Considering moving to China - Honest Advice Requested
Hi everyone!
I'm an American, 26-year-old white female considering moving to China in the fall of 2027 at the earliest. I currently live in Chicago, IL and have started self-studying Mandarin. My boyfriend is Chinese and lives in Shenzhen, which is where I would move to. What are your recommendations regarding what types of jobs to look for/when to start looking?
I have a bachelor's degree and master's degree in music, specifically Opera performance. I've kept up with my freelance operatic career since graduating, participating in roughly two shows per year, although with small Chicago companies. I would hope to still sing on the side in China although I know this would l not be my main source of income!
I have three years' experience teaching private piano and voice lessons to both children and adults. Additionally, I served as a swim teacher for six years - group and private lessons. I would be happy to teach English (I'm a native speaker) or teach music; however, I don't currently hold a teaching certificate/license, nor do I have teaching experience specific to the classroom- just private teaching. I also worked as an admin at a Chicago based piano school for about a year.
I currently work in commercial real estate/property management in corporate America. I'm coming up on a year of experience in August of this year. From what I've read, teaching seems like the best option for me, and admittedly, it sounds a lot more fulfilling than the job I have now lol.
My boyfriend recommends I look at teaching at an international school in Shenzhen; however, my lack of classroom experience concerns me. Should I start working on a TEFL or another kind of teaching certification before looking for a job? I'm thinking of starting to look for a job just after lunar new year in 2027. Would this be an appropriate timeline?
Thanks everyone in advance for your thoughts!