Job Discussion Forums

[LettersAthruZ]

Total newbie here - have taught ESL for seven years in SE Asia, but never in China, and I have only visited China twice - once in 2008 (Guangzhou and Shanghai) and once in 2014 (Chengdu).

I'd like to try something in the west, such as Chengdu, Kunming, or Nanning.

I am looking at arriving in China in mid-to-late November, 2018.

So......

A ) - IS November a really bad time to locate an ESL teaching position - and should I really consider early September (or another time) instead?? Or will I be OK?

B ) - Is it best to grab something advertised online? Or should I simply land in the city of my choosing, walk around, investigate, and locate a gig from there?

Really appreciate all of your help and suggestions.

[Non Sequitur]

I think you need to decide between public schools/unis/colleges and private - Disney/EF etc.
Public has two hiring seasons leading to the semester starts - first week Sept and after Chinese NY (around Feb). Private hire pretty much year-round.
Doesn't mean public has no vacancies outside the hiring seasons but they are rarer and may indicate hard to staff locations and/or dodgy schools.
Do NOT come without a job and appropriate visa.

[teenoso]

You can come here on a travel visa and scout, if you are determined to live in a particular area or city. The problem is, without local contacts , it's hard to know how to make contact with schools. You can't just walk in and inquire , unless it's a training school.
You could hang out at the biggest Uni and try to collar emerging FTs who may point you in the right direction - and late November , early December is when the Unis have to start thinking about hiring for the next semester, although some won't hire mid year.
Also, without local knowledge, it's hard to know where to find FTs; in the big cities foreigners melt into the background. Also many Unis are not in the centre of town.

I have just done a z visa trip to Hong Kong , so it is still possible to get a z visa there, although I was converting a resident permit (family) to the z visa.

I suggest you join various agencies like angelina's cafe, and abroadchina, and tell them where you want to work. No cost to you, and they should be able to find you something.
But make sure all your paperwork is ready , like the authenticated degree, criminal record check,

[Non Sequitur]

I was converting a resident permit (family) to the z visa.
That's an 'in' right there. I don't think ordinary folk can assume that avenue.
If there is an expat assn in your favoured locale contact them.
See if you can make contact with a Chinese student on a 'language exchange' basis for a couple of days. Get him/her to take you to the foreign affairs dept on a few campuses. Avoid 12-2 which is sleepy time but you should find someone to talk to outside those hours.

[happeningthang]

Public Schools, International Schools and Universities all have a set school year which will begin in late August early September.

Because of this they will all be looking to staff their faculty before that time.

I think that if you leave it until November then you just have to accept that most of those kinds of positions will not be available. That would leave you with the training centre jobs teaching after school and weekend classes...

But it's China - there's always exceptions and you may find something, but leaving it to later just narrows your options.