Frequently Asked Questions
We collected some questions that previous applicants and teachers have asked about teaching with Buckland and living in China. Feel free to email us if you have more questions.

1.How do I apply to Buckland?
Buckland has an on-line application form. Simply complete the form with the required details. Get more information from the section how to apply.

2.What happens when teachers first arrive?
An English speaking representative from the Buckland Group will meet you at the airport. You will be brought to the Buckland ESL Hostel in Yangshuo as our guest and live in a standard room. Here you will enjoy 5 - 7 days of orientation, training, sightseeing and a chance to overcome jet lag before you start teaching. During this session new teachers are introduced to the program and the schools. Most of all you will meet other new teachers and form lasting bonds with like minded people who are embarking on the same adventure.

3. Does Buckland train its teachers?
During the first week at Buckland all teachers participate in an orientation course that includes Chinese culture and teacher training. Learning about Chinese culture helps you understand the wonderful country and customs you will encounter. The teacher training prepares you for the differences in the Chinese education system and includes techniques for teaching Oral English, classroom management, activities, and a chance to practice and observe teaching Chinese students. After you begin teaching, the training continues by email. Our teachers are always helped and led by the Teacher Trainer and senior, experienced teachers.

4. How to go to school after training?
Buckland will make all your travel arrangements by plane, train/bus, or car; the cost of travel will be paid by your school.

5. What age of children would I be teaching?
Most of our students are teenagers (13 - 18 yrs. Old) in grades 7 to 12. In China these grades are called Junior and Senior Middle School. We also have primary schools with 7 - 12 year old children; these are grades 1 to 6. You can choose the age group you are most comfortable with.

6. Will I teach in one school or transfer from different schools?
You will teach in one of our schools for at least one school term. This way you will meet the same students every week, work as a member of the team with the Chinese English teachers, make friends and establish yourself in the community.

7. How many hours of work are teachers guaranteed? What will my teaching schedule look like?
Teachers at Buckland are paid on a salary basis, not an hourly one. Our contracts are based on 15 contact teaching hours per week. Teachers usually have 4 - 45 minute lesson each day between the hours of 8:30-12:00 am, 2:30-5:30 pm, from Monday to Friday. If the school requires more than 20 lessons per week, the teachers will be paid 80-100 Yuan each extra class.

8. What are the apartments like in Buckland? Are apartments individual or shared?
Single teachers have their own furnished apartment and couples have a larger apartment with at least two bedrooms. Every apartment is outfitted with all the necessities for working and living comfortably: air conditioner, TV, video player, telephone, internet access, computer and desk, sofa and chairs, bed, wardrobe, dresser and bed linens, washing machine, hot shower, kitchen with refrigerator, microwave, cooking element and necessary dishes. See the photos here. (Teach in Yangshuo and Sanya is different)

9. How close to the school will I be living?
Most of the teacher's apartments are on the school campus. Only a few schools have the foreign teacher's apartment off the school grounds, about a 5 to 10 minute walk away. .

10. Are the utilities covered? If not, how much a month would electricity, water, gas cost?
The school will pay 200 Yuan electricity, water, and gas per month for each foreign teacher. Usually a Chinese family spends about 150 Yuan for their electric, water and gas use each month.

11. What is needed to open a local bank account? Is it easy to transfer money to my home?
Your English speaking assistant at the school will go to the bank with you to open an account. You need your passport to do this. It is not easy for you to transfer money to your home, but Buckland will help you to send it.

12. What are RMB and yuan? What is the exchange rate?
RMB (Renminbi) and "Yuan" are the Chinese names for the currency in use. At this writing 7.6 to 7.8Chinese RMB (Yuan) are worth 1 U.S. dollar.

13.Does Buckland help teachers acquire work visas?
Buckland Group is responsible for all your visa and residence requirements once the teacher has arrived in China. Normally, teachers arrive in China with a short term work visa with our invitation paper, which they obtain by their own means in their home country. Upon their arrival, Buckland commences the process of extending their work visa.

14.What immunization shots should a teacher who is going to China get?
Teachers should contact a health unit in their home country for current requirements. Hepatitis A & B, Tetanus, and Typhoid, are usually recommended. There are also several hospitals and clinics with English speaking doctors who can administer the vaccines in China, but they will not administer vaccination serums brought from outside of China. All our schools are not located in the malaria area.

15.What should a teacher, who has just been hired, plan to bring to China?
It is necessary for each teacher to bring two copies of their university diploma, resume, teaching certificate, and 6-8 passport sized photos to be submitted for the work visa and medical exam. Though not absolutely necessary, it is a good idea to bring along photos of friends and family, English magazines with lots of pictures of food, cloths and homes, and holiday paraphernalia, all of which make good teaching aids. A phrasebook and a guide book are not bad ideas either. As for clothing, one pair of formal shoes is recommended for special events. For the cool Yangshuo winters, a jacket, some sweaters, and long underwear are a good idea, and for the rainy season, a waterproof jacket is handy. Used or new stamps, coins, postcard etc. is always good for the future student. Click here for more

16.How many students are in each class?
Classes have an average of 40 students. There are around 50 students per class in Public schools and 30 students in Private schools.

17.Are there any extra-curricular activities for Buckland students?
During the summer breaks, Buckland holds an English camp for students to attend, if they wish. These camps include games, crafts, sports, field trips, music, video and a variety of other themes and activities where students and teachers use English to interact.

18.How many teachers work for Buckland?
There are currently 98 foreign teachers working for Buckland in 56 locations.

19.What is the difference between a tourist visa and a work visa?
A tourist visa allows a foreigner to travel in China, but it does not permit a foreigner to work in China. To obtain a work visa, a foreigner has to be sponsored by a Chinese organization. Buckland does this for all of its foreign teachers. This is standard practice in China and all applicants are processed by the People's Security Bureau.

20.Does Buckland have a dress code?
Buckland requires its teachers to dress in a professional manner. This does not mean that they have to wear suits, but they should not wear tank tops, tongs, cut-offs or any other casual wear.

21. Do teachers require a physical examination ?
A medical exam is required in order to obtain a work visa. If you are confident about your health condition, we recommend that you come to China to have a medical examination.

22. What resources does the schools of Buckland Group have available for teachers to use?
Our schools supply every teacher with the following teaching materials: textbooks, teacher's guide for the textbook, DVD/VCD player or cassettes and cassette player. Some schools are equipped with the latest electronic teaching aids in every classroom and some have only blackboards. Buckland supplies a teacher's manual full of information such as how to do lesson plans, classroom management, and teaching activities. Your home office also has a computer, with high speed internet access; some schools provide printers.

23. Do teachers have a Chinese teaching assistant?
Every teacher is provided with a local teaching assistant. They all speak English and help the teacher with conducting the lesson in the first week. They also help out through the term with general administrative support and translate and assist you with any problems you might encounter. In primary (elementary) and in some junior schools a Chinese teaching assistant is assigned for every class you teach.

24. What is a teacher’s monthly budget like?
Utilities, on average, cost 200 RMB a month, but can be more in the very hot summer and very cold winter because of the cost of air-conditioning. Food is very inexpensive if you cook at home or even eat out at local restaurants. Travel within the city can be done by several means; taxis are 1.6--2.5RMB per kilometer, local buses are 1 or 2 RMB depending on where you want to go; the school will provide free use of a bike. Since most of our schools are in small towns and cities, there 500 Yuan is enough for basic living. By comparison, living in a big city (such as Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou) a monthly budget of 1500-2000 Yuan is needed.

25.How do teachers arrange their tax payments?
Teachers ought to make their own tax arrangements with their home country, but Buckland will assist every teacher in filing local income taxes in accordance with tax laws in China.

26. Does Buckland provide medical coverage?
Private health insurance is rare in China. Buckland recommends that teachers purchase their own health care insurance before leaving for China. Teachers can receive free medical care at the school's clinic for small problems such as a cold, and if necessary pay the low fee for medical care outside the school. Buckland provides all teachers with standard Chinese accident insurance covering up to 80,000 RMB emergency medical care.

27.Dose Buckland provide Chinese language lessons and arrange any cultural events for its teachers?
Buckland provides teachers with free weekly Mandarin Chinese lessons and arranges cultural events such as food sampling, day trips to neighboring towns and visits to Chinese temples, parks and gardens. Buckland also holds parties to celebrate Chinese holidays such as Autumn Festival and Chinese New Year. Schools do their utmost to take teachers to local and regional historic and cultural sites around the city and community they are living in.

28.How much preparation is required for each lesson?
That depends on the lesson and on the individual teacher's experience and initiative. The Buckland Teacher's Manual contains lesson plans and other reference materials to make lesson planning less of a burden; it can take as little as fifteen minutes to prepare a lesson. In addition, a single lesson plan, which is designed for one class, is adaptable and used for any other class at the same level. This means that most of our teachers only have to prepare one or two lesson plans per week for the levels they teach.

29.We are believing Christians. What does this mean for us in China? Would there be any churches to go to? Would we be able to bring Christian resources into China for ourselves?
It is no problem for you go to church and bring your Christian books, but it is illegal if you spread your religion and Christian books to Chinese according to Chines laws.

30. When we arrive in China for our probation period is there a possibility of not getting a job afterwards? Will you guarantee us a job after the probation period?
It is impossible to not get a job because we always have more positions available.

31.Where can teachers go with their problems?
Buckland has several administrative staff members and senior teachers who serve as program coordinators and help out teachers with any problems they may have. Teachers can always call the head office for any assistance they may need throughout their stay in China.

We hope these answers have satisfied most of your questions, but if you have any more questions, feel free to contact us. If you would like to apply, simply refer to our on-line application.