Starling Education is a recruitment and consulting startup with a focus on international ELL, based in Birmingham, UK.
This website is still just a baby and will grow as we grow. But stay tuned for opportunities, and feel free to contact us at recruit@starlingedu.com
Teach English in China!
Are you…
- A native English speaker?
- A Bachelor’s degree holder?
- Willing to live abroad for a year or more?
- Interested in teaching?
If the answer to these questions is yes, teaching English in China could right for you.
We’ll be posting more information about the positions we have to offer over the weeks and months to come. For now, if you’d like to hear about the positions we already have, just drop us an email: recruit@starlingedu.com
Why China?
China gets some bad press, but the reality of living there as an expat is quite different. While it’s not all plain sailing (see below), there are some huge pros to teaching EFL/ESOL in China.
- Money: You’ll earn a lot! For context, the average doctor in China earns around 10,000 CNY per month. You’ll likely be earning double that.
- Cost: China is still very cheap compared with most native English speaking countries, so you can easily save the majority of your paycheck.
- Time: Low working hours and generous holiday means plenty of free time to indulge your passions.
- Adventure: China is an amazing place to explore, and offers a perfect hub from which to discover the rest of Asia.
- Culture: Fantastic food, friendly people, and one of the longest and richest histories of any country in the world.
- Community: You’ll probably make the best friends you’ve ever made there. And if you’re lucky like me, you might even meet the love of your life!
- Change: There’s quite a high chance that going to live abroad will change and improve your life in completely unexpected ways. Taking such a big leap into the unknown isn’t for everyone, but if you’re anything like me, it might turn out to be one of the best decisions you ever make.
Why stay at home?
Living and working in China isn’t without it’s challenges, some common ones being:
- Language: Chinese is kind of hard, especially reading and writing it. And unlike places like Europe, you can’t rely on most locals being able to speak English. Luckily, smartphones and translation software is making this less of a barrier.
- Culture: Chinese culture may be quite different from that of your native country or region, and takes some getting used to. If you’re quite set in your ways, this could be hard.
- Family: Some people simply don’t like being away from their family (or other loved ones) for long periods of time. Video calls helps, of course, but this still might put some people off.
- Food: Chinese food is amazing. I lived there as a vegetarian and even for me, with my reduced options, it was great. But it’s probably not what you’re used to, and this might make it tough for some people. You’ll find plenty of international food too, but options are unlikely to be as varied as back home.
Going to live and work in China isn’t for everyone. It’s a big change, and for most people, a big step outside their comfort zone. But in my experience, that’s when the best things happen.
So if the opportunity comes up for you to go and live abroad for a while – even if it’s not China, and not through us – I say go for it!
—– Ian (Founder, Starling Education)
Ian (36, England) taught English in China for around a decade after originally planning to stay just a year. He’s now eager to help bring this life-changing experience to others.