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maj0915
Joined: 04 Feb 2013 Posts: 61 Location: China
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Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 9:45 pm Post subject: When are you expected to arrive in China for fall semester? |
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Hey everyone, was having some trouble fitting my entire question into the subject, but basically I was hoping someone could tell me about when the most active months are in the job search for a Fall semester start (I've heard March and April?), as well as when schools typically expect you to arrive in China for the Fall semester. |
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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China
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Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 11:51 pm Post subject: |
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You should have your profile up on the free to teacher job boards by now ie seriousteachers.com and be doing a bit of applying.
Arriving a week before classes start should be plenty in my experience.
You probably won't get your class schedule more than two days ahead of classes starting, if by then.
Still, casing out the classrooms, dining halls etc plus meeting fellow FTs are a good use of your time.
Will give you a sense of being 'in country'.
Arrive too early and you could risk having no one to meet you at the airport.
Believe me being ripped off by a rapacious cab driver on your first day can get your China project off to a bad start.
Welcome aboard!
NS |
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roadwalker
Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 1750 Location: Ch
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Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 6:06 am Post subject: |
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At public universities classes generally start close to September 1. So August 20-something is a good target for arrival. Most schools of any type will arrange to meet teachers from abroad at the airport. |
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maj0915
Joined: 04 Feb 2013 Posts: 61 Location: China
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Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 5:08 am Post subject: |
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Non Sequitur wrote: |
You should have your profile up on the free to teacher job boards by now ie seriousteachers.com and be doing a bit of applying.
Arriving a week before classes start should be plenty in my experience.
You probably won't get your class schedule more than two days ahead of classes starting, if by then.
Still, casing out the classrooms, dining halls etc plus meeting fellow FTs are a good use of your time.
Will give you a sense of being 'in country'.
Arrive too early and you could risk having no one to meet you at the airport.
Believe me being ripped off by a rapacious cab driver on your first day can get your China project off to a bad start.
Welcome aboard!
NS |
Thanks! I'm going to try listing my resume on a few sites soon, but I was hoping to wait a couple of weeks because I needed to get my passport renewed and it hasn't come back yet. Would you recommend posting my application anyways and just specifying that I'm waiting for my new passport, or wait until I've already received it? A lot of the applications I've seen have asked for a passport photo/scan. |
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xiguagua
Joined: 09 Oct 2011 Posts: 768
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Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 12:31 pm Post subject: |
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The question is if you have a job or not. If you don't have a job, then it's good to come over Late spring/early summer. If you've never been to China before I suggest getting a job BEFORE arriving in China. I don't see how you would get anything done being new to the country, on a tourist visa and having no idea where or what to do.
If you have a job, I would recommend getting to your location a week or two before you start. FAOs and most teachers will be at school since most of them are usually locals so there will be people to help you out or show you around and by the time school starts, you'll be over jet lag and have a decent feeling of the place. |
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maj0915
Joined: 04 Feb 2013 Posts: 61 Location: China
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Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 1:57 pm Post subject: |
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xiguagua wrote: |
The question is if you have a job or not. If you don't have a job, then it's good to come over Late spring/early summer. If you've never been to China before I suggest getting a job BEFORE arriving in China. I don't see how you would get anything done being new to the country, on a tourist visa and having no idea where or what to do.
If you have a job, I would recommend getting to your location a week or two before you start. FAOs and most teachers will be at school since most of them are usually locals so there will be people to help you out or show you around and by the time school starts, you'll be over jet lag and have a decent feeling of the place. |
Thanks. I don't think I'm familiar enough with China to get a job there in person, so I think I'll probably try some of the sites suggested here (Dave's ESL Cafe, EChinaCities, SeriousTeachers.) Are there any other sites you'd recommend? |
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xiguagua
Joined: 09 Oct 2011 Posts: 768
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Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 3:09 pm Post subject: |
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My first year in China was through a recruiter, so I was just told where to go and luckily, it worked out. Since then, i've just found what city i've wanted to work in (usually not huge cities for me) and either contacted or searched for if those schools are hiring specifically.
It helps if you narrow down what you're willing to teach (uni, high school, junior school) and what you're not, where you're willing to live and where you're not. Then it's easier to go from there. My biggest advice though is research research research. I lurked all kinds of forums daily for a month trying to get insight into living and working here and from that I was able to get a general idea of what to expect and what I would be in for. Made things easy. |
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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China
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Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 7:22 pm Post subject: |
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maj0915 wrote: |
Non Sequitur wrote: |
You should have your profile up on the free to teacher job boards by now ie seriousteachers.com and be doing a bit of applying.
Arriving a week before classes start should be plenty in my experience.
You probably won't get your class schedule more than two days ahead of classes starting, if by then.
Still, casing out the classrooms, dining halls etc plus meeting fellow FTs are a good use of your time.
Will give you a sense of being 'in country'.
Arrive too early and you could risk having no one to meet you at the airport.
Believe me being ripped off by a rapacious cab driver on your first day can get your China project off to a bad start.
Welcome aboard!
NS |
Thanks! I'm going to try listing my resume on a few sites soon, but I was hoping to wait a couple of weeks because I needed to get my passport renewed and it hasn't come back yet. Would you recommend posting my application anyways and just specifying that I'm waiting for my new passport, or wait until I've already received it? A lot of the applications I've seen have asked for a passport photo/scan. |
Use your current passport and if you're putting it up on a job board tape over the number and expiry date to avoid being ripped.
You'll need the new passport when you get to the point of lodging your visa application at the Embassy or Consulate.
Get going now and although some report no problems with the tourist visa route DON'T DO IT.
Look for the least downside with your first employer. Go for provincial level universities and vocationals with at least half a dozen other FTs and a history of legitimate FT employment. |
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GreatApe
Joined: 11 Apr 2012 Posts: 582 Location: South of Heaven and East of Nowhere
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Posted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:51 am Post subject: |
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I work for an International school in Guangdong. The teachers started the Spring semester on February 18th. The students came back to school after Lantern Festival (which was on Sunday, February 24th). Students returned and classes began on Monday, Feb. 25th.
I'll be expected to be back at my school sometime around the second week in September for the Fall semester.
Our final exams for this term are scheduled for July 8th and 9th, grading will most likely be finished by Friday, July 12th and vacation should begin on the 13th.
--GA |
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