A good entry to China

Aston English is a good way to get started teaching in China. The pay is not the best for teaching jobs, but it's higher than typical other second- and third-tier city foreigner salaries. Aston mostly operates in second- and third-tier cities, so it's both a great way to make your salary go farther and catch some glimpses of the "real China."

The social scene depends on the city you go to. Aston mostly teaches on the weekends, so typical weekend bar sorties are usually out of reach. However, lots of foreigners teach at similar private schools, so it's not hard to find a group to go out together on a weeknight. Depending on the foreigner population of the city you're in, that is.

Aston Education Group itself only owns a few schools, in the larger cities such as Jinan, Xi'an and Dalian. Most other cities' Astons are franchise-owned. This means that it's a good idea to search around the web for reports from the specific Aston school you're considering going to, because different franchises have different attitudes towards the education goals of their schools.

Bottom line, I recommend Aston to people just getting started in China who don't want to go to a major city like Beijing or Shanghai. Go to a second- or third-tier city, take advantage of the free language classes, and make friend with your Chinese coworkers. Spend a year at Aston easing yourself into the Chinese culture and teaching, then seek out a higher-paying school at a larger city who wants to see a little experience. Or stick around Aston and move up the ranks quickly -- they have a pretty high turnover rate, which means higher positions are constantly opening up if you're ok with relocating within China. And why wouldn't you be?