FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Here to Help
HOW DO I KNOW THAT TOPNOTCHTEACHOVERSEAS IS THE RIGHT RECRUITMENT AGENCY FOR ME?
We offer a personalized service accompanying the teacher from initial contact with the school to the visa process and during the stay in China .
We can reccommend visa agencies to help with the correct documents to hand in and we build up teacher networks so that no one feels isolated .
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF A SCHOOL IS LEGIT ?
Topnotch teach Overseas work with official schools with a licence to practise. The fines for not complying to Chinese law are too high for schools to risk cutting corners . Hence the very thoorough process to obtain the z work visa . Also at the initial interview the name of the school will be given so that a teacher can research the website and reviews .
HOW ARE SALARIES DETERMINED ?
Each school has their own pay scale criteria. Credit is given to experience and also official teaching status like PGCSE ,SACE and teaching licence.Â
Some schools will take teachers with no prior experience as long as a TEFL certificate of 120 hours is provided . Some schools will even sponsor a teacher to do the TEFL certificate once in China before starting their contract.
DO SCHOOLS PAY UPFRONT OUTWARD FLIGHTS?
As a rule of thumb, most schools offer a flight bonus for the return flight . However a few training centres do offer a reimbursement of the outward flight paid back over the first 6 months . These are normally training centres working with adults .
DO TEACHERS NEED TO PAY DEPOSITS ON FLATS?
This depends on the school and the city. A school might pay housing allowance but sometimes a deposit of 3 months rent is needed. The school may help by loaning the teacher this amount and then deducting from the salary over a number of months . Also schools will explain this before starting in China . If you are averse to this idea, then best to state that you want the flat included with no deposit needed .
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WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF WORKING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS?
Public schools contract teachers in late August and late February . The advantages are that housing included, all bills,meals and wifi is included. Total working hours are generally under 20 per week with a Monday to Friday schedule. There is one month holidays in the winter with a basic salary that covers food . Salary might seem less than some international schools but there are many advantages in favor.