You can work in China following two basic paths; teaching English, ESL, or volunteering.   Teaching jobs range from elementary to University and Corporate classes.  The pay seems considerably low, most jobs start around $850 per month and go up to around $1,200.  Job advertisements are stated in Chinese Yuan Renminbi, however, I'm sure you can set up your bank account to hold your money in U.S. dollars (this is what I did with my Korean bank...just so you know, when I went to the ATM, I could withdraw Korean Won).  We list alot of jobs that only require 25 hours per week but the standard is class time plus office time, 40 hours per week.  Contracts should include; reimbursement for airfare, free housing, and an end of the year contract completion bonus.   Most teaching jobs are in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. 

Volunteer programs offer a wide range of activities and are scattered throughout the country.  During our search, we found some really cool programs helping with pandas, working with indigenous populations located in remote areas, restoring the Great Wall, et cetera; the problem with these programs were that they charged a fee, ranging from $1500 and up.  In our database, we only include volunteer programs that don't charge anything or, if they do, the cost is very small.  If you're willing to pay for airfare and housing plus work for a good cause, I don't believe you should have to pay thousands of dollars for a 2 week or month long volunteer program.  

Beijing, of course, got a ton of coverage for the Olympics they hosted.  Although the city is huge and sprawling, it provides a great base to explore historical sites such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.   Also, Beijing is a great city to use as a base to explore surrounding countries; the Trans-Siberian railroad can be used to explore the interior of the country, Mongolia, and Russia and there are really cheap international airline tickets to surrounding countries.

Shanghai is the largest city in China, with an astronomical population of over 20,000,000 people, and home to the largest cargo port in the world.  The city lies directly halfway between Beijing and Hong Kong.  If you want to find a job here teaching English, concentrate on Business English classes for adults...its far different than teaching in elementary to college level classes but just as rewarding.    

When we hear of Hong Kong, we think; crowded, bustling big city.  With one of the highest population densities in the world, you can imagine how many jobs can be found in a city of 7,000,000 people.  The salaries are higher than in the rest of China, but so are the costs of living.  If you work in Hong Kong, you will have access to tons of shopping, a great nightlife, good restaurants beyond count, the option of hiking in the nearby mountains, and sailing in Hong Kong Bay. 

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