Study / Work / Travel Opportunities
in East Asia
Note: This list does not cover
regular study-abroad programs, although a few are included for China. The Association for Asian Studies (AAS) website has a good listing of academic programs covering all parts of Asia, but it doesn't include programs that just
involve travel or work. Some of these are language programs held in the U.S., but many are located in Asia. ESLinsider is a site that has lots of resources for teaching in China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea.
Most of the programs listed below I know
nothing about, so I cannot vouch for the reliability of their promises.
Those I can vouch for are marked with a red asterisk (*).
Those with affiliations with American universities are also presumably
reliable. It is important to note that most, if not all, of the English-teaching
jobs do not require any teaching experience or training. All they need
is native English speakers with college degrees. Undergraduates are
eligible for some of the summer jobs.
Oxford Seminars offers a training and certification program in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TESOL/TESL/TEFL). They have a three-week course (two meetings a week) for $1095 that includes a placement service and extensive support information on China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam.
Also, for a listing of Zen Centers in Japan,
Taiwan, and the United States, some of which have opportunities for
Buddhist practice for periods ranging from a weekend to three months,
click here.
| CHINA:
|
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General information
|
Middle Kingdom Life |
A comprehensive guide to teaching in China. |
| ESL
Cafe: China |
Tips and warnings. |
| Summer seminar : |
| |
IMUSE Beijing Summer Fellowship Program |
IMUSE (Initiating Mutual Understanding through
Student Exchange) brings "outstanding students from
Chinese and American colleges and graduate schools together in August
to share their opinions, experience Chinese culture,
and learn from one another." |
| Teaching English: |
| |
Learning Enterprises |
Teach English with a Chinese teaching partner from Nanjing University for 5 weeks in a rural Chinese village school, living with a local family. For the adventurous. Cost: airfare, visa, and about $500 for miscellaneous expenses. |
|
Teach for China |
Two-year teaching commitment at under-resourced schools in rural China. Training, housing, and stipend provided. Feb. 7 application deadline for 2012. |
| |
WorldTeach* |
Teach English in middle-high schools (students
11-18 years old) in Hunan province. Housing and $250/month provided.
A fee of $1000 covers round-trip airfare from the U.S., visa, pre-departure
and in-country orientation, and health insurance. |
| |
Teach in China |
A few job opportunities; unclear if they charge a fee. |
| |
Amity
Foundation |
Christian organization; BA required; teach English conversation
to middle school teachers. Two-year commitment; housing, transportation
and stipend provided. They also have a shorter service learning option (1-4 weeks). |
| |
International
Teaching Advantage |
Helps college graduates find English teaching positions
in China. $325 fee. Fifteen primary school positions currently available
in Beijing (as of 1/26/08), beginning September, 2008 (more information
here). |
| |
U.S.-China
Educational Exchange |
A private, non-profit service that helps native English-speakers
with B.A. degrees to find jobs of varying length teaching English
in China. |
| |
Teach in Asia |
A consulting firm specializing in global education recruitment. |
| |
CIEE
Teach in China* |
This is a well-established, reputable organization.
Their fees are $1300-$1500. The teaching positions are in private
schools in China, housing is free, and the salaries are slightly higher
than in public schools. |
| |
English Teaching
Program in Shenzhen |
Teach English in a Shenzhen public school (near Hong
Kong). Free housing; monthly salary and travel bonus. Preceded by
3-week intensive courses in TEFL and Chinese language. Continuing
Chinese courses available in Shenzhen. |
| |
Colorado
China Council for Teaching English in China |
Placement service, with training -- no teaching experience
or certificate required. |
| |
Global
Volunteer Network |
Teach English in Xi'an or Kunming. Free room and board, no pay. Tax-deducible fees,
$2,495 – $2,895. |
| Volunteer work: |
| |
Volunteers
in Asia (VIA) |
One- or two-year posts in Beijing, Ningxia, Qinghai, Hunan, Guangzhou,
Sichuan, Yunnan and Jiangsu, mostly combining English teaching with
English resource work at a Chinese nonprofit organization. Cost:
$2,000 ($500 rebate if you remain for two years) plus airfare to
Thailand (for training). Housing and small monthly stipend provided. |
| |
Projects
Abroad |
Volunteer or intern in a number of different fields
(teaching, healthcare, journalism, business, law) in and around Shanghai
or Chengdu. Fees (not including airfare) for teaching range from
$3,145/1 month to $5,345/3 months, but they include housing, food,
insurance, and local support staff. |
| A few study programs: |
| |
Schwartzman Fellowship |
Fully funded one-year Masters degree in public policy, international relations, or economics and business at Tsinghua University. Language of instruction is English, no prior knowledge of Chinese required. |
| |
Beijing
Institute of Asian Studies (Beijing University) |
Program affiliated with American University
in Washington, D.C., with an unusually extensive selection of courses.
Semester, year-long, and summer programs. |
| |
Humanistic Buddhist
Monastic Life Program* |
Study and practice Chan/Zen Buddhism at a monastery in China. This program is designed for speakers of English.
It is not an academic program. All expenses are paid. See also their Woodenfish International Student Exchange (WISE). |
|
Scholarships
for studying Chinese |
A list of links maintained by Prof. Patrick Moran at
Wake Forest University. |
| SOUTH
KOREA: |
Teach in Asia |
A consulting firm specializing in global education recruitment. |
|
MONGOLIA:
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US-Mongolia
Field Research Program |
The American Center for Mongolian Studies (ACMS) in conjunction with the Council of American
Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) and the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs (ECA) offers student fellowships for research in humanities,
natural sciences and social sciences, to be conducted under the supervision of a Research
Sponsor who plans to be on site in Mongolia.
|
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Learning Enterprises |
Teach English for 4 weeks at the Sant School in Ulanbataar, Mongolia's capital city, while living with a local family. Cost: airfare, visa, and about $500 miscellaneous expenses. |
Edit date: 10/16/16
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