Life, Health & Financial Status

Where are you in your life at the moment? Is this the best time?

If you are in the middle of college at this time, and you leave to teach at a school in China(which is not affiliated with any university program), you may have to pay interest on your college loans while you are teaching since you will not be taking any classes.

Do you have a physical disability?

Having a disability is NOT a reason to give up on going to China. However, you should realize that China is not as handicap accessible as other ―first world countries. Places such as apartments and restaurants that would ALWAYS have elevator access in your country may not be so accessible in China. In addition, most people in China spend a lot of time walking from the train to a bus stop, or from a bus stop to their homes. Taxis are usually almost always available but they are also more expensive. If you do have a physical disability, my advice for you is to be upfront about the disability when you are looking for a job so that there will be no surprises when you arrive.

Do you have any medical problems?

China is a fast developing country and these days, most medical services are available. However, it is always good to check (online) to make sure that medicines and other devices that you may need are available in China. If not, you will need to stockpile these items for the duration of your stay.Having certain diseases such as AIDS and Hepatitis may prevent you from working in China. Teachers who apply for a work visa in China will have to undergo a physical which includes blood testing. Check with the Chinese embassy for the latest information.

Do you have many financial obligations in your home country right now?

Living in a foreign country does not exempt you from making child care payments, credit card payments, school loan payments, or any other legally binding payments While you can generally expect to earn 3-6 times the salary of an average Chinese worker, you cannot expect to make the same salary as you would in the U.S. It is true that the he cost of living in China is much lower than in the U.S. but teaching English in China is not a get rich scheme. If you are frugal, and aren’t into partying a lot, you should be able to save a some money each month but it won’t be a large amount.
In my opinion, teaching English in China is best for people who want to take a year off between high school and college, have just graduated from college, or are looking for something ―different‖ to do later in life.