students
2006
China became the world’s largest market for English language study, about one-fifth of China’s vast population was studying Eglish.
2013
Over 300,000,000 English students in China (about the size of the entire US population), accounting for one-third of mainland Chinese residents.
Now
At least 100,000 English teachers are needed in China. The English-training market in China is about $4.5 billion USD.
With a booming ESL market and a soaring economy, China's newest generation of parents provide their children with English education the best money can buy. Given that, native English speaker teachers are needed from preschool all the way to high school where students need best TEFL and SAT tutors helping them to enter international universities.
While the ESL markets in Japan, Korea and Taiwan stagnated, numbers of China's ESL jobs have skyrocketed in the last few years and continued to grow exponentially.
----The Economist and SAFEA