If you're in the market for a teaching job in China, you're probably most concerned with salary and location. While your education and teaching experience will certainly have the biggest impact on your possibilities, the timing of your application will also have a significant effect on your options. Timing could make the difference between a so-so job and a great one, an alright salary and an excellent one. Read on to find out more about the best time to apply for teaching jobs in China.

Which Term?

There are several types of teaching institutions that hire foreign teachers in China, from primary schools up to universities, from public schools to private schools, and from international schools to private language academies. Most of them run on a system of two terms per year. The fall term, which begins in late August or early September is usually the biggest time for hiring. The spring term, which begins in late February or early March, is less of a feeding frenzy although some jobs will still be available. There are some exceptions to this, however, such as private academies, which, to some extent at least, hire teachers all year round.

How Far in Advance?

According to the various recruiters I’ve worked with, you should apply for teaching jobs in China as early as April or May before the fall term, and as early as November for the spring term. By this time, the schools have already heard which of their teachers are planning to return so the HR departments know how many spots they have to fill.

The Advantages of Applying Early

Three to four months in advance may seem a bit keen, and it’s certainly still possible to land a teaching job in China later, but there are definite benefits to applying early. If you’d like to shop around and compare location, salary, benefits and even do a bit of negotiating between your prospects, the more time you have, the better. If you leave it too late, you may end up having to sign the first contract offered. Ideally, you want to be looking over several offers before deciding which is the best fit for you.

Communicating with your prospects and having your questions answered can sometimes go quickly and smoothly, but at other times it can take weeks. I once spent nearly a month going through the hiring process to teach at a university. It was only at the final meeting before signing the contract that the HR director told me the school ships out a bunch of their teachers to another location an hour away. As you might imagine, this was not exactly what I thought I was signing up for. Thankfully, I’d started my job hunting early and I had been applying to other universities as well. A week later, I turned down their offer and accepted another. If I‘d been over a barrel because I’d left my application until the last minute, I probably would have had no choice but to accept.

What About Learning Centers?

Although you can applying to work at learning centers at any time, some of the larger teaching academies also advise applying four months in advance. Most still hire teachers for terms or years, but positions open up during the winter and summer breaks, as many local teachers choose to go out of town when demand among students is high. If you apply to work at a multi-franchise academy four months in advance, you may also be able to choose between all of their cities. If you apply six weeks in advance, however, the pickings will likely be slim.

Factor in Visa Time

While your immediate concerns may be with the time involved in researching and applying for jobs, don’t forget to factor in the time you’ll need to process your work permit. You’ll need to have this in-hand before you begin work. If you’re in China already and it's simply a renewal, it will often take only a week. However, always leave yourself at least two weeks, just in case of bureaucratic problems or a public holiday you forgot about. Getting a work permit for the first time can take a month or more, whether you’re already in China or applying from your home country.

When it Pays to Be Late

After all that bellyaching about applying early, there are one or two very rare occasions when it actually pays to be late. If you already have a work permit, you can sometimes negotiate a higher salary when applying for jobs right before a new term starts. The school will also be short on time, forcing them to agree to contracts they would’ve turned down several months ago. This is obviously a dicey tactic, especially when it involves a move across cities or even continents, and, of course, it can result in complications on the visa front.

In general though, getting in there early will be a huge help when you’re looking for teaching jobs in China. It will allow you to review more schools, examine more contracts and compare more offers. Even if you’re already very confident in your credentials, the added advantage of proper timing will put you in an ideal position when it comes to landing the right job at the best salary.

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