For career driven parents, taking children outdoors to play with other kids may be slightly difficult to fit into their busy schedules. But a new profession called the “walking children teacher” is helping parents turn things around.

Every weekend, Zheng Wei takes children aged from three to twelve to a park in Wuhan. He acts as a guide, showing them how to play games with each other. This is his new job and people call him a “walking children teacher.”  

“We often provide children with tasks so that they can have more interaction. Sometimes parents are involved,” Zheng said.

This new profession does not only bring joy to the children involved; the “walking children teachers” are rewarded, too. Based on their work experience and how well they can get along with kids, some can earn more than 10,000 yuan a month, much higher than the average salary of a public school teacher in China.

“It’s a trend to take children outdoors to play games with other children for Chinese parents. All the games are designed by our specialists. Our teachers are all trained in preschool education. They are also required to know basic first aid,” said Feng Tingting, director, Wan Fan Tian Walking Children Agency.

“I hope my child can spend more time outdoors, instead of playing with electronic devices and watching TV at home. And this is a very good opportunity for children to get closer to nature,” a parent said.

The job market for such "walking children teachers" booms because of the decades-long One Child Policy that has led to a generation of children without siblings. And with the introduction of the two-child policy last year, many believe such child’s play jobs will continue to thrive and demand  high pay.