Job Description

A TESOL trained native English teacher enrolled for our special TESOL Project should look forward to a maximum of 20-22 classes per week and their teaching hour should not exceed more than 22 hours. The duration of a class is usually 40-50 minutes depending on the level you will be teaching. For elementary school the classes will be for 40 minutes.

Usually for middle school the classes will be for 45 minutes per class and for high school level the classes will continue for 50 minutes.

A teaching-week usually stretches from Monday till Friday, usually from 8:00 in the morning till 4:30 or 9.00-5.00 in the evening (depends on the school), Chinese schools do not operate on Chinese National holidays, Saturdays and Sundays. Teachers shall work eight (8) hours per day including lunch hour. In China 8 hours a day working doesn’t mean one has to be teaching throughout the working hours, you many just have to be present in the school, prepare the lesson plans with your Chinese colleagues and help the school in its promotional activities.

However, such Work Hours may be adjusted by school principal as he/she may bring about some changes as and when it is required.

Employee’s regular teaching hours shall not exceed twenty-two hours per week. Employee may be asked to teach extra hours within and/or out of the regular working hours.

For the extra class teaching hours aside from the normal 22 hours per week, Employee shall be offered with supplementary class instruction pay at the rate of 60-250RMB/hour.

During school vacations, teachers may be asked to participate in special classes or English day camps.

Teachers are required to make lesson- plans and develop teaching materials with the help of their Chinese co-teachers on a monthly basis. Teachers are desired to be involved in English day camps, extra-curricular classes, and teacher training during school vacations and in other educational duties relevant to English education as requested by Employer. Teachers may need to conduct English Conversational Classes for Chinese teachers and/or students’ parents as requested by Employer and have to participate in teachers’ workshop(s) conducted by Employer. They are required to perform other duties as assigned by Employer as well.

Teachers may sometimes need to adjust their free periods in compensating the absence of an individual teacher. A foreign ESL teacher might as well need to substitute in their free periods. Certain contracts often hold the clause of paying for overtime. This system of substitution is applicable for all teachers in time of emergency.


A teacher’s overall responsibility will include monitoring individual students, disciplining the students, maintaining the growth graph of their language skill and a record of student’s weekly attendance and grades and also keep a note of special observations if any.

Professional conduct that represents a positive picture of American TESOL Institute, the teacher himself/herself and his/her homeland are expected out of the TESOL certified individual. It is mandatory for an ATI-placed ESL teacher to respect all rules and regulations of the school unless otherwise notified by us.

Teachers are desired to follow proper dress codes:

All teachers are requested to follow the rules and regulations of the school religiously.

In schools both male and female teachers are expected to wear neat and clean and smart attires which they can carry comfortably. Teachers are usually not required to wear formals such as male are not required to wear tie and suits and females are not required to wear formal dresses unless there is any special occasion such as presentation day or parent-teachers meet. Male teachers are allowed to wear casual yet smart clothes, shirts, jeans as long as they are neat, have no holes and not frayed. Casual clothes, shirts and pants in the winter, shorts and T-shirts in the summer, as long as they are neat and clean are permitted.


Female teachers are best advised to wear knee length or longer skirts with a presentable blouse (no low cut or revealing shirts). Shoes should be dress shoes – open toe and high heel shoes are acceptable (no sandals or running shoes). Visible facial rings (eyebrow, lip, nose, chin, etc.) are not accepted. Earrings are accepted providing that they are not worn in excessive numbers (E.g. 4 earrings in each ear). Hair should be presentable. Visible tattoos are not accepted. Some schools will not allow sandals, blue jeans, tank-tops, shorts, or short skirts. The dress code at school will vary depending on the director’s preference and strictness.

While teaching in Chinese schools teachers should wear something maintaining one’s dignity and respect.

Outside the school, teachers are free to wear what they please with due respect to the Chinese tradition and culture.