ISAC Program Q&A
Before You Apply
International School Alliance of China or ISAC is a government certified recruitment firm. We work with universities and public schools and recruit international teachers from all over the world.
Via ISAC Teach in China Program, international teachers are invited to teach in China at one of our partner schools.
What we do:
- Recruit international teachers for ISAC partner schools
- Connect teacher to book an interview with your interested school
- Provide guidance on work visa application, documents collection, medical check etc;
What we don’t do:
- Salary: ISAC does not decide teacher’s salary. Your host school does. Your salary and benefits are not affected whether you are introduced by ISAC or other agencies;
- Contract: contract is signed between foreign teacher and host university/school, not with ISAC.
The ISAC Teach in China Program is a program ISAC run to recruit teachers to teach at our partner schools.
ISAC works constantly to improve the standards of our program to attract quality teachers into Chinese universities and public schools.
- ISAC is certified by State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security
ISAC has a strong network in China’s public and higher education sector, see our partners. Your teaching experience via ISAC Teach in China Program provides you a career ladder at ISAC’s partner schools.
For example: teacher Ms. Teresa taught English at Nanhai Foreign Language School and after a year of service and positive feedback from the school, she was referred by ISAC to teach at Hangzhou Normal University, video.
You are hired by the school. You will sign your contract with the school. ISAC is responsible for providing job information (salary, accommodation, etc) and visa guidance.
We only provide the following types of jobs:
1, Language Teacher
We have most English jobs and some German, French, Japanese, Spanish, Russian, Korean jobs. We also have some other language positions every now and then. For example, Thai, Czech, Portuguese, Malay etc. We welcome teachers of other languages to submit CV so we can contact you once we have suitable university positions for you.
2, Subject Instructor (Mechanical Engineering, Software, Computer Science, Petro Science, Chemistry, Math, Medicine etc)
Follow Application Procedure
- Submit an application to ISAC;
- Qualified applicants will be invited to submit supporting documents including Resume, Degree Certificate, Teaching Certificate (if any), Reference Letters (if any) to career@isac.org.cn;
- Interview with interested universities/schools;
- Receive job offer and contract for visa application purpose;
- Apply for work visa (Z visa) at a Chinese Embassy; arrange a flight to China;
- Fly to China and start work
We have two terms for each academic year. ISAC program starts in September and February of each year for the two terms including
- the Fall term (Sept-Jan) and
- the Spring term (Feb-July)
ISAC also have sporadic openings during a term. You can check updated Job Board and apply.
No. However you need to pay for the authentication fee of your degree and background check, and the visa application fee paid to the Chinese embassy.
The interview with the school is a great way to know your future employer; you will have a better idea what the university class schedule is like, and what your daily work will be like.
You will have time to ask questions you have. It’s highly advised to prepare your questions beforehand regarding accommodation, cost of living, class size etc.
For each intake/semester we recruit about 30-40 new foreign teachers.
Application
Chris, Hangzhou Program
One thing is working hours. University teachers have about 12-16 classes (45 minutes each class) per week and no office hours. For public schools, the working hours are about 36-40 hours per week (usually 18-20 teaching hours plus 18-20 office hours). That’s why most university salary falls into the 6,000-10,000 range. Of course, you need to consider what to do in your spare time. So university jobs are perfect for those who wish to have more spare time (for travel, study, learn a new language etc). University jobs usually have better hourly rate but less overall amount.
Another thing is benefits. Universities provide free accommodation, and sometimes it is quite spacious. It’s common to see a two-bedroom apartment being provided for university teachers but less common for public school/private sector jobs. Also, most university campuses are out of downtown in a less populated, quieter neighborhood with more greenery, and easy access to city center (for students and teachers to commute). It’s advised to check each job position to be sure you are aware of the location, environment and facilities.
If you don’t live a lavish lifestyle, you can save a large portion of your salary. Working in the public sector means most expenditures are covered. Housing, rent, utilities, flight tickets, travel allowance, medical insurance are all included in your salary package. You need to pay for meals with affordable price at school canteen.
No doubt that you see private sector providing better salary, but you should take a closer look at the benefits and the package in a big picture. Public schools/universities do not excel in the number, but it wins over benefits, more relaxed working environment and work-life balance.
Refer to:
ISAC and your host school will guide you through your work visa application including what to prepare, where to go for medical check, and for document authentication etc. We know that the Z visa application process can be daunting at first sight, but you don’t need to worry as we got all the expertise to make it a smooth process.
It really depends on when and the situation at that time. For example, during the coronavirus epidemic, everything gets slower. It usually takes about 3-4 days before the epidemic and 7-10 days during the epidemic for a university/school to make a decision.
No, you need a bachelor’s degree or higher to apply for a work visa. You do not wish to work illegally in China.
Yes. A new teacher needs to have one of the following:
1. TESOL/TEFL/CELTA Certificate on a 120 hours or more training
2. Valid teaching certificate issued from your home country
3. You majored in Education or Linguistics, and that should be shown in your diploma or transcript.
Unfortunately no. ISAC encourages teachers to teach their mother languages. For example, if you are from France and grow up in a French speaking environment, we think the best option would be a French teaching position.
You must have either one of these:
- Formal teaching experience for 2 years or more
- A TEFL/TESOL/CELTA certificate or teacher’s license from your home country
- Diploma in Education or Linguistics
As you can see from our job list, there are so many universities and cities! Which one is the best fit for me?
University positions are very similar in terms of salary and hours. One variable is location and the other is university ranking. From ISAC’s experience, for teachers who are new to China and new to the higher education, being open-minded is the key for your success here. Big city or small city, top level university or vocational college, they all have got pros and cons. A vocational college in a small city does not mean it is going to be a bad experience; on the contrary many teachers in a small college enjoyed the experience of being close to everyone at school, being popular on campus and being appreciated by others for their work done because there are only a few foreign teachers at that school (See Brian, Esther, Connie). Top-level university has got motivated students, great facilities. But the cons is that it’s more difficult to stand out. Imagine that you work at a university with 30 foreign teachers and half of them have PhD degrees.
Our suggestion is to get to know the city and the university, know what is included and what is not and go for it. The most important thing is to get all required documents ready for work visa application. After a year or two at one university you will have a better idea where you are heading for the benefits of your career and life.
For primary and secondary schools, it is from Mon-Fri. For university positions, you will work about 3-5 days a week depending on your class schedule.
Yes with satisfactory feedback from your employer.
Yes, however, the cost needs to be covered by the teacher. We do have teachers who bring their partners and children. It really varies case by case, and it is possible especially if your partner will be teaching at the same/nearby university.
Other Questions
Yes. You will know which city and which school/university you will be teaching before you accept or deny a job offer.
Yes as long as you have a satisfactory feedback from your host school.
Most positions are for 10~12 months. 5 months is the minimum length, and pleasse note that 5 month positions are very limited.
1. Sign a contract directly with your employer, not with an agency.
2. Compare salary. If it goes too high, that could be a scam; if too low, that could be a position where agent takes a portion of your salary.
Common Public School Salary Range:
- University: 6,000-10,000/month;
- Primary, Middle & High: 12,000-14,000/month;
- Subject Teachers: 14,000-18,000/month;
Please note that the range above is a general guide for public sectors in China; It can vary depending on your qualification. (e.g. If you have a Doctoral Degree, then you could expect a better renumeration from a university or academic position)
For most teaching positions, if accommodation is not included, a housing allowance of 1,000-3,000 is usually provided depending on which city you are in. (RMB 1000 for tier 3 cities and RMB 3000 for tie 1 cities like Beijing and Shanghai)
Starting from July 1st 2019, we start to provide referral reward to encourage teachers to recommend their friends to teach with ISAC Program. Our incentive is $60 for non-ISAC teachers and $100 for ISAC teachers. You will get your reward after your friend’s arrival at their host school.
Unfortunately it does, in a way or another. ISAC does NOT judge one’s teaching ability based on skin color, but many schools in China do. Universities tend to be less judgmental than high schools and elementary schools.
Visa Document
No, you don’t have to, but it is advised you have them ready or at least apply for them while applying for a position with us.
Admittedly teachers who have the documents (criminal backgroud check and diploma authentication) ready have advantages over those who do not, especially when a semester is going to an end. That’s partly because schools think foreign teachers who have them ready are more willing and dedicated to work in China than those do not (which sometimes may not be true). Plus it excludes the possibilites of delays and uncertainty.
Yes, but the positions are limited. Please contact us for more information.