BACKGROUND:Nurse education has undergone considerable changes creating new opportunities and challenges for nurse teachers. Limited comparative research of the working lives of nurse teachers has been reported, thus similarities and differences that may exist are unidentified. AIM:This paper reports a study of the working lives of nurse teachers in mainland China and the United Kingdom. DESIGN:A cross-sectional questionnaire survey. PARTICIPANTS:Census sample of nurse teachers working in four nursing schools in mainland China (n=3) and the United Kingdom (n=1). The overall response rate was 56.8% (China=61, 61.0%, UK=60, 53.1%). METHODS:Completion of questionnaire specifically developed for the study but comprising six validated tools to collecting data on: job satisfaction, sense of coherence, role conflict and role ambiguity, work empowerment and professional identification. Data on self-reported roles and personal details were also collected. Data were collected between September 2008 and January 2009. RESULTS:Both samples were satisfied with their jobs overall but reported low levels of satisfaction with promotion. Chinese nurse teachers working full-time reported the lowest level for sense of coherence and professional identification. Nurse teachers working full-time in the United Kingdom reported the highest role conflict score. Sense of coherence and work empowerment were significantly and positively correlated to job satisfaction. Role conflict and role ambiguity were negatively correlated (but not always significantly) to job satisfaction and its facets. For respondents in mainland China, professional identification was significantly and positively correlated with overall job satisfaction and its facets. CONCLUSIONS:Strategies to improve job satisfaction with promotion opportunities for both samples are indicated. Respondents working full-time in both mainland China and the United Kingdom experienced greater challenges at work than their part-time colleagues.