Job Discussion Forums

[mairinriyadh]

Hello

Am new to this forum. Wanted it put in the job related postings because I want to teach in a University, do some outside work and bring my 12 & 16 year olds to a large-ish city....has anyone done anything similar?

[dean_a_jones]

Without more information, it sounds like a crackpot notion really. I guess if you were a qualified teacher, going to a recognised international school for a semester or two teaching the same programme as back home, and your children could study there free of charge based on your teaching there, it might work and be an interesting experience for them.

But you mentioned teaching at a university so I am not really sure what you expect two children to do while you do this. You probably need to say a bit more if you want helpful responses, as the most common information for children of this age is geared towards expats who are here as business professionals and on contracts with cover expensive international schools (or salaries high enough to make it feasible for them to pay).

I know there are definitely people who have brought children here or raised the issue, although most of the time people are talking about having kids here or bringing over young children:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=95765

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=100767

[choudoufu]

private western schools will be very expensive. you expect your
two teenagers to attend chinese public school? assuming they
speak fluent chinese, do you really want to prepare them for a
future assembling iphones at slave wages?

[xiguagua]

Manage sure. But it sounds like a excessive, extravagant punishment for the child. Taking 2 teenagers in the peak of development and dragging them to a new country where they'll have no friends and no one to talk to. If one of them is a boy they'd probably be ok hanging out at the local high schools and girls would probably be easy pickings, but a parent probably wouldn't want that. I dunno.

People can MANAGE anywhere, whether or not that is the best thing to do is another story. There are incredible parents out there that can do amazing things in homeschooling and preparing their kids for the future......but that is not common at all. But, trying not to judge someones parenting abilities.............here are some questions i'd have:

Some things to consider is where will the visas come from for the kids? School provides it or are you on your own? I know some schools don't wanna have to worry about this.

What would your kids be doing? Homeschool? Public school (ew)? International school? If you're teaching at the international school it might be ok cost wise. If not, and you have to pay for it, you'll probably be on the losing end of the income situation.

How long would you be staying? One year? Is it worth taking your kids out of school back home for one year in China and going back? More? Will it affect them more seriously if you stay longer?

Bringing over young children I think is a different bag than bringing over some teenagers with raging hormones.....

[Javelin of Radiance]

I wonder how many of the people who comment on these "raising kids in China" threads are actually parents of kids in China.

You don't need expensive private western schools. What you need are parents who care about their kids enough to oversee their education and make sure they're getting what they need. Here's a quote from someone with real experience raising kids in China:

[rogerwilco]

[JamesD]

It really depends on the parents, schooling arrangements, and the maturity level of the kids but.........
I worked with a lady who brought her 17 year old son with her. He found out he could buy cheap beer, the girls were more than happy to date a young westerner, and he was on his own most of the day. It did not end well.

[choudoufu]

i was down to the beach the other day, saw this crazy farmer driving
his ratty old tractor down the fishing pier about to plunge off the far end.

i said nothing.....not being a farmer, and not owning a tractor, i decided
to mind my own business.

[mambawamba]

Hi there and hello chaps, hope you're all well and spring's treating you right.

Was waiting until I'd had a chance to catch up with some friends who did exactly the same thing about three years ago before I answered your OP, our son is 7 so we have different experiences.

Firstly, you're going to have to look at education for your kids, International schools are crap and expensive, unless you work at one then they're crap and free.

Chinese schools will be an issue, as mentioned language will be a massive barrier.

The friend that I spoke to came over with a 12 yr old, a 14 yr old and a 16 yr old. For the first year she worked and hired a tutor at home to get their language up to speed, then they went into Chinese school and kept up with American schooling at home in the evening. She said it was a challenge but the benefits for them as a family outweighed the juggling of time and resources.

She certainly has no regrets and neither do I, in fact I'm often baffled by the negative reactions of people to bringing kids to China BUT it is not for everyone.

If you'd like any more info please feel free to PM me.

[mambawamba]

You guys posted while I was typing, darn it getting slow, so to add, visa's for kids come as dependant visa's and are processed at the same time as your own visa, you come as a package.

The school may or may not pay for the processing of it, the health check or for your insurance but in our experience they will put the paperwork through.

You will have to apostille birth certificates and other docs to make this happen which can be a nightmare so get it done sooner rather then later.

[it'snotmyfault]

I'm not a parent so I'm obviously totally unqualified to comment

But don't you put your life on hold when you have children, and isn't stability important to children when they go through those difficult ages like teenage years, having your safe network of friends around you, having a routine with your schooling etc..

But if you want to go and work in a uni in China and cobble together some kind of education for them..I'm sure you know best, because you're a parent.

I'm sure some people manage it ok, such as executives who can afford the top international schools, armed forces that have a good system in place for schooling. TEFLers are not in the same league.

[sojourner]

Mambawarmba,

" International schools are crap ".

Would you please elaborate ?

[mambawamba]

@sojourner, in my experience unless you're talking about a Dulwich College or a top tier International school they are at best mediocre businesses which focus mainly on busywork and bums on seats for large profits with little educational return, especially for a native speaker.

The majority of students who are non native speakers will still be sent to an additional own language school after hours and at the weekends and are at the International school solely for the purpose of learning English. Children will be banded not by ability or age but fudged into classes and grades by numbers.

Yes, without doubt there are some teachers in some schools who are passionate about their vocation, I've met them, and there are some schools which do a good job but have worked in 'em, have had my child in them in two different countries and can hand on heart say, again in my experience, meh!

I appreciate this won't be everybody's opinion but it's mine. If anyone else on this forum has actually had their child in an International school, rather than just working in one, I'd really be interested to hear about their experiences too. Perhaps we've just had a rough trot.

[diana83709]

My daughter was 14 years old when we accepted positions in Sichuan. Our duration was 2 years and I will say that she absolutely loved living in China. She did her school studies online and also learnt Chinese. Each kid is different, but can be a rewarding experience. When the time came to relocate back to Oz, she really did not want to leave.
Best of luck to you! I hope all works out in a most positive manner.

[it'snotmyfault]