60 DAY TEFL · GUIDES THAT ACTUALLY ANSWER THE QUESTION

china, the specific hours question

Is a 120-hour TEFL enough for China?

120 HOURS
Teacher with students in a classroom on a teaching placement abroad
2026 update

the short answer

A 120-hour accredited TEFL is usually enough to get hired by a Chinese training centre or bilingual school, but the tighter constraint is the Z-visa document review, which can be inconsistent between provinces about how it treats purely online, unassessed certificates. If you have any flexibility in budget, a Level 5 course removes most of that risk before it costs you weeks of delay.

Key facts

Hiring bar120 hours usually clears training-centre hiring
Visa document riskSome provinces scrutinise unassessed online certs
Degree requirementStill required separately for the Z-visa
Safer alternativeLevel 5 / Ofqual-style regulated course
Where 120 hours is fineMost training centres, standard bilingual schools
Where it's riskierStricter provincial labour bureaus, some international schools
Time to upgrade1-3 extra weeks if you switch to Level 5

step one, always

Get the certificate before you apply

Get the accredited TEFL course

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typical, not guaranteed

Your timeline

  1. 1

    Check the specific school's stated minimum

    Job ads and employer HR usually state their expected hour count.

    same day
  2. 2

    Complete 120-hour course

    Covers the hiring bar for most training centres.

    1-3 weeks
  3. 3

    Assess visa document risk

    Ask your employer how their local labour bureau has treated online certificates before.

    ongoing
  4. 4

    Upgrade to Level 5 if needed

    Worth it if your specific province or school has a history of scrutiny.

    1-3 extra weeks
  5. 5

    Authenticate documents

    Degree and TEFL certificate often need notarisation for China.

    2-6 weeks
  6. 6

    Z-visa processing

    Confirm current steps with your employer or the Chinese consulate.

    4-8 weeks
Start the 120-hour / Level 5 course

Where 120 hours is genuinely enough

For the large majority of China's training-centre and bilingual-school hiring, 120 accredited hours is exactly what job ads ask for and exactly what gets accepted. Most schools in Shanghai, Guangzhou or second-tier cities like Chengdu list 120 hours as their stated minimum, and plenty of currently working foreign teachers hold nothing more.

If your goal is a standard training-centre job and you're working with a normal budget, there's no strong case for spending far more on a premium course just because you're targeting China specifically — the hiring bar itself is not unusually high.

The degree rule is the big one — read can you teach in China without a degree?

For the full list, see the requirements to teach English in China.

Where it gets tighter: the Z-visa document review

The genuine risk in China isn't hiring, it's the paperwork after you're hired. The Z-visa process runs through provincial labour bureaus, and some of these have, at various points, pushed back on TEFL certificates that are entirely online with no assessed or practical component, treating them as thinner evidence during review. This is inconsistent — it's not a nationwide rule, and it changes over time and by city — which is exactly why relying on old forum advice is risky.

Because a Z-visa rejection or query can add weeks to a process that's already slow, the safer move if you have any budget flexibility is a Level 5 or Ofqual-style regulated course, which typically has a more clearly assessed structure and reads as stronger paperwork without much extra cost or time.

The honest verdict

120 hours is enough to get hired in China. Whether it's enough to sail through your specific province's Z-visa document review is something only your employer's HR or visa agent can confirm right now, because it genuinely varies. If you're on a tight budget, take the 120-hour course and ask your employer directly about their local bureau's history before you commit. If you have room to spend a bit more, Level 5 removes the uncertainty entirely.

what people actually ask

FAQs

Will a 120-hour TEFL definitely work for a China Z-visa?

In most cases yes, but it isn't guaranteed everywhere — some provincial labour bureaus have scrutinised purely online, unassessed certificates more than others. Ask your specific employer how their local bureau has handled this before assuming it'll be fine.

What's safer than a basic 120-hour course for China?

A Level 5 or Ofqual-style regulated course, which typically includes clearer assessment and structure that reads as stronger paperwork during visa document review. It costs more but removes most of the province-by-province uncertainty around online-only certificates.

Does the degree requirement change this answer?

No, a degree is required separately for the Z-visa regardless of your TEFL hours — TEFL doesn't substitute for it. The 120-hours-vs-Level-5 question only affects how your TEFL certificate specifically holds up during document review, not the degree requirement itself.

Which China schools are strictest about this?

It varies more by province and individual visa officer than by school type, though international schools and stricter provincial bureaus tend to be more cautious than typical training centres. Always ask the specific employer rather than assuming based on school type alone.

Should I just get Level 5 to be safe?

If your budget allows it, yes — it removes most of the risk described here for a relatively small extra cost compared with the delay a rejected certificate could cause. If budget is genuinely tight, a 120-hour course still works for most people.

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Read next

Best TEFL course for China →China TEFL overview →Apostille your degree for a China teaching visa →
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