What does it mean to be an SDE English Teacher?

Talented people are an essential asset. Staff development is fundamental to our sustainable growth, and we strive to offer rewarding career opportunities to our foreign staff. SDE offers a promising career path for our employees in the education industry while they gain international exposure.

Upon joining our team, our foreign teachers are invited to participate in a series of language, teaching and cultural training sessions that will support their professional development.

SDE’s mission is to create a conducive environment that inspires growth and learning by providing exceptional service and support for our staff and schools.

We seek to hire talented and passionate individuals to help bridge the gap between China and the rest of the world. That is why we cooperate with the best universities and other partners to connect with talent that share the same values and drive as we do.

How do we accomplish this?

Providing a safe environment

Before our teacher’s arrival, we assist them applying for their work visa so that they can work legally in China. Have the security of joining a large company with extensive experience in this industry that cannot be guaranteed with other schools in China.

Our apartments for our teachers are up to standards, and we work with the best partners to find suitable, safe living environment for our teachers.

Additionally, we provide both social and accident insurance for our teachers in case of any emergencies.

Supporting our teachers

Let’s be honest, moving abroad is not going to easy. That is why we provide incoming teachers with as much information as possible before they arrive so that they can prepare accordingly for their new life in China.

We have collected a list of FAQs for our foreign teachers to go through. This will answer most initial questions one may have. Additionally, we provide incoming teachers with a comprehensive visa guide with live support from our recruitment team, online orientation to be freely viewed, first lesson materials to help prepare for potential demo lessons and first week of classes, and a detailed packing list so nothing is missed.

We even have Chinese food menu with Chinese and English to help get started eating all that delicious food!

On top of that, after the interview with our recruitment team, incoming teachers can also request to speak to one of our current teachers to learn more. Even more, incoming teachers have found reading our blog  to be both insightful and informative.

New teachers with their specialist setting up phone and bank cards

Upon arrival, an English speaking staff member will be there to pick up new teachers near the airport and liaison them to the hotel which is covered for the first four nights. During the first week, new teachers attend the onboarding orientation which includes teacher training, getting bank and phone cards sorted, and of course, helping teachers find suitable accommodation.

Teachers surprise their specialist with a t-shirt of his face on it

After starting work, each teacher will have a dedicated SDE staff member to help answer any questions, facilitate communication with the school, and even help teachers set up an appointment with a doctor and take them to the hospital if becoming ill. Additionally, each teacher has a dedicated local teacher at the school to help to settle into the position and to provide support when necessary.

Building a community and making friends

Beach day adventure

Living abroad can be isolating. Working with SDE, teachers will be joining a team of over 500 fellow expats from 7 different countries to expand their personal and professional network.

At our schools, each foreign teacher will be working closely with other foreigner teachers alike. Many of our teachers go out to lunch and dinner together, hang out on the weekends, and even rent an apartment together!

First dinner in China

Upon arrival, there are many opportunities to meet and mingle with other foreigners arriving for during orientation and onboarding week. From there, our teachers will start making connections that could last a lifetime.

2018 Spring semester first intake group

Thanks to WeChat, connecting with others couldn’t be easier. Once our teachers are arrived and well-acquainted, we add them to our existing WeChat group for foreign teachers. There are also several additional WeChat groups depending on the teacher’s location and teaching position in which members share information and stories.

Create lasting connections

At least twice a semester, we host a large company event inviting all teachers to attend. Company events could include holiday parties and weekend getaways. Additionally, we have smaller events organized by our teachers such as pub quizzes, bar crawls, hikes and much more.

Christmas party

Other than making friends with other expats, our teachers will have the opportunity to make many friends with local Chinese. Chinese people are very welcoming and friendly. Enjoy going to KTV, gaming bars, regular bars or being shown around to local spots!

Dedicated to professional development

Teacher training

At SDE we provide onboarding and ongoing training for our foreign teachers. If working in our public schools, teachers will have an afternoon once a week to attend mandatory training that will cover topics related to teaching ESL in China. For kindergarten and training centers, foreign teachers will have training conducted at their respective school.

Chinese lessons and cultural activities

Additionally, we provide Chinese lessons and cultural activities that typically coincide with weekly teacher training. Our Chinese classes are once a week and are between 1 ½ to 2 hours. Chinese language lessons are aligned with the HSK (Chinese standardized test) heavily emphasized on pronunciation and conversation Chinese so our teachers can find progression and meaning in their Chinese studies.

Providing opportunities to grow with SDE

Interested in teaching something else other than teaching ESL? We also have subject teaching positions, academic management positions as well as vice principal positions.

We also provide opportunities for our current teachers to do more than just teaching. We have part-time and full-time opportunities in recruiting, marketing and academic management. Interested in helping conduct training, develop curriculum and observing lessons? Interested in sharing the experience living abroad and helping find us find like-minded individuals? Or perhaps helping make SDE a brand name for among teachers, students, and schools? All of these opportunities are within reach.

Realizing potential

Living abroad is a life-changing experience. For those looking to get outside of their comfort zone, change their perspective, experience something new and grow from it, then this is the opportunity they have been looking for.  One can be surprised how much they can grow in just a year.

While working with us, our teachers will be in a supportive environment with enough time and space to explore. Our teachers enjoy ample time off and a competitive salary that will allow them to travel and save money due to the low cost of living in China.

What’s there to wait for?