Work as a volunteer in China

Work as a volunteer in China: Teach English

English is of growing importance in China. It is taught as a mandatory subject from the third class upwards. Other foreign languages are normally not offered at the schools. As a volunteer, you have the chance to teach English at schools in and around Shanghai, or in the rural province of Si Chuan (Sezuan), about a three-hour flight away from Shanghai.

You will be teaching 11-15 English lessons per week, mostly on your own. You will also prepare your lessons and organise leisure time activities for the children. During the Chinese summer holidays from July to August you can be employed in summer camps as an alternative. In these camps children and teenagers learn English in a playful way.

Schools in and around Shanghai

After the orientation days, you will be taken to the location of your work placement either in or around Shanghai. The region where you could be working is large - you could be placed in the city centre or e.g. on the islands of Chong Ming, Chang Xin or Heng Sha Island,  approximately 1-2 hours from downtown Shanghai via bus and ferry.

Volunteers help both in the primary schools and the schools for older children. The schools are generally well-equipped with computer rooms, libraries and laboratories. The classes are very large: there are often 40-50 children in one class. During your volunteer work, you will be living in a shared room on the school grounds or in a shared apartment. Volunteer helpers working in and around Shanghai should have very good English language skills.

Schools in Si Chuan

Volunteers who will be teaching English in the central Chinese province of Si Chuan must organise their flight from Shanghai to Chengdu themselves (costs approximately 190 €). Once you arrive in Chengdu, you will be picked up by a member of our partner organisation and will receive a short introduction to the conditions on location before you start working as a volunteer. The province is situated to the east of the Tibetan highland plateau on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

Volunteers teach at primary schools in small villages and communities such as e.g. Lou Fang and Hei Hu. In contrast to the highly-populated Shanghai area, the schools in Si Chuan have little financial possibilities. The teacher to pupil ratio is very unbalanced - you have to be capable of improvising. As a volunteer teacher, you will live in a shared room located on the school grounds or in a shared apartment.