due to the tight pandemic restrictions, China remains attractive to new staff - even if overall application numbers have tailed off in the past few months. One leader tells Tes that he has over 10 members of staff who he has made offers to awaiting their visas.

Right now getting a visa is not easy, of course - but it does depend in part on which area of the country you are looking to work in. Megacities like Shanghai are more open again to workers with visas, whereas in other parts of the country, such as in the south, things are moving more slowly.

It is important to note that the size of the school group you join can have an impact on this - a large group with the personal power to facilitate a move into the country through the correct channels will understandably be further ahead than a single school where the HR team may be a small operation.

As things do open, though, the actual process of securing a visa should be entirely possible for most qualified teachers. 

Gregory Adam, a primary teacher at an international school in Shanghai, says he was guided through the visa process by colleagues at his school, and would expect most other schools to do the same.

Moreover, with adequate assistance, it’s just down to Chinese authorities, who are reliably efficient, Garry says. If your documents are in order, and there are no missing exam certificates, for example, the process can often be seamless.

A traveller’s dream  

Once you’ve arrived, China has exceptional opportunities for travel. Although international holidays to the likes of Thailand or Indonesia are currently off the cards, internal travel within China can be just as exciting, given the size and cultural diversity of the country.

Garry, for example, is looking forward to a Silk Road tour of the country this summer, a visit to the Harbin Ice Festival at Christmas, and even Disneyland Shanghai the following Easter. Indeed, China’s record-breaking high-speed rail network makes traversing huge distances relatively painless, with the fastest train from Beijing to Shanghai travelling 819 miles in four and a half hours.

But many teachers are drawn to China for the work life as much as for the time off. Gemma, who was finishing her NQT year when she came to China just four years ago, is now the head of Year 2 and the Steam (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) curriculum at her school.

She says: “If you work just as hard for it as you would in the UK, there’s a lot of ways in which you get more back for it.”

Emmanuel agrees - he says pupils in China are keen to learn and often compete with each other, keeping teachers on their toes.

“If you’re an educator, that’s the kind of thing you want,” he says. “You want to grow with your kids, you want to stay relevant, you want to contribute and be a meaningful part of their growth. So it makes it really worthwhile.”

For Garry, there’s no question that China is a great place to live, work and have fun.

“[China] is this incredibly welcoming, geographically inspiring place, culturally so diverse. You can go from deserts one day to glaciers the next. From mountains to the most incredible cities… Make a list of all the things you want from anywhere in the world and you’ll be able to find them all here.”

Jacob Moreton is a freelance journalist