I’ve been placing teachers in China for over twenty years now, long enough to watch the job market change shape more than once.

I’ve seen state school places grow, then shrink. I’ve seen visa rules tighten and loosen. And in that time, one piece of advice keeps doing the rounds among candidates that I think does more harm than good: never take a training centre job, hold out for a school instead.

I want to explain why that advice, well-meaning as it is, doesn’t match the market as it actually stands today, and why a training centre role might be a better fit than you think.

A candidate I spoke to recently was a few interviews into the China process, wrestling with whether to accept a training centre offer or hold out for something else. She’d read online that she should turn down any training centre offer and wait for a school. I understood where the advice came from. I just don’t think it holds up.

Why “Just Wait for a School Job” Isn’t Realistic Advice

Here’s what I tell candidates who ask me this directly: state school places in China have shrunk noticeably in recent years, largely because of government funding cuts and declining birth rates. That’s not me being cautious, it’s the current shape of the market. The state school jobs that remain are genuinely limited, and they go quickly.

The other option, Monday to Friday private schools, does exist. We have roles like this in our network, teaching subjects such as English Literature at high school level. But they’re competitive, and we can’t guarantee them, even to strong candidates.

For most people without prior classroom experience in China, training centres and kindergartens make up the bulk of what’s actually available. That’s the honest starting point. The good news is that a training centre role isn’t the consolation prize it’s made out to be.

What a Training Centre Schedule Actually Looks Like

Here’s the part that tends to get lost in the “hold out for a school” advice: the lifestyle that comes with a training centre job is genuinely exciting, and different from anything you’d get in most jobs back home.

  • Two days off midweek, typically Monday and Tuesday, while everyone else is at work. Banks, doctors, tourist hotspots, and even your favourite restaurant, all quieter when you go
  • Later starts on the days you do work, Tuesday to Friday, so your mornings are your own
  • Evening finishes the rest of the week, which suits a slower pace during the day
  • Full weekend days, Saturday and Sunday are buzzing at training centres, but finishing earlier than Tuesday to Friday, so you’ve still got the evening free

Picture your weekend landing on a Monday and Tuesday instead of a Saturday and Sunday. No queues, nothing booked out, nowhere crowded. Then you work a version of the weekend that leaves your mornings and evenings open. It’s not a worse working week than what you’re used to. It’s a different one, and for a lot of teachers I’ve placed, a better one.

What If You Still Want to Hold Out for a School Job?

That’s a fair call, and we’ll always listen to your preferences. But if a school job matters more to you than anything else, timing matters more than persistence.

State school roles don’t appear year-round. We currently have positions available to start in Shenzhen next August, and for jobs like that, the best time to apply is early in the calendar year, so you’re near the front of the queue rather than applying once the intake is already underway.

After twenty years of watching candidates get this right and wrong, my advice is simple: we’ll do what we can and we’ll listen closely to your preferences, but given how competitive the market is, some compromise is often what makes a China placement happen at all. That’s not me lowering your expectations. It’s me being straight about what actually gets people into the classroom.

So, Should You Take the Training Centre Job?

If it’s offered to you, don’t dismiss it because of advice you’ve read online. The state school market is smaller than it used to be, the Monday to Friday private school roles are genuinely competitive, and a training centre role comes with a working pattern that a lot of teachers end up preferring once they’ve tried it. Two days off while the country’s still at work, later starts, evenings free, and weekends that still leave you time to actually enjoy them.

If a school role is still what you want, I’m on it with you. Just know that timing your application early, particularly for intakes like Shenzhen’s August start, matters more than waiting it out.

Have a look at our China programs to see what’s currently available, or drop me a line at info@impact-teaching.com if you want to talk through your options before you decide.