Job opportunities for an 18 year old?

As an 18-year-old student who is finishing high school in Europe, do I have any job opportunities in China as a language teacher?

• Mainly English, Hungarian and Hebrew.

• Answer:

  TL;DR A white non native English speaker is preferred to a black or Asian native English speaker in *most* places in China. You can easily find a job if you show up, fake a resume and degree (everything's fake in China - you can get a degree printed on the street there if you don't have a friend that's good with Photoshop), and prepare to work on a tourist, business, or student visa (foreigners I've met have been on all three). Faye's right when she says you'll need to have a bachelor's to teach in a reputable school. But the fact is most language schools in China aren't reputable and the ones where you'll make decent money definitely won't be. Save some money. Apply for a one year multiple entry tourist visa. Researching ahead of time to find events you want to attend that are spaced out throughout the year is a good idea (art/music/science festivals). Otherwise you'll probably just get a standard 90 day visa. If you end up with the 90 day visa it's not a big deal. You have to leave the country every 90 days no matter what tourist visa you have. Your school will help you set up a business or student visa depending on their connections. Before you go, get on Dave's ESL cafe and post a resume. You can copy someone else's. I think lying is absolutely ridiculous, but in China you HAVE to play the game. If you don't, your boss will screw you over and not think a second thing about it. You're not in the inner circle and they owe you nothing. I'm serious. Chinese people are wonderful and amazing but when it comes to money and business in PRC, things are very very different than the west. Be prepared. The school doesn't care about your education level. Neither do the parents. They both want a white puppet to interact with their kids. The whiter looking the more face they get with their friends. Blonde hair, blue eyed men are a prized commodity. Other white men are next and then blonde hair blue eyed women then other white women. Everybody else falls in waaay behind and often for half the pay or less. So copy someone else's resume, get a photoshopped degree and send it and all the photos to your recruiter. Yes. There's always a recruiter. Their job is to be very nice and very accommodating to you up until the moment you sign the contract. They will tell you everything you want to hear. If it's not in the contract, it doesn't exist. If it was in the contract, most schools will try to wiggle out of it or find a loop hole. Review your contract and keep a copy. Oh, by the way, your contract doesn't actually mean anything. You're working illegally, remember? It's actual just a tool they can use to threaten you or you  can use to your advantage. Just remember to NEVER EVER EVER give them your passport, access to your bank accounts, or house keys. I don't care how helpful they are. It's business in China. All bets are off. It's a 95% chance that your recruiter will be a female. Be wary. Alright so you've sent your resume and degree out to the all the job ads on http://daveseslcafe.com and have posted it so others can contact you. Once you've talked back and forth and done your Skype interviews (YouTube an esl lesson), get some offers - 3 or 4 in one city or area, if you can. Tell them you'd like to meet with then in person and see their school before you sign the contract. Once you get to China, start checking out expat spots and finding other teachers who are working. Schools are always hiring, so keep your options open. When you meet with the schools you interviewed with, try to hang around until the afternoon to talk to the teachers. Ask them if they're happy, what their challenges are at that school, and possibly how much they make. Some people will be happy to share and some won't but it doesn't hurt to ask. You can also find out how desperate they are for teachers. This gives you more room to negotiate. Make sure to negotiate who will pay for the following things in your contract or you will be held 100% responsible by the school. Rent (security deposit and three months are the minimum required for any rental contract in China). People often sign crappier contracts because the school fronts them the money or puts them in school provided (read:crappy) accommodations. Visas. These add up especially for student or business visa that have to renewed twice a year. Business visas require a trip to Hong Kong to "renew." Who will pay for the flight and hotel? Taxi or tram ride to the visa office? Food? Will you be paid by your school during this time (I didn't think this needed to be spelled out, but my school tried not to pay me for the time I was in Hong Kong getting my ACTUAL work visa. This resulted in a standoff where I almost quit.) Classroom supplies. After doing craft lessons without craft supplies, people start breaking down and spending their own money on the kids. These aren't poor kids, poor parents, or a poor school. The school is skimping and Transportation to and from school and other "events." Events (including setup time) and travel to and from events. Uniforms Other things suggested (read: required) by the school for you to have. Tuition (if you're a student) Also make sure to have the exact pay dates and hiring dates on your contracts. Will you be paid in cash or a direct deposit? Will you have a training period where you're paid less? How do you know when it ends? What date? You could also make things super simple and just go travel and teach  some private lessons. You can also sign up with language centers while you're there. They have the same kinds of contracts but it's usually a per student basis. Most people work with these students for one contract and then work directly with the student. Oh and don't worry about your accent. Your school might ask you to lie to the parents. If nothing else, say you're from England, Ireland, Scotland, or Australia. They won't be able to tell you even have an accent most of the time and definitely won't be able to distinguish between non-Hollywood accents. You could have a super thick Russian accent, but if you're blonde hair and blue eyed and willing to do the minimum requirements, you're in.   Don't believe me? Can you distinguish between the hundreds of different Chinese accents? Nope. Didn't think so. You'd be hard pressed to find any foreigner that can. There's a million other things to consider, but even if you only have a few of these you'll be way ahead of where I was the first time. Hope this helps a little. :) Enjoy China. It's one of the most amazing places on Earth.