Requirements for Teaching in China and Indonesia
You’ve probably thought about teaching in China or Indonesia and done some research, running across a variety of requirements that seem to change from site to site. Maybe you’re feeling no closer to figuring out exactly what you need than you were when you started. Fortunately, as the world’s leading privately-owned education company, with over 30 years’ experience in bringing teachers to China and Indonesia, English 1 can help you every step of the way. Every year we help over 2,000 teachers obtain legal work visa that they need in order to legally teach in China and Indonesia. Below we’ll walk you through the requirements step by step.
Passport
The respective local government will only issue teaching work visas to candidates from certain countries. The first thing to check is that your passport is from:
Passport holder countries:
If you hold, or can obtain, a passport from one of these seven countries, you’ve met the first requirement.
Bachelor's degree
Along with having a passport from one of the seven countries listed above, you will need a bachelor’s degree (or higher) in order to obtain your work visa.
This can be a bachelor’s in any major. BA, BSc, or other designations are fine as long as your degree clearly states that it is a bachelor’s degree. If you’re in the last few months of study but haven’t received your degree yet don’t worry! We can help you begin the rest of your paperwork while you wait for your degree to arrive. Associate degrees, certificates, licenses, and transcripts will not be accepted for English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching work visas.
Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certification
In order to teach in China, you need at least a 120-hour TEFL certification. This is a basic-level certification that qualifies you to teach ESL. The TEFL course offers the fundamentals of ESL teaching and how to best use the classroom to your advantage.
If you don’t have your TEFL certificate yet, you’re not alone! Many new teachers start applying to teach in China before they get their TEFL.
Background check
The ability to obtain a clear criminal background check is one of the basic requirements for getting a work visa. This check details whether or not you have a criminal record, and to get your work visa, it must show that you have no criminal record.
Ability to live abroad for at least a year
Your ESL work visa allows you to live in China and Indonesia for one year, with multiple entries into the country. To make the most out of your experience, giving yourself time to travel and save some money, you’ll want to make sure that you can live abroad for at least one year. With so much to learn and explore, life in China and Indonesia is always an adventure, so be prepared for your time here to fly by.
Putting it all together
Requirements
Don’t have any formal teaching experience? This is not a deal-breaker! You will, however, need below requirements to be eligible for a teaching work visa. Keep in mind you don’t need to have these all documents on hand now to apply – our recruitment team is happy to talk to you if you’re interested in teaching and know that you can fulfill these requirements.
They’ll even help you figure out how to get any of the documents that you don’t have in hand. English 1 provides all new teachers with full arrival support, free Mandarin Chinese and Bahasa Indonesia lessons, and several weeks of teacher training. Teaching in China and Indonesia is a rewarding experience to say the least, so why not give it a try and apply now.
A bachelor’s degree
Passport holder from: