Abstract
The current study was designed to better understand the adjustment of Teachers of
English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to living and working in China. The thriving
EFL industry in China; its reliance on expatriate EFL Teachers who have to adjust to
an unfamiliar environment; and the lack of previous research on the adjustment of
EFL Teachers make this an important study. A sample of 51 EFL Teachers was
surveyed using an online questionnaire. The Results indicated that language ability
was significantly related to interaction and work adjustment. Perceived Organizational
Support was significantly related to all three dimensions of adjustment: interaction
adjustment, work adjustment, and adjustment to the general environment. The sample
was relatively well-adjusted to living and working in China, although findings also
implied that language schools need to improve their management of the adjustment of
EFL Teachers with regards to increasing the effectiveness of culture and language
training. The paper is concluded with practical recommendations and implications for
future research. The study adds to the body of literature on expatriate adjustment by
focusing on the adjustment of EFL Teachers, who are self-initiated foreign employees
rather than sent abroad by a parent company; and by measuring a range of variables
using a unique combination of instruments adapted from previous research with
self-developed instruments.
