Chinese Culture Center

You do NOT need to speak fluent Chinese. While this may help you during the initial period of settling in, remember that your primary skill is the English that you already speak as your native language. In fact, many of our teachers consider living and teaching in China as the best way possible to learn Chinese.

We do encourage our teachers to learn some Chinese language and culture before you go to China. The Chinese Culture Center offers on-site Chinese lessons in Columbia, South Carolina free of charge if you’re enrolled in the program. If you aren’t able to attend it on-site, we also offer online training courses, along with our course on TEFL teaching methods.

If you are worried about getting around in China before you speak the language, please relax. Once you’re in China, your host school will assign you a bilingual colleague, fluent in your language, to help you set up your work and life upon arrival. Your host school will likely even offer free Chinese classes.

No, you do not need to be in any specific major. At the Chinese Culture Center, we place emphasis on cultural exchange, fostering the communication between China and America. We’re not just looking for qualified educators, but for people with a passion for teaching and a thirst for learning. In fact, you may even teach your major in China.

Yes. The Chinese Culture Center accepts people from all backgrounds, including some of those who do not have degrees. While you may not be suited for all positions offered, we will carefully review your application and see if there is any position right for you. For example, a Kindergarten teacher or a summer camp counselor may not require the same degree work as a Master Teacher.

For one thing, the Chinese Culture Center is a nonprofit organization in the United States. The CCC advocates for the interchange and understanding between two great nations. As such, our focus is on pairing the best possible teachers with the best possible environments, in which they may not only flourish but also bring out the best in the schools to which they are assigned.

CCC is a BBB accredited international organization with an A+ rating, so you know you’re safe with us. We are also a registered U.S. non-profit educational exchange organization with certification from The China State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA) for recruiting, training, and placing foreign teachers in China.

We have been operating for 10 years—this is not a new organization with a high element of risk, but an established program. We have established a reputable history of taking good care of our teachers (see our Teacher Comments here, and focus on being a good program for teachers experiencing China for the first time.

CCC also offers international toll-free phone numbers for teachers in China to reach our U.S. office 24 hours a day, so you’ll never feel stranded. We strive to maintain very good working relationships with our partner schools in China, and insist that our Chinese employers sign work contracts before our teachers do, in order to protect your interests. You will sign the contract with your host school long before departure, so that there are no surprises or unexpected changes in your situation while you’re undertaking a new and exciting life change.

Because your situation in China will be established long before your arrival, you will have time to read up on the specific city and province in which you’ll live before coming over. Make sure to look at the weather reports for ideas about what to pack.

The Chinese Culture Center also provides local directors and attorneys in China. These hardworking professionals guarantee and enforce all the terms in your work contracts, so you’ll never be hit with unexpected fees or surprises. If you need assistance, the CCC is always there for you, in the U.S. and in China. We do all the paperwork for you (so you’re never worried about what you’re signing) including your visa, as well as offering our successful trainees and teachers TEFL certificates, a universal accreditation. We also offer successful trainees and teachers Certificates for Foreign Experts through our partner schools.

The Chinese Culture Center strives to always be a support system for you and your family while you are with us. Teachers like you are the reason we exist.

Please download the deferment application from your loan creditor’s website. Fill out the form, and select the qualified category as “paid volunteer job for a non-profit organization,” the appropriate box for your work with the CCC. Sign and date the application, and mail it to your creditor’s office. That should be all you need to do! Your loans will be deferred while you are participating in the program overseas, which is one less thing you need to worry about. The Chinese Culture Center’s Non-Profit EIN number is: 01-0610140. Please call or email us if you need further assistance.

Unfortunately, no. While you may consider them part of the family, the housing contracts that we have negotiated respectfully request that you leave pets at home. University housing and apartments in China where you will be living do not accommodate pets.

Yes. You are welcome to bring your spouse and children with you to China. Your housing will be sized accordingly to your family size. Please see the "Fees" page for a better understanding of the reduced cost of moving your family to China.

Yes. Of course, your spouse must register online (just as you have) and pass our evaluation and background check first, just as all of our teachers do. We’ll assign couples to the same school or the same city. You may share the same apartment if you wish.

The limitations for luggage on international flights are always changing, so be sure to check with your specific Airline before packing. In general (though this varies from airline to airline) you are permitted 1-2 bags up to 50 lbs. each as check-in luggage. A third suitcase can cost from $130 and up per piece. You are also generally entitled to a carry-on bag (backpack or rollaway) and a "personal item": laptop bag, purse, etc. Make certain you check with your specific carrier for the allowable dimensions of your baggage.

You will not be reimbursed for an over-weight luggage fee. Please remember that your housing in China will be furnished, and the belongings you must bring are very minimal. Purchasing power in China is strong, and we highly recommend packing in an extremely minimal fashion. Use your over-weight luggage money to purchase belongings in China instead!

Under no circumstances should you lock your suitcases. Airport security will simply saw off the locks. There’s no reason to waste your money and time.

Most of the lodging you will be given is completely furnished; if it isn’t, you’ll know before departure. The furnishings include bedding, cooking utensils, TV, furniture, etc., everything you need to make yourself at home. You should bring your own laptop or smartphone, but are not required to do so. We recommend you bring minimal clothing as clothes (off the rack and custom-tailored) are very inexpensive in China. If your shoe size is 10 or over, consider bringing your own shoes, as they will be hard to find in your size.

What many people may not know is that a visa is not just a piece of paper that you can receive in the mail. It is a legal document entitling you to enter a foreign country, and is fastened to your original passport at the back. This must be done legally at the consulate, rather than as a document that you can carry separately, which is why the original passport is necessary.

The fact that we provide visas for our program participants is a fantastic advantage. Most programs will require any participant to go to the foreign consulate at least twice, once to drop off the passport and fill out forms, once to pick it up (in person). When you come to China via Chinese Culture Center, we take the stress, worry, and driving out of the equation for you, making it easy and relaxing to obtain a proper Chinese visa. Your passport will be sent by secured mail in the U.S.—there is no safer way to send documents, so you know your passport is safe.

If for some reason you do want to obtain your own visa, the CCC will assist you by providing the documents and instructions you need. In this case, you will have to go to the designated Chinese Embassy or a consulate, which may be several states away. For Example, if you reside in South Carolina, you must go to the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC in person to apply for your Chinese Visa: First in order to drop off your paperwork and pay the fee, second to pick it up four business days later. We recommend you allow us to do the work for you, as it makes everything stress-free, and your passport is safe with the Chinese Culture Center.

The Chinese Culture Center has a large placement network all over China, with schools of all levels (between kindergarten and adult schools, universities) and in all cities. Each teacher is offered a different arrangement based on experience and availability. Most of our schools are in Eastern China, but we have schools in every area of China. Long before you are scheduled to depart, you’ll be notified of your placement within China, and have the opportunity to sign your work contract. Even if you’ve been to China before, you’ll have the option to discover somewhere new!

It varies from school to school. However, the standard course work load is 20-25 class hours per week for most of our teachers. Kindergarten teachers might have more, so make sure to read your contracts before signing them.

Yes, it is. We encourage teachers to work with us as long as they want. If you come to China after paying a multiple-year program fee, you can renew or ask to be reassigned to another school/city for the next year without paying an extra fee besides the visa renewal fee.

Yes. There are many jobs available in China through the Chinese Culture Center. While we do bring over and train many new English teachers, we offer a wide variety of careers. If you have a certain specialty or a subject in which you really want to work, make that clear on your application. We will do our best to find you something in your chosen field.

We also recruit special talents and experts for many different businesses and multinational companies in China. We are always looking for people with a wide variety of skills, not just English proficiency!

We are also on the search for native speakers of languages other than English. If you are fluent in another language, we may ask you to teach that language in Chinese schools instead of English. China is a rapidly growing country with interests all over the world, and schools are eager to expand their knowledge bases in a variety of ways.

While China is a very safe place to live, we do ask that all of our teachers display common sense. The crime rate in China is very low. For example, the homicide rate is only a fifth of what it is in America. The Chinese people are very friendly to foreigners, and love meeting new kinds of people.

You will also be able to reach the Chinese Culture Center in China or in America at any time of day, 24/7. We want you to feel safe and protected.

As part of making sure you are safe and protected, we ask that you take good care of yourself. Guard your purse or wallet in crowded buses or shopping centers, lock your apartment behind you, and make sure not to go out with strangers. In other words, exercise common sense.

No. You will be treated as a respected teacher and a foreign expert, just as all of our teachers are. In China, you will be judged only on work performance and your personal character. If you conduct yourself with respect to the local culture, just as with all of our teachers, you will be treated with a great deal of respect from your Chinese colleagues, your students, and their parents.

Remember that China is not a homogenous society. While many people in America may think of everyone from China as simply "Chinese," this huge nation envelopes several sub-cultures and has served as a genetic and cultural mixing pot for thousands of years.

If you’re still nervous, please take a look at our "Teacher Comments" page. You’ll see happy, satisfied faces of all colors and genders!

Usually, you will be assigned to teach in the same school your children will attend. Most of our teachers are assigned to a foreign language school or an international school. Whether your child will be at the same grade you teach depends on your child’s grade level.