For schools & recruiters
Dave's ESL Cafe & eChinaCities Alternatives
Where to post foreign teacher jobs in China, compared honestly: Dave's ESL Cafe, eChinaCities, recruiters, WeChat groups, and DiscoverChinaTEFL.
Payne Blackstone
Updated June 2026 · 8 min read
There are five common ways to advertise a foreign teacher job in China: Dave's ESL Cafe, eChinaCities, recruiters, WeChat groups, and a China-focused board like DiscoverChinaTEFL. The right one depends on whether you want the widest reach, the least work, or the lowest cost with the best-matched applicants. Here is each option, described plainly.
The options at a glance
| Where | Focus | Cost | Filtering | Transparency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DiscoverChinaTEFL | China only, teachers | First listing free, small fixed fee after, 0% commission | Yes, plus auto-submitted to Google | Salary, visa, housing required on every listing |
| Dave's ESL Cafe | Global ESL board and forums | Paid postings, about $75 each | Limited; not China-specialised | Varies by poster; not document-verified |
| eChinaCities | China jobs site, mostly teacher-focused | Membership and paid products | Employer tools vary by plan | Varies by poster |
| Recruiters / agencies | Done-for-you sourcing | Commission or placement fee per hire | They screen for you | You rely on the agency |
| WeChat groups | Fast, informal, where teachers chat | Free | None; no search or record | Varies; hard to verify |
Competitor features and pricing change over time. Always check each site's current terms before you decide.
Dave's ESL Cafe
Dave's ESL Cafe is one of the longest-running ESL job boards, with forums and a large global audience, and a single job post costs around $75. That reach is its strength. The trade-offs for China hiring: it is not China-specialised, listings are mostly text and are not structured for filtering by visa or salary, and roles are not document-verified, so you screen more yourself. It gives broad exposure, but it is weaker if you want pre-matched, China-ready applicants.
eChinaCities
eChinaCities is a long-running China site whose jobs section is now mostly teacher-focused. It uses employer membership and paid products around posting and contact. That model works, but the cost sits in platform products rather than one simple per-listing fee. Compare it on how you prefer to pay: a membership/product model there, versus pay-per-listing with free direct messaging on a board like DiscoverChinaTEFL.
Recruiters and agencies
A recruiter does the sourcing for you, which is the appeal if you want hands-off hiring. The cost is a commission or placement fee per hire, often around a month of the teacher's salary, and you rely on their screening and trust their listings. See what that really costs.
WeChat groups
WeChat groups are where many teachers in China actually are day to day, and posting is free and fast. The downside is that they are unstructured: no search, no record, no way to compare applicants, and roles are hard to verify. It is fine for a quick reach-out, but poor for managing a real hiring pipeline.
DiscoverChinaTEFL: where it fits, and where it does not
DiscoverChinaTEFL is China-only and built for teacher hiring. Every listing requires salary, Z-visa status, and housing, teachers filter by city and school type, each role is structured for Google so it can be found without ads, and there is no commission, with your first listing free. Applicant document status is visible up front.
Where it is not the answer: it is newer than Dave's, it is China-only (not for hiring elsewhere), and the inventory is growing rather than the largest on the internet. If your priority is the broadest possible global audience, a big general board still has more raw reach. If your priority is well-matched, China-ready applicants with no commission, a focused board wins.
New to this? Start with the full guide to hiring foreign English teachers in China, learn how to write a post that gets applicants, or see how posting works.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Dave's ESL Cafe for hiring in China?
For China specifically, a China-focused board with structured listings is usually a better fit than a global ESL board. DiscoverChinaTEFL is China-only, shows salary and Z-visa status on every listing, lets teachers filter by city and school type, and charges no commission. Your first listing is free.
Is Dave's ESL Cafe good for hiring foreign teachers?
Dave's ESL Cafe is one of the longest-running ESL job boards and has a large global audience, so it can give broad reach. The trade-offs for China hiring are that it is not China-specialised, listings are not structured for filtering by visa or salary, and roles are not document-verified, so you do more screening yourself.
What are alternatives to eChinaCities for teaching jobs?
eChinaCities runs a mostly teacher-focused jobs section with employer membership and paid products. The main difference with an alternative like DiscoverChinaTEFL is the cost model: it is free for teachers, keeps direct messaging free, and charges schools per listing instead of a membership/product model, with the first listing free.
Where do Chinese schools post foreign teacher jobs?
Commonly through recruiters, WeChat groups, and ESL job boards. Recruiters cost a commission, and WeChat groups are fast but unstructured and hard to verify. A transparent board lets you post directly, keep applications in one place, and skip the commission.
Keep reading
How to Hire Foreign English Teachers in China
9 min read
What It Really Costs to Hire a Foreign Teacher in China
6 min read
How to Write a TEFL or Oral English Job Post That Gets Applicants
7 min read
Post directly, skip the commission
List your role on a China-only board where teachers see salary and visa up front. First listing free, no middleman.