Dude??? do you understand my point or not? It is easier to find a job though expat connections than through a website! i can speak and write chinese...and usually chinese schools don't like to hire ppl who speaks chinese because they don't want teachers to speak chinese to students. you are not being helpful at all so don't write anything. Education is not your field so go and make comments in other posts. thanks

Last word I say 关系

Ciao Matteo,

if you want to keep open your horizons, out of teaching; please send me a cv or a few lines by email. I work in f&b industry. maurino@soundinner.com /
or otherwise, by some contacts, I could give you more infos about teaching in Yunnan.

@andy.f and @matteo
If you've NEVER taught English (officially) in China and you want to do it legally, I suggest you go through ANY of the several universities or high schools here in Yunnan and especially in Kunming FIRST. The pay isn't great, but it's a great start to making connections while "running on the ground".

This will also give you opportunities to look at and perhaps visit the private English schools, international schools, and local high schools to determine what level of students you'd like to teach.

The Chinese matriculation system (called the "gaokao") recently downgraded the importance of English HOWEVER a small group of affluent Chinese are sending their children overseas starting around middle school, to get them into foreign high schools and universities - give them a broader international look (mostly Australia, UK, and USA though).

If you're here for long-term and are considering teaching English as a foreign Language (TEFL) as a career, you may wish to investigate the certifications and whether the school will re-imburse you for successfully completing the certification(s) AND what to expect as a salary increase. Get it in writing in the contract. If it's not in the contract - they're lying and you are FREE to look somewhere else upon completion of your certification.

Contract enforcement in China is abysmal - even for Chinese companies - but it's getting better and is not as ludicrous or impotent as the US legal system.

"Is someone with a degree in say, basket weaving, any more qualified to teach than someone with no degree?"

Agreed. Despite being one of the countries with the most influx of English teachers at this time in the World and having a serious ambition at becoming a bilingual country (even though they haven't been colonised by England), China still has a seriously high ratio of learners with a mediocre level of English.

Agree, a degree is no proof of ability.
In the absence of all other evidence, a degree is proof of a certain level of education. Even one in basket weaving.