Frequently Asked Questions

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Do I have to be an English or Education major to qualify for the Teaching Program?
No. You don’t have to be in a certain major to teach English in China.
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How can I get the TESL Certificate If I can not attend the on-site training in Columbia, South Carolina?
There are 2 options:
1. You may take the online training at your own pace, and email us an internet link for your 30-minute teaching presentation. When you pass it, you receive a TESL Certificate.
 
2. You take the training online at your own pace. When you finish your first work contract in China successfully in our program, you'll receive a TESL Certificate.
 
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How many class hours are we supposed to teach in China?
The standard work load is 20 class hours a week. Kindergarden teaching requires more than 20 hours/week. Some schools might want to pay you more for a few more weekly teaching hours.
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Can I take my spouse and children with me?
Yes. You are welcome to take your family along with you to go to China.
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How many photos do I need in the whole process?
You’ll need 2 passport photos for your passport, 1 for your Chinese visa, 1 for your file with CCC, 1 for your physical examination records in the US; and 8-10 more for your residence card and other related documents in China.
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Do I have to speak fluent Chinese in order to go to teach English in China?
No, you don't have to. The Chinese Culture Center offers on site training in Columbia, South Carolina. If you are not in Columbia, SC, you may take your training online. Once you are in China, your host institution will assign a bilingual colleague to help you around with your work and life there. If the school offers Chinese classes, you may take one Chinese Course for free each Semester. All our partner schoos offer free Chinese classes to our teachers at least 2 hours a week.
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If I don’t have any academic degree, can I apply for teaching English in China?
Yes. We’ll review your overall background and working experiences to see whether you qualify.
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Is it possible for me to work more than one academic year in China?
Yes. Chinese Culture Center will renew your contract with your current host institution at your request, or you may ask us to assign you to another school or another city/province in China.
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What kind of schools can my children go to in China?
Usually we’ll assign you to teach in the same school that your children should go to, either a foreign language school or an international school, which also depends on the availability of the grade levels your children at.
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Can I find some other kind of jobs in China other than teaching English?
Yes. If you want to find a job in certain subject/specialty areas, please make it clear on your application. We also recruit special talents and experts for many different businesses and multinational companies in China. If you are a native speaker of other foreign languages, we might also place you in China to teach your native language other than English.
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My spouse does not have any academic degree; could he/she teach English with me in China?
Yes, your spouse can teach with you if he/she passes our interview and the overall background evaluation.
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Why should I use USCCC for its teach in China program?

Chinese Culture Center is a BBB accredited international organization with A+ rating. The Chinese Culture Center is a registered US non-profit educational exchange organization with certification from The China State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs for recruiting, training and placing foreign teachers to China. In seven years of operations, USCCC has established a reputable history of taking good care of our teachers throughout the program, especially for those who are visiting and teaching in China for the first time. We offer international toll-free phone numbers to our teachers in China to call our US office 24 hours a day. We have very good working relationships with our partner schools in China, and we insist that Chinese employers sign your work contract first to protect your interests. Our teachers then sign their work contract with a specific host school in China long before their departure, giving them time to read and learn about the city and province where they will be living. We have local directors and attorneys in China to guarantee and enforce all terms in the work contracts.  When you need assistance, we are always here for you – in the US and China. We do all the paper work for you, and offer our successful trainees and teachers TESL certificates, as well as Certificates for Foreign Experts for qualified teachers through your host schools. USCCC is always a support center for our teachers and their families.
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What should I take with me to go to teach English in China?
The host institutions will offer you beddings, cooking utensils, TV, furniture, etc. for free. And clothes are much cheaper in China. You don't have to take all your clothes to China. You should take a laptop computer and a digital camera to China for your personal use.
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How much luggage is allowed on an international flight?
Usually, you are entitled to two free check-ins for 50 lbs. each; the sum of the three dimensions (length, width, height) of the two check-in suitcases should be no bigger than 107 inches. The sum of the bigger check-in suitcase should be no larger than 62 inches. If you want to check in a third suitcase, you’ll have to pay $130 or more for an extra piece. Two carry-ons are allowed for each passenger: a hand bag or a notebook computer, and a backpack or a small suitcase no more than 50 lbs, the three dimensions should be no larger than 9x14x22 inches.
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Should I pay over-weight luggage fee to get all my belongings to China?
No, you don’t have to. You may as well use the over-weight fee to buy a lot more new stuff in China once you are there. Please be advised that your host school will not reimburse you for your over-weight luggage fee.
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Should I lock up my check-in suitcases before departure?
No. If you lock them up, the airport security inspectors will cut them off, and you’ll lose all your locks eventually.
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What’s the exchange rate between US Dollars and Chinese Yuan?
Currently, $1 ≈6.8 Yuan
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Is it safe in China for Americans?
The Crime rate in China is very low. The Chinese people are very friendly to all foreigners. However, you still need to take some precaution while on crowded buses or in busy shopping centers in order to protect your belongings against pick-pockets.
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I’m African American. Do Chinese people discriminate against blacks?
No. You’ll be judged only by your work performances and personal characters, not by your color. Our teachers are highly respected as Foreign Experts in China. If you conduct yourself as a respectful Foreign Expert, you’ll enjoy the respect from your Chinese colleagues, your students and their parents. Please refer to our “Teachers Comments” on the website. You’ll see some happy faces of our teachers in China: both blacks and whites, men and women.
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Can I take my pets to China?
No, you cannot. In China, you’ll either live on campus or in apartment. Most of these places do not allow pets on their premises.
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Which part of China are we going to teach?
We have a large placement network all over China with schools of all levels as well as cities. Where you go depends on our arrangements with the schools. Most of our partner schools are in the eastern part of China. You'll know the details after your placement.
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Can we choose which city or school we want to go to?
You may let us know your preference and we will try to work something out with the schools. But we can not guarantee your specific choice.
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美中文化教育交流中心   Chinese Culture Center
Address:1708 Greene Street Columbia, SC 29201, USA
Phone: (803) 252-9086 E-mail:USCCC@ChineseCultureCenter.org