Job Discussion Forums

[Javelin of Radiance]

Well, considering the average ESL teacher in China knows diddly about ESL, you can draw a pretty accurate conclusion easily enough. BTW where do I sign up for my 250rmb per hour job? As a foreign "expert" I'm entitled to my entitlements.

[cedarstreetcowboy]

[vikeologist]

Perhaps EF is more suitable for certain people or situations.

A typical EF teacher may be a FOP (fresh off the plane) young, inexperienced teacher. They might learn a lot in their year with EF. Yes, it's a lot of hard work, but life isn't about the money versus time worked equation all the time.

Probably it's only worth working at EF for a year, or at least after that moving up to some kind of managerial position. Either way its a good way of making yourself marketable for a better job afterwards.

But everything, abolutely everything depends on the school. So just stop thinking that EFs are all the same. Of course they have things in common. The texbooks are all crap, or perhaps now they're all good because someone has written better ones.

I can completely understanbd why EF might not want the OP. He's not young, he's been in china for a while. He's have to offer up a reason for wanting to work there beyond the possibiluty that it's the only place he can get a job. That's not what he said of course, but that may be the conclusion that Ef would come to.

Good working conditions (yes, some EFs ill have state of the art classrooms, but I'm not sure you can generalise across all EFs)


good class curriculum (it may have changed, but when I worked there definitely not)

able to get a Z visa. (wow, that's a pretty low criteria).

As well as others such as medical insurance. (Again, you shouldn't even be considering working anywhere that doesn't offer this).

I am keen on working in Shenzhen or Guangzhou most likely. (You'd need a clear rationale for wanting to work in these cities, as they're quite 'fashionable' if you know what I mean.

OP-This isn't an attack on you, just brutal honesty. just saying that if you want EF to recruit you against type, you need a narrative for why it's a good option for both of you.

[Burke]

Teachers in china have basically three choices...

1) Work for a legitimate international school or university (if you can get in)

2) Work for a private Chinese school as the entertainer and take your chances of getting fcked over.

3) Bide your time and find a real job that pays real money.

I have to agree with most of the shit at chinascambusters.com. The web site is a bit strange but the links tell us what the schools never will. My wake call here in China took six months to happen. Some people just accept all the bullshit as "normal" for China and tolerate it.

Why do so many FT lose their balls when they arrive in China? Too many whimps and wussies that kiss ass just to get a job if you ask me.

[Denim-Maniac]

[bbjessz]

I got an offer from EF a few weeks ago for kids and teens center in Beijing, and they had a teacher forum where you can connect with the other teachers and soon-to-be teachers. It seems they have a big team of recruiters. The interview was really just for show. A few of the teachers I talked to said the recruiter just chatted with them and didn't really do a formal interview. Anyway, after 3 weeks of accepting the offer, and going through all the procedures they told me to prepare for leaving, they sent me an email saying there were complications with the visa and withdrew the offer. They didn't give any more explaination at all! I talked to a few of the other teachers that are supposed to arrive the same time as me, and found out there is one other girl who got the same email (we were the only two Asians in the group). Then I checked the teacher forum again and saw there were 2 more Caucasians added to the group of teachers arriving the time I was supposed to join. (When I did my interview, the recruiter said that day was the deadline for the group joining at that time.) So, as long as you are Caucasian, I'm pretty sure they will hire you.
I understand that it is more prefered in China to hire Caucasians to teach English, but how they handled the situation really makes me afraid to go work for them. If you don't want me in the beginning don't waste my time!!!

[kungfuman]

^ You are not the first one to state this reverse descrimination.

[creeper1]

Don't take it personally bbjessz.

They want whoever they think will make them money. They care about nothing else.

EF will not hesitate in firing some-one if they think they can replace that person with someone who makes them more money.

EF treat people like commodities. To them, you are not a human being.

[Babala]

Let me ask you a question. If you owned a business wouldn't you want to hire the person who would make you the most money?

A training centre is in it for the money. That is their business.

[it'snotmyfault]

Wouldn't most westerners who run schools look first at the quality of the applicant and not the colour of their skin?

I'd like to think if I was in a position of having to choose between a native speaking non-white applicant with great credentials and a below average applicant with a white face, that I'd make the right choice.

It's the opposite way round here, this says more about society in general in China. Companies like EF are just catering for the blinkered views of the masses.

Can't lump all the blame on them, even though they are terrible places IMO

[NoBillyNO]

[creeper1]

Babala - Maybe I would hire the person who could make me the most money. It doesn't mean I'd disrespect the person that would make me less money.



At each of their centers, EF have photographs of all their teachers at the main entrance to their buildings. Above these photos there is a caption that reads "our family"

Well if you get on the wrong side of them, I can tell you that they don't treat you like family.


To give them their dues, they do pay wages on time and in full. They provide a Z-visa.

It shows how low the bar is in TEFL in China that I concede the above good points about them.

[chinadad]

[NoBillyNO]

[chinadad]