ESL Teacher

Eligibility Requirements to Teach English in China

To get a Z visa, you must satisfy certain criteria – from nationality and age to qualifications and a few other pivotal bits and bobs. It’s important to know that there are several exceptions to many of the below detailed rules. For clarity and ease of info-sharing, we’ll detail all those at the end of the guide.

Here are the primary Z Visa requirements:

• Your Nationality

You must be from one of seven approved countries – UK, Ireland, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa

China has decided that only citizens from these seven countries speak English fluently and may teach their students. Yes, we know – it doesn’t always work like that but, to be brutally honest: their house, their rules.

• You must hold a Bachelor’s Degree

China has also decided it wants a certain foreign teacher to work there – one with a Bachelor’s Degree. The significant news is, however, that the degree can be in any subject. It does not need to be teaching or English specific at all.

If the degree is legit in your country, then you can teach English in China!

• You must have recognized and accredited TEFL certification – Teach English as a Foreign Language

A TEFL* certificate is one of the fundamental requirements to teach English in China in 2021. This is best gained online with one of the many agencies that offer world-class courses. TEFL certification is reasonably affordable and is really the best first-step into a wonderful teaching career, anywhere in the world.

*TEFL certificates: If you don’t have this certificate, you will need to get it before applying for a teaching job. In your research, you will come across three varieties of English-teaching courses: TEFL, TESOL and CELTA.

It’s better to have a TEFL, which trains you for teaching people of all ages.

• You must have a CLEAR Criminal Background Check from your home country

China doesn’t want any hardened foreign criminals among its midst and we guess this is fair as well. To apply for a Z Visa, you must present a Criminal Record (also called a Police Check) that shows you have no priors.

Don’t worry over minor infringements: they’re really only looking out for a bonafide criminal record.

Find out how to obtain a Criminal Record Check in your home country.

And don’t forget that once you have all your documents, you will need to have them authenticated for the visa application.

•  You must be between 18 and 60 years of age (men) and 55 (women)

This is the working-age bracket for Chinese teachers, so foreign workers must also abide by them.

Chinese schools will be quite blunt in the age bracket they desire. Typically, they will seek teachers who are at least 25 years old (especially if they want teachers to have loads of experience in the field) and perhaps not older than 45.

For kindergartens, it may even be less than that – they try to filter for things like energy levels and whatnot.

If you are on either side of the 25 – 45 age bracket, it’s worth asking about a school’s age requirement as soon as possible. Not all mention it in their job application, so this is a good way to make sure you’re not wasting your time.

• You must pass two Medical Checks

China wants to ensure you are fit and healthy to teach in the country. Primarily, the country wants to ensure applicants don’t inadvertently bring illnesses into the country.

The medical check will screen not just for general health but also for things like HIV, hepatitis and tuberculosis.  

The first Medical Examination usually takes place when you’re applying for your Z Visa – so you do this through a certified medical facility in your home country. As soon as you arrive in China, you’ll undergo the second medical check.

If you read somewhere else that you can wait and get your medical check in China after you leave, that was probably true at the time of publication. As with many things in 2021, that has changed. You now need two medical checks. 

Don’t worry: your employer will guide you through this process in China.

• Eligibility Exceptions

Remember how we said that everyone’s story is different? Well, it’s true: what if you are not originally from one of the seven approved countries but you studied and gained your Bachelor Degree from one of the approved countries? Yes, you guessed it – exemption approved!

Here are some of the most common exceptions:

• If your Bachelor Degree is in English literacy but you don’t have TEFL certification, you can apply for an exemption.
• If you don’t have a lot of practical hours under your belt but found a job that doesn’t require it (say, a kindergarten), you can apply for an exemption to #5. The ‘practical’ requirement is subjective to each job offer so peruse them carefully. The most part you can get a job with a degree and TEFL, even if you have no experience. 
• If you are qualified to teach in your home country, have a bachelor’s degree and at least two years’ experience, you can apply for an exemption. 
• Also, you won’t need to have TEFL certification to teach a subject OTHER than English, so you can also apply for an exemption here too.