Hedy works for Education First (EF) – one of our trusted partner schools in China – and helps our graduates start their new life in Chengdu.

“Hello everybody! I’m Hedy Huang, Senior Academic Recruiter of EF Education First Chengdu.


How long have you been working at Education First, where are you based, and what is it like?

“I have been working in EFCD for over two years, my responsibility here is recruiting local and international teachers, and helping them smoothly settle down into the position.


What type of school/organization is Education First?

“EF Education First is an international education company that specializes in language training, educational travel, academic degree programs, and cultural exchange.

EF Chengdu started up in 2001,currently has 13 centers and over 10,000 students. We are growing into the BIGGEST branch in 2nd tier cities in China. We have over 100 international teachers working at 13 established centers all over the city and each of our centers has a team of local and international teachers from all over the world.”


What makes your schools a good choice for new teachers?

In EFCD, we not only provide academic support but also logistic support for new teachers. We have 4 welfare officers who will fully assist our new international teachers during their daily life, for example searching apartments upon arrival, opening a new bank account, getting a sim card, taking them to the hospital if they are sick etc. 


What’s it like in Chengdu?

Chengdu city is the provincial capital of Southwest China’s Sichuan province. It is recognized as the No.4 city in China due to its rapid growth, and is also famous for the city’s giant pandas, impressive food culture and balanced development.

The New York Times has Chengdu at number 44 out of 52 worldwide destinations, citing it as “one of the most dynamic cities in China” and “a panda and food capital”

Milan tops the list of the 52 Places to Go, followed by Cuba and Philadelphia.

“Pandas are this city’s drawing card, but adventurous chefs and boutique hotels are now giving visitors a reason to linger after seeing the star residents,” said newspaper writer Justin Bergman in the article published on The New York Times


What should teachers prepare for before teaching at your schools, and what do expect/require from them?

It will be required for all of our international teachers obtain Z visa before they come – which we can help you to apply for. To apply for the Z visa, there are three main requirements: 1. Passport holders from UK, US, SA, NZ, AUS, CA, IRE. 2. At least bachelor degree or above. 3. Two years relevant teaching experience or a TEFL certificate which can be authenticated by the Chinese government.


What does a new teacher’s first week/month look like in your schools?

Below is the example of our onboarding agenda:


What types of benefits do your teachers enjoy?

“We support our teachers with the following:

1. Legal working visa
2. International medical insurance
3. Housing and flight allowance, contract completion bonus
4. Floating salary including Demo and VIP bonus
5. Qualification allowance, CELTA, PGCE/ MA in Education or Tesol, DELTA/ DipTesol, DELTM
6. Housing loan upon arrival
7. Reimbursement for medical, authentication, vis application upon arrival
8. Career path for personal development”


What type of accommodation could your teachers expect?

“We will provide housing allowance instead of accommodation as everyone has their own preferences, and our welfare officer will provide full support to help them during the searching process.


What does your average class look like?

“Our students aged from 3-18, main group will be from 3-6. There are 8-15 students per class and one teaching assistant.

We have our own curriculum and teaching materials which teachers can use to plan their lessons around, and every teacher has specially designed teacher’s books and manuals, CDs, supplies and props for games. Our multimedia classrooms are equipped with interactive white boards and a host of online resources.”


Apply for a position with Hedy in Chengdu

If you’d like to join the team and teach English with Hedy in Chengdu (China), you can enter your details below. We’ll get in touch to run through the requirements, and help you to apply.

Not sure about China? Contact us to discuss your options.