|
Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
bnej
Joined: 09 Jun 2009
Posts: 57
Location: Toronto
|
 Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2012 11:38 am Post subject: |
 |
|
| Shroob, I just turned 27 this year. I'd been teaching for 1 year prior to taking the management position. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
scholar
Joined: 18 May 2012
Posts: 159
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2012 2:05 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Denim, you should mention that your choices might work for a British, because you have good govt. retirement benefits, but are no good for an American. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Denim-Maniac
Joined: 31 Jan 2012
Posts: 1238
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2012 5:49 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| scholar wrote: |
| Denim, you should mention that your choices might work for a British, because you have good govt. retirement benefits, but are no good for an American. |
Scholar .. you are Chinese right?
I admit I dont know much about US state retirement packages, but the only people who would suggest British people are well provided for in retirement are Chinese people. My students tell me this all the time, but with very little knowledge of the reality of retirement in the UK. Assuming you are Chinese, and you grammatical patterns and ideas would suggest you are...I should tell you that its quite common for UK pensioners to die from the cold in the UK, simply as they cant afford to use their heating systems. (according to a lot of the popular UK press anyway).
My grandmother who died last year spent the last 4 years of her life in almost total blindness as the health service wouldnt give her an operation on account of her age. My students are normally amazed by that too as they think everything is free for UK residents. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
rogerwilco
Joined: 10 Jun 2010
Posts: 1549
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2012 6:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Denim-Maniac wrote: |
Scholar .. you are Chinese right?
|
I am not sure if he/she/it is Chinese or not, but the only reason that I ever respond to a post made by scholar is to try to prevent newbies from believing the constant stream of misinformation that scholar tries to post here. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
scholar
Joined: 18 May 2012
Posts: 159
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2012 6:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Miles Smiles wrote: |
| At my school, most of the teachers drive automobiles and/or own a home. My school is NOT in a major metropolitan area, and my school is not at all distinguished. |
For the record, I am not Chinese as people mistakenly have said. I have made my situation crystal clear in other posts.
Anyway, as to the point above. This is something that I have seen come up a lot, about vehicles. My research has show that there is an important element that most people miss. China is a country of savers. The West is full of spenders. Chinese save 50 percent or more of their paychecks for years, and they buy autos and other large goods outright -- no debt!
| Quote: |
The Economic Times
1 Jul, 2010, 01.48AM IST, The writer has posted comments on this article Mythili BhusnurmathMythili Bhusnurmath,ET Bureau
Making sense of China�s high savings rate
As the G20 struggles to find a way to resolve global imbalances, China's high savings rate - 50% of GDP - and by extension, its falling share of consumption (private consumption is the lowest among the world's major economies) is bound to come increasingly under the spotlight.
Indeed the popular Western, especially US, view is that China's 'excess' saving is a key reason for global imbalances and by extension, a major cause for the international financial crisis.
Is this a valid charge? In a recent BIS paper*, authors Guonan Ma and Wang Y point out that a rapid rise in the savings rate is rare but by no means unique to China. Fast-growing Asian economies in their transition phases also experienced large and sustained rises in their saving rates.
Japan's aggregate saving/GDP ratio rose by 15 percentage points during 1955-70, Korea's increased from 16% to 40% between 1983 and 2000 while India's registered a rise of 10 percentage points of GDP, reaching 38% in 2008.
What sets China apart from the experiences of Japan, Korea and India, though, is its large current account surplus during this transition, as the Chinese saving far outpaced its already high investment.
No single theory or model provides a simple explanation for this. There is little evidence that high savings are a function of subsidies and distortions.
However, some structural forces - including those associated with rapid economic growth, structural transformation, a compressed demographic transition, large-scale corporate restructuring, and the household and government responses to institutional changes as well as to the expected acceleration of population ageing in one decade from now - could provide some explanation, regarding both the high savings rate and the medium-term outlook. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
rogerwilco
Joined: 10 Jun 2010
Posts: 1549
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2012 7:51 pm Post subject: |
|
|
http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/12/china-myths-saving-leadership-managing-families.html
"It is true that Chinese over the age of 50 often save 50% or more of what they make, because they worry about soaring medical costs and weak pension systems. However, younger Chinese like to spend. China's traditional high savings rates are more a function of poverty than of a cultural aversion to spending. The lack of buying on credit results more from a weak consumer finance system than anything else.
The number of credit cards in use in China rose from 13 million in 2005 to 180 million by the end of 2009, and that growth was fueled largely by younger consumers. Despite the financial crisis, we expect the number of cards to grow 25% a year for the next three years, as consumers demand them and the financial system becomes more consumer-oriented and less reliant on servicing state-run enterprises.
We have interviewed several thousand Chinese under the age of 32 in 15 cities about savings. Our findings suggest they have savings rates near zero."
Underlining mine. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
blitzkrig
Joined: 16 Jan 2011
Posts: 20
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2012 8:41 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I spent nearly 5 years teaching English in China before returning back home.
Apart from a 1-month teaching job and various substitute positions, i was unemployed for about 6 months.
The European job market is not easy. Having taught in China is, however, not a disadvantage, depending on yourself and how you spent your time in China.
While you work in China, I recommend that you:
- Find employment with a western managed school/company
a) They will be able to write a letter of recommendation that works on a western job market.
b) You will be viewed as a real employee and you will work as a teacher. This is very important, because you need to feel that you have real work experience when you meet potential employers in the future.
Find a school/company that provides in-house training
a) Great for you as a teacher and you have something extra to add to your CV.
Take everything seriously
a) This is given. You're not living in China. You're working in China. That's a very important attitude to have for when you meet western employers. You must emphasize that you went to China because you're interested in education & that you wanted to teach.
I personally thought that my years in China were going to be a problem, but that hasn't been the case at all. So I wouldn't worry too much about it - as long as you stay away from the "monkey jobs", you'll be alright.
Good luck!
Last edited by blitzkrig on Fri Jun 01, 2012 9:06 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
blitzkrig
Joined: 16 Jan 2011
Posts: 20
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2012 9:03 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I forgot. China is a bad choice for permanent residence.
To settle down in China is a bit of a dead end. You'll make maximum 20k/month in Beijing or Shanghai, if you're lucky.
This might sound a lot to you right now, but once you get a family and have to pay for everything (see below) yourself, you'll be dirt poor.
Add to this that you will be a foreigner for the rest of your life. You won't be fully protected by laws. You won't have permanent residence, so you might have to leave the country if the visa-rules change. Forget about citizenship or a "green card". Then you have all the health dangers, pollution etcetcetc
everything = pension; your wife's pension; your wife's family's pension; your kids tuition (forget about international schools); buy a reasonable apartment; buy a reasonable health insurance... i could go on.
note: i'm here assuming that you'd marry a chinese national and that you'd have kids in china. if you plan to live single all your life, then it might be do-able. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
scholar
Joined: 18 May 2012
Posts: 159
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2012 9:13 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| China has a permanent residence "green card" option for those who demonstrate firm commitment and lasting ties to China. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
blitzkrig
Joined: 16 Jan 2011
Posts: 20
|
| Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2012 9:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
they're nearly impossible to get
i wouldn't invest, say, 15 years of my life-time in country that may give me proper residence later on |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
choudoufu
Joined: 25 May 2010
Posts: 3325
Location: Mao-berry, PRC
|
| Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 1:07 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Denim-Maniac wrote: |
| you are Chinese right? |
of course not. trolls are from narnia. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Shroob
Joined: 02 Aug 2010
Posts: 1339
|
| Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 2:12 am Post subject: |
|
|
| blitzkrig wrote: |
I spent nearly 5 years teaching English in China before returning back home.
Apart from a 1-month teaching job and various substitute positions, i was unemployed for about 6 months.
The European job market is not easy. Having taught in China is, however, not a disadvantage, depending on yourself and how you spent your time in China.
While you work in China, I recommend that you:
- Find employment with a western managed school/company
a) They will be able to write a letter of recommendation that works on a western job market.
b) You will be viewed as a real employee and you will work as a teacher. This is very important, because you need to feel that you have real work experience when you meet potential employers in the future.
Find a school/company that provides in-house training
a) Great for you as a teacher and you have something extra to add to your CV.
Take everything seriously
a) This is given. You're not living in China. You're working in China. That's a very important attitude to have for when you meet western employers. You must emphasize that you went to China because you're interested in education & that you wanted to teach.
I personally thought that my years in China were going to be a problem, but that hasn't been the case at all. So I wouldn't worry too much about it - as long as you stay away from the "monkey jobs", you'll be alright.
Good luck! |
That looks like sound advice, as well as offering hope!
The trouble is I suppose you could call my current position a 'monkey job' (and where I resigned for another year before I had this 'epiphany').
If I were to look at the positives though, I can highlight I thoroughly plan every lesson, designed a curriculum, taught 1-1, small groups, large groups, adults to children, exam preparation and business English. Obviously not all of these were through my main employer, a lot was outside private work, so references will probably be a problem.
Additionally, I'm aware now that potential future employers may not value my experience here, which is better than finding out when it comes to job hunting/interviews in the future. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
blitzkrig
Joined: 16 Jan 2011
Posts: 20
|
| Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 8:33 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Shroob wrote: |
| blitzkrig wrote: |
I spent nearly 5 years teaching English in China before returning back home.
Apart from a 1-month teaching job and various substitute positions, i was unemployed for about 6 months.
The European job market is not easy. Having taught in China is, however, not a disadvantage, depending on yourself and how you spent your time in China.
While you work in China, I recommend that you:
- Find employment with a western managed school/company
a) They will be able to write a letter of recommendation that works on a western job market.
b) You will be viewed as a real employee and you will work as a teacher. This is very important, because you need to feel that you have real work experience when you meet potential employers in the future.
Find a school/company that provides in-house training
a) Great for you as a teacher and you have something extra to add to your CV.
Take everything seriously
a) This is given. You're not living in China. You're working in China. That's a very important attitude to have for when you meet western employers. You must emphasize that you went to China because you're interested in education & that you wanted to teach.
I personally thought that my years in China were going to be a problem, but that hasn't been the case at all. So I wouldn't worry too much about it - as long as you stay away from the "monkey jobs", you'll be alright.
Good luck! |
That looks like sound advice, as well as offering hope!
The trouble is I suppose you could call my current position a 'monkey job' (and where I resigned for another year before I had this 'epiphany').
If I were to look at the positives though, I can highlight I thoroughly plan every lesson, designed a curriculum, taught 1-1, small groups, large groups, adults to children, exam preparation and business English. Obviously not all of these were through my main employer, a lot was outside private work, so references will probably be a problem.
Additionally, I'm aware now that potential future employers may not value my experience here, which is better than finding out when it comes to job hunting/interviews in the future. |
Just get out of that job.
I have one employer in my CV who i almost erased. I don't have any references there for various reasons. Just be honest about it during interviews and don't try to make it sound like it's something else.
I think your plan is sound. Just make sure that you get an employer who can give you proper guidance, which in 99% of the cases are westerners with degrees in education, teaching experience etc. Also make sure that you're super clear with your intentions in your job application, because it will help you land the job - Usually, they like having people who are interested & want to learn.
Your references themselves won't matter so much. As long as you believe in it (this usually implies having references), western employers will value your work experience in China. They're able to tell. I even got my teaching experience in China added into my pay-scale.
My time in China has been nothing but beneficial and i had the same worry as you during my last year. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dedicated
Joined: 18 May 2007
Posts: 972
Location: UK
|
| Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 9:58 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Denim-Maniac wrote on June 1st:
| Quote: |
| I should tell you that it's quite common for UK pensioners to die from the cold in the UK, simply as they can't afford to use their heating systems |
You are totally out of touch ! All pensioners in the UK over the age of 60, regardless of income, receive a winter fuel allowance of 200 GB pounds. When you are 80, this increases to 400 GB pounds. All pensioners get free transport on the buses and Tube. When you are 75, you get a free TV licence.
| Quote: |
| My grandmother...spent the last 4 years of her life in almost total blindness as the health service wouldn't give her an operation on account of her age |
There must have been a very strong medical reason not to operate, such as underlying blood pressure problems or heart irregularities. Every anaesthetic carries a risk, and this increases dramatically with age. No decent surgeon would risk operating on an aged person if they have health issues, as the operation would kill them.
Otherwise, ALL medical treatment is free in the UK, as the Chinese know.
They bring their relatives here for treatment! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Javelin of Radiance
Joined: 01 Jul 2009
Posts: 1187
Location: The West
|
| Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 10:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Health care is never "free." |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
