The short answer
Foreign teachers in China usually apply under Class B. The national standard sets four core conditions:
- Teach your native language. The principle is language teaching in the language of the teacher’s country of nationality. For English posts, that usually means a passport from a native English-speaking country.
- Hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. The degree must be authenticated.
- Have two years of language teaching experience, unless a waiver applies.
- Be under 60. Class B generally caps at 60; Class A has no ceiling.
The waivers matter more than the headline rule. A teacher with an education, language, or teacher-training degree, a home-country teaching license, or a recognized international language teaching certificate can be exempt from the two-year experience requirement.
The four documents that decide the case
1. The degree
A bachelor’s degree in any subject can satisfy the degree requirement, but the degree must be authenticated: an apostille for Hague Convention countries or consular legalization for non-Hague countries, plus a Chinese translation. A scan or a university-issued verification letter is not enough.
If the degree is in education, English, linguistics, or teacher training, it also supports the experience waiver. That makes the transcript and the degree title worth checking before the file is built.
2. The teaching credential
The national standard recognizes three waiver routes:
- An education, language, or teacher-training degree at bachelor’s level or above.
- A teaching license from the teacher’s home country.
- A recognized international language teaching certificate.
TEFL, TESOL, and CELTA are the common certificates. A 120-hour TEFL/TESOL is widely treated as the baseline, but the exact acceptance rules are local. Some cities accept a 120-hour certificate; others prefer CELTA/DELTA, a state teaching license, or an education degree. Confirm the certificate with the school and the local foreign expert bureau before enrolling.
3. The experience letters
If the teacher relies on two years of experience rather than a waiver, the letters must show the dates, the institution, the subject, and the age group. A generic “employment certificate” that says “taught English” without dates or duties is a common reason for a request for supplementary documents.
Part-time, tutoring, and online teaching can count if the evidence is clear. The bureau is looking for two years of language teaching, not necessarily two years at one school.
4. The employer’s registration
The school must be legally established, registered in the national work-permit system, and able to show a genuine position. The employer’s business scope should cover education or training, and the institution should have a clean tax and social-insurance record.
Training institutions face additional rules. Subject-based tutoring for compulsory education is restricted, and the work-permit file should match the institution’s approved scope. A training center that cannot show a compliant position will fail the file regardless of the teacher’s qualifications.
How the school type changes the file
Public schools usually hire through the local education bureau or foreign affairs office, and the position may be tied to a municipal foreign-teacher quota. The school’s personnel office handles the work-permit account, but the teacher should confirm which office signs the contract and which entity appears as the employer.
International and bilingual schools often prefer a home-country teaching license and two years of classroom experience, even where the national standard would accept a TEFL waiver. The school’s own hiring standard can be stricter than the visa standard, and the contract should name the teaching qualification the school is relying on.
Training centers are the most variable. The institution’s business scope must cover the teaching activity, and subject-based tutoring for compulsory-education students is restricted. Adult language training, test preparation, and vocational training are treated differently. A center that cannot show a compliant position will fail the file regardless of the teacher’s qualifications.
Universities and research institutes may file foreign teachers as foreign experts rather than as ordinary language teachers. The category can be A or B depending on the position, the degree, and the research record, and the appointment letter usually carries more weight than a TEFL certificate.
The 2026 salary change, and why it usually does not decide a teacher’s case
In February 2026, the national system began strictly enforcing the salary channel: Class A at six times and Class B at four times the local average monthly wage. In Beijing, the Class B threshold was RMB 47,748 per month; in Shanghai, RMB 49,736.
Many teaching salaries fall below those figures. That does not mean the teacher cannot get a permit. The salary channel is only one of several Class B routes. A teacher with a bachelor’s degree and two years of experience, or a qualifying waiver, can qualify through the qualification route, which has no salary multiplier.
The mistake to avoid is filing a teacher under the salary channel when the salary is below the threshold. The system will block it. The fix is to switch to the qualification route and provide the degree, experience letters, and waiver evidence.
Common rejection reasons
| Rejection reason | What the bureau sees | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| Degree not authenticated | A scan or an unverified copy | Apostille or consular legalization, plus translation |
| No two years of experience and no waiver | A gap in the qualification route | Add a TEFL/TESOL/CELTA, teaching license, or education degree |
| Non-native language | A passport from a non-target-language country | Switch to a subject or language that matches the passport |
| Age 60 or over | A Class B age limit | Assess Class A, or plan a transition |
| Employer not qualified | A school without a compliant position | Change employer or correct the employer’s registration |
| Salary channel below threshold | A blocked salary application | Use the qualification route instead |
| Job title mismatch | ”English teacher” on a business or management contract | Align the contract, the job description, and the permit |
A teacher’s document checklist
- Passport valid for at least six months.
- Authenticated bachelor’s degree or higher, with translation.
- TEFL/TESOL/CELTA, teaching license, or education degree, if relying on a waiver.
- Two reference letters with dates, institution, subject, and age group, if relying on experience.
- Criminal record certificate issued within six months, authenticated.
- Medical examination accepted by the local authority.
- Signed contract with the school, stating the position and term.
- The school’s registration and business-scope documents.
What to confirm before signing
- Does the school have an active work-permit account and a clean record?
- Does the position match the school’s approved scope?
- Is the salary being filed through the qualification route or the salary route?
- Which teaching certificate does the local bureau accept?
- Is the school willing to start the notification before the teacher books flights?
A teaching file is refused more often for a document mismatch than for a lack of qualifications. The cheapest review happens before the contract is signed. Ask the school for its most recent successful filing in the same category and city; if it cannot describe one, the school’s registration may be the weak point, not the teacher’s CV.
For the filing service, see China Z Work Visa and Foreign Work Permit. For the broader class assessment, read China Work Permit Classes.