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Teach English in Shanghai

Shanghai is the big-city posting that still adds up: an average monthly net salary across all sectors of ¥11,612.42 Chinese yuan against a Comfortable teacher's month of about ¥8,500 Chinese yuan, in a city where the metro, the markets and the canteens are priced for locals.

Lujiazui skyline from the Bund, Shanghai
Lujiazui skyline from the Bund, ShanghaiDvTor8303 · CC0Resized and cropped for this page.

Living in Shanghai

  • Healthcare. Health cover is worth arranging before you travel: treatment is not free, and insurers need hearing from quickly after any referral. Dial 120 for an ambulance. Bottled water is the everyday choice for drinking (¥2.38 Chinese yuan for 0.33 L, ¥4.25 Chinese yuan for 1.5 L), and some UK-prescribed medicines are regulated differently in China, so check with your GP before flying.
  • What pay buys. A Comfortable month here costs about ¥8,500 Chinese yuan against an average all-sector net salary of ¥11,612.42 Chinese yuan, so the city is affordable on an ordinary local salary and comfortable on a foreign-teacher salary. The housing market is the local one, and the listings show it: a 150 sq.m Huangpu flat at ¥29,000 Chinese yuan a month is the top of what we found.

Where are the live jobs in Shanghai?

Dipont Education - Shanghai Office (Head Office)

English teacher at a school at Dipont Education - Shanghai Office (Head Office)Listed as Drama and Public Speaking Teacher (Shanghai)

English abroad All ages

Shanghai · China

¥24,000 to ¥30,000 Chinese yuan

Per month

About $3,580 to $4,480 US dollars

Before you apply

  • A bachelor's degree.
  • At least two years teaching English to young learners.
  • Applicants must be able to obtain a legal work visa and residence permit.
  • Candidates with at least two years of experience teaching English to young learners who can obtain a Chinese work visa
Read full requirements
Apply

Dipont Education - Shanghai Office (Head Office)

English teacher at a school at Dipont Education - Shanghai Office (Head Office)Listed as Speech and Debate coach (Shanghai)

English abroad All ages

Shanghai · China

$3,600 to $4,400 US dollars

Per month

Before you apply

  • A bachelor's degree in any discipline.
  • At least two years of relevant experience after graduation, needed for the visa.
  • Applicants must be able to live and work in China for two years.
  • Graduates with at least two years of relevant experience who can live and work in China for two years
Read full requirements
Apply

See all 12 jobs in Shanghai

What does it cost to live there?

Studio, central
¥4,500 to ¥10,000 Chinese yuan per month
Studio, outer
¥2,500 to ¥5,000 Chinese yuan per month
1 bedroom, central
¥5,000 to ¥10,000 Chinese yuan per month
1 bedroom, outer
¥2,500 to ¥5,000 Chinese yuan per month
2 bedroom, central
¥5,000 to ¥9,690 Chinese yuan per month
2 bedroom, outer
¥2,625 to ¥4,830 Chinese yuan per month
Room in shared flat, central
¥5,100 to ¥8,493 Chinese yuan per month
Room in shared flat, outer
¥2,700 to ¥3,955 Chinese yuan per month
3 bedroom, central
¥16,421 to ¥29,000 Chinese yuan per month

Getting around and weather

Jan
8.7°C high, 2.9°C low
Feb
10.7°C high, 4.1°C low
Mar
14.9°C high, 7.6°C low
Apr
20.9°C high, 12.6°C low
May
25.8°C high, 17.9°C low
Jun
28.6°C high, 22°C low
Jul
33.2°C high, 26.2°C low
Aug
32.6°C high, 26.2°C low
Sep
28.7°C high, 22.5°C low
Oct
23.5°C high, 17.1°C low
Nov
17.8°C high, 11.4°C low
Dec
11.3°C high, 5.3°C low

What visa do you need?

Visa
Z visa (work), with a work permit and a work-type residence permit The school that hires you starts the work permit notification before you leave home. The application asks for your passport, a bachelor's degree and either a TEFL certificate or two years of experience, plus a clean criminal record check; a residence permit lasting more than a year also needs a health certificate.

The Teach English in China guide carries the full visa section, requirement by requirement, with the wording each line comes from and its source. Live jobs in China.

When do schools hire?

School year
The teaching year is employer-set: private and international schools run a September-start term and a February-start term. For context on what the sector charges families, a private preschool runs about ¥9,336.11 Chinese yuan a month and an international primary school about ¥188,125 Chinese yuan a year.
Hiring
Late winter to mid-summer for September starts, with a second, thinner round in December and January for February starts.

Where do these figures come from?