How to Write a Teaching Job Post That Gets Applicants

The fields that matter

A complete listing is not about length, it is about the facts a teacher needs to decide. On DiscoverChinaTEFL these are structured fields, so they also become filters teachers search by. Fill in all of them:

• Salary range with the currency and whether it is monthly.
• Z-visa sponsorship, stated clearly as yes.
• Housing: provided, or an allowance, with the amount.
• Weekly teaching hours and office hours, if any.
• City and school type (kindergarten, training centre, public school, university).
• Student age and class size.
• Start date and contract length.
• Requirements: degree, TEFL or CELTA, experience, nationality where relevant.
• Benefits: flights, insurance, end-of-contract bonus, paid holidays.

Show the salary, or lose the best teachers

This is the field schools most often hide, and it is the one experienced teachers look for first. A post that says “competitive salary” with no number reads as a warning sign. A clear range does two useful things: it attracts teachers in your band, and it filters out the ones who would have dropped off later anyway. You lose nothing by stating it.

If it is an oral English role, say so

“Oral English” (口语) roles focus on speaking and conversation rather than exam prep or written grammar. The day-to-day work, the energy level, and the right kind of teacher are different. Name it plainly, give the student age group and class size, and describe a typical class. A teacher who is great with lively kindergarten speaking classes is not always the one who wants exam-focused teens, and the right framing brings you the right people.

A weak post, rewritten

Weak:“ESL teacher wanted in China. Competitive salary, great team, nice city. Native speakers preferred. Send your CV.” A teacher cannot tell the pay, the hours, the visa, or even the city. Most will scroll past.

Strong:“Oral English teacher, kindergarten, Chengdu. CNY 18,000 to 22,000 per month, Z-visa sponsored, furnished apartment provided. 25 teaching hours per week, Monday to Friday. Students aged 3 to 6, class size up to 15. Bachelor's degree and TEFL required, start September 2026, one-year contract with flight reimbursement and end-of-contract bonus.” Every question is answered, so the teachers who apply already fit.

Let teachers self-select

The goal of a good post is not more applicants, it is more of the right ones. When the facts are all there, teachers who do not match quietly skip the role and the ones who do arrive serious. That is the whole idea behind a structured listing on DiscoverChinaTEFL, and it is why the first message you get is usually a real conversation, not a round of basic questions.

New to hiring foreign teachers? Start with the full guide to hiring foreign English teachers in China. Weighing where to advertise and what it costs? See what hiring actually costs and our comparison of where to post. When you are ready, you can see how posting works or browse the live job board for examples.

Frequently asked questions