Types of Childcare You Can Find in China

Moving abroad is a big step and there are many things you will need to do to prepare, and this can be even more involved if you plan to bring your children along with you.

Childcare in China is not a common or accessible service like it may be in your home country. Most Chinese families have grandparents or a parent look after the children, while expat families either have a parent or a nanny look after their children but need to pay a more costly fee.  

Career China does not provide any childcare services nor collaborates with any services. If you are bringing over a child or family, you are responsible for all costs and resources. Below is some information and some resources that will help you learn about childcare in China and help you learn how to find services.

What Types of Child Care Can I Find In China?

Every city will have Expat WeChat groups, or people who have found childcare. From our findings, you should generally be able to find the following in most cities:

Nanny Services

• Nanny services in China usually are full service. They are usually live-in or full-day and depending on your arrangement include childcare, cleaning, etc.
• APP: Home King – the app is in Chinese and you will need help to translate
• Usually non-English speaking
• Price starts from around $50 for an 8 hour day

Babysitting

• Babysitting services or cheaper services are normally found by word of mouth
• You can post advertisements on Expat websites
• Look for Mummy or Housewife Facebook groups or WeChat groups in the city you will be working in to see if you can find someone who already has childcare or a recommendation.

Day-Care

• There usually aren’t any day-care services. There may be some after school programs, but these can be expensive
• In the summer there are camps the children can join for their age group but these are short term

What Types of Schools Provide Child Care While Parents Are Working?

Different schools provide different benefits, so what you need in terms of childcare will depend on your children’s age group. From our findings we have found these schools to be the best suited:

1. Public schools may provide discounted classes or on-site housing, which would be helpful to you as less childcare is needed.

2. Private or Bilingual schools may provide discounted classes for teacher’s children – this would be within working hours so you would not have to worry as much about childcare.

*Training schools usually do not have any discounted classes or provide help with childcare, so you must sort out own child care and costs.

Preparing to Bring Your Children To China

If you are bringing your child to China, we strongly suggest you have prepared childcare in advance and thoroughly thought about the type of school you are working for. 

Don't miss any other important information about China! Check out The Ultimate Guide for Moving to China