South African teachers who go to China tend to fall into two camps when they come back: those who can't stop talking about it, and those who are already planning how to go back.
We've placed teachers across China for years — in cities like Shenzhen, Chengdu, Hangzhou, and smaller cities most people couldn't point to on a map. What we've heard from them has shaped how we talk about this destination with every teacher who asks. So we decided to put it in one place, honestly and without the marketing gloss.
The first month is genuinely hard.
We're not going to pretend otherwise. China is a significant adjustment. The language barrier is real — not just with students, but at the supermarket, on public transport, in restaurants where the menu has no English and the staff are as amused by you as you are by them. The written script is entirely unfamiliar. The sounds are new. And if you've never been somewhere where you are visibly, completely foreign, the experience of constant low-level strangeness can wear on you in ways you don't expect.
South African teachers tend to handle this better than most, which is not something we say lightly. South Africans are accustomed to operating in environments where not everyone speaks your language, where you have to read a room quickly, where you adapt or you don't get by. That flexibility is exactly what the first month in China demands.
The teachers who struggle are usually the ones who try to recreate what they had at home. The ones who thrive are the ones who get curious.
The food deserves more than a paragraph, but here's a paragraph.
Teachers warn each other about the food and then spend the rest of their contract raving about it. Chinese food in China is nothing like what you know from Cape Town or Johannesburg. It is regional, diverse, seasonal, and often extraordinary. You will eat things you cannot identify and love them. You will find a breakfast place near your school within the first week and go back every morning for a year. Dumplings at 7am will become a normal part of your life. This is not a bad thing.
If you are vegetarian, most major cities will accommodate you reasonably well. If you have serious dietary restrictions, be honest with us upfront and we will factor that into where we place you. Some smaller cities are more challenging to navigate than others for dietary needs.
The schools are serious about education.
This varies by institution, but the consistent experience from our teachers is that Chinese schools — particularly the private international schools we work with — place enormous value on academic performance. Parents are invested. Students are motivated. The classroom environment is often more disciplined than what South African teachers are used to, which some find refreshing and others find jarring at first.
Your role as a native English speaker or qualified English teacher carries real status. Students want what you have. They will practise with you at every opportunity — in the corridor, at lunch, after class. If you enjoy that kind of genuine engagement, China will be one of the most rewarding teaching experiences of your life.
Download WeChat before you arrive — it is the primary communication platform for everything in China, from talking to your school to ordering food. Get a VPN sorted before you land, as many Western apps and websites are restricted. Bring more coffee than you think you need if you're particular about it. Everything else you can figure out when you get there.
The money goes further than you think.
Salaries for English teachers in China vary depending on the city, the institution, and your experience level. What remains consistent is that the cost of living is dramatically lower than South Africa in most categories that matter — food, transport, and entertainment particularly. Teachers who are disciplined about saving report that they return home with meaningful savings after a year, even after travelling extensively within China and across Southeast Asia during holidays.
Accommodation is typically provided or heavily subsidised. Many schools include return flights. The financial package, when you look at what you actually spend versus what you earn, is often better than it appears on paper.
Why so many teachers extend.
The most telling thing we can say about China is this: a significant number of the teachers we place there extend their contracts. Not because they have nothing to go back to, but because they're not done yet. The country is too large, the experiences too varied, and the professional growth too real to walk away from after twelve months.
China has a way of making South African teachers better at their jobs. The constraints sharpen your creativity. The cultural distance grows your empathy. And the students — who are genuinely trying to connect with you across a significant language barrier — remind you of exactly why you became a teacher in the first place.
Whoever goes tends to come back changed. In the best possible way.
If you're thinking about it, talk to us. We'll tell you honestly whether it sounds like the right fit, and if it is, we'll find the right placement for who you are — not just the nearest available school.