Job Discussion Forums

mcloo7 · Joined: 18 Aug 2009 Posts: 434 Location: Hangzhou

I got an offer for a job in Beijing at a training center called New Power School. The pay is supposedly 12000-15000 rmb per month, with a 2000 housing allowance. There are 11 branches and the job seems to require traveling to those different branches as well as to businesses that have paid for the school's services. The recruiter says you wouldnt have to travel to more than 1 or 2 branches in a day though, and that the subway system is very cheap and convenient. Also, alot of the perks, such as paid vacation are all listed as "will be considered." What do you all think?

kimo50 · Joined: 24 Aug 2011 Posts: 119 Location: Guam

Hi. Are they paying for your transport around the City? Beijing is BIG and some of these locales may be quite far from each other. Intra-city travel can be tiring and shunting back and forth is draining. But for me, Beijing with its headline grabbing sky high pollution index almost every day is a "no - go." Have you researched what 2000RMB a month will rent in Beijing? Its not a lot. Is it near the transportation links? Also you may need to put down 3-6 months rental security as is typical in China - will the employer be assisting with that?

muffintop · Joined: 07 Jan 2013 Posts: 803

..I think more information would be great.

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong

http://www.newpower.org.cn/eng/cont.html

This is a map showing their branches.

Seems to me if a business has enough money to run all these branches they have enough money to hire a teacher to work at one school and one school only. If they have corporate clients outside the school they should be hiring people who deal strictly with that. With 11 branches possibly all over the city, corporate clients in other places and depending on where you end up living I foresee a lot of wasted time on trains, buses and taxis.

You forgot to mention the second most important aspect of the job, how many teaching hours? If they're less than 20 this job might be ok.

Other benefits "will be considered?" Not good enough.

Based on what you've said so far, I wouldn't like this job.

mcloo7 · Joined: 18 Aug 2009 Posts: 434 Location: Hangzhou

I agree that it's not that enticing. It's my first concrete offer, so I'm trying to learn how to assess them. I think you have to meet a quota of 100 hours per month, with everything above that being overtime, and that definately sounds like more than 20 hours per week. I'm not really considering this offer. Thanks for your feedback.

zactherat · Joined: 24 Aug 2011 Posts: 295

careful - that "100 hours" could easily be "150 lessons".

and "will be considered" means "we will consider it, then decide just to keep our money, instead of give it to you". That is a device used to prey on the optimistic.

choudoufu · Joined: 25 May 2010 Posts: 3325 Location: Mao-berry, PRC

1. how far apart are the schools? is the subway system really, really
that convenient? how many hours per day/week will you spend in
transit? i assume travel time is unpaid.

2. there's this:

"Practice: With student-centered mode, provide pure English environment. The interactive, passionate and wonderful class ambiance helps students master oral English skills with ease. The crazy practice makes students enjoy the sense of accomplishment in English learning."

3. how would you describe yourself?

http://www.newpower.org.cn/eng/teach.asp

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

Can you clarify that these guys have the right to employ you and you will go through the visa process at home?
Unless you are committed to the language school market and/or need to start asap, I would wait until the public school hiring season gets going.
Good that you have an offer to mull over. Teach you more in a day than weeks poring over posts on Dave's.

GreatApe · Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 5:18 am Post subject:

I had a good laugh at the link that choudoufu provided up above!

At least SOMEBODY'S teaching "delectable" English in China! And is the "crazy practice" remark an homage to Li Yang?

On a serious note, I agree with what has been offered here. The devil is in the details, and there's a lot of unspecified, intangible, important things with the job offer that have not been clearly defined. I wouldn't feel very comfortable taking the job unless I knew more about the specifics.

I think the high-end of the salary's pretty good, but it's Beijing, and remember ... it doesn't matter where it is, you will be expected to LIVE-UP to that salary! Because the details have not been sufficiently explained, because there are still so many questions that remain ... I would be hesitant to accept the job. It's unclear how many other hoops you will be asked to jump through.

In my opinion, press for clarification and more specific details or, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I guess the popular word today is "transparency" ... you need more, or ask yourself what they might be hiding.

--GA

Banner41 · Joined: 04 Jan 2011 Posts: 656 Location: Shanghai

Denim-Maniac · Joined: 31 Jan 2012 Posts: 1238

DirtGuy · Joined: 28 Dec 2004 Posts: 529

Beijing is HUGE and money doesn't go very far in that city. I'm working on a project up there and have to watch every cent whenever I go. For a really boring city, it's amazing how quickly your money can vanish. The subway is cheap and great, but the walk from a station to your destination can be killer.

DG

mcloo7 · Joined: 18 Aug 2009 Posts: 434 Location: Hangzhou

Thanks for all the advice. Like I said, I' m not really considering this job, just trying to learn how to assess an offer.

mcloo7 · Joined: 18 Aug 2009 Posts: 434 Location: Hangzhou

I have some more offers to run by the board:
2 university offers, one in Jincheng, one in Rizhao, both pay 5000 rmb, with the usual university amenities. The one in Rizhao is only 16 teaching hours per week.

1 at Shane English school in Changzhou. Pays 8000 rmb per month, but I think they include 1000 housing allowance in this, 78 teaching hours per month.

The uni jobs are not in areas that I was looking at. Changzhou is closer to where I wanted to go, I think Hangzhou is my first choice for now. I'm not considering the two uni jobs that seriously for right now, but would like to get an idea for how to asses the offers.

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

I'm gettin to sound like a cracked record but my vote would be the uni in Rizhao. I've not lived there but nearby Qingdao is nice.
My reason is that at a provincial level uni with low contact hours you get to learn the ropes and just living in China can be a shock.
The pm salary is about right as I'm led to believe that coastal Shandong pay less because of its perceived attractiveness.
Shane is a franchise and it's a crap shoot what kind of management/owner you get.
As long as Rizhao has at least 5 FTs and a history of legit hiring ie the full Z visa process, it looks the best in IMO.