What is a teaching contract?
This is the written agreement between you and the school. The term of the contract is usually one year.
At the end of the year, you can choose to renew your contract, finish up and return home, or chat to us about other teaching jobs in China.
You have to sign a contract to formally accept a position in China. Before you do this though, you must read and understand it.
Generally, a contract is made up of two parts – English and Mandarin (the Mandarin section should be a replica of the English section).
You should sign and date the contract once you're happy with everything in it.
Contract must-haves
Your contract should include:
- Your personal details, such as your full name
- The school’s address
- Title of the job to be performed
- Start and end date of employment
- Number of contact hours or classes you must teach
- Salary
- Medical insurance details
- Termination details.
If a contract doesn’t have this key information, ask for it to be included.
Most (but not all) contracts should include details about the accommodation. In the public school system, accommodation is included in the salary package.
The schools that don’t include accommodation in the contract (e.g. private language centers) usually offer a bit more money to go towards this expense.
There are a number of additional things you should consider in your contract too.
These are outlined in our free ebook, 10 Do’s & Don’ts for Teaching English in China.
