Job Discussion Forums

[ttgirl]

For those of you familiar with offers to teach in China, can you tell me if this is an okay offer for a private institute?


1, RMB 10,000 as monthly salary for 30 hours per week;
2, Rent free fully furnished apartment;
3, RMB 6000 as one year air-ticket bonus after completing a one year contract;
4, RMB 70 will be paid as overtime teaching per hour;
5, Accident and Accident Medical insurance;
6, Airport pick up;
7, Free Chinese lessons two hours per week;
8, 10 days paid vacation a year

[Denim-Maniac]

I think it depends where it is and the nature of the teaching ... also consider office hours (if any).

In places like Kunming or Yangshuo it would be outstanding ... simply the best deal ever ... in ShangHai or ShenZhen perhaps just an average offer. Below average if office hours are on top, and its teaching kids, and its at several locations requiring a daily commute.

[roadwalker]

Airport and free Chinese lessons (that you may not have time for since the hours are so many) are distractions. As D-M said, the 10k for 30 hours could be good or so-so (or even bad for some areas.) Where is the school? Are those 30 teaching hours or 30 clock hours and are they all classroom hours or does that include office hours? 70RMB per overtime hour is way low, unless again we are talking somewhere way out west, and even then it's not great. Again, is it by the clock or per class hour (i.e. 40-50 minutes)? The holidays seem too little to me, but I work at a public university. The airfare is inadequate, but inadequate is starting to become the norm.

[ttgirl]

Thanks Roadwalker and Denim Maniac. The school is in Jilin Province. I think the hours may be actual working hours. I'm not sure, but I'll ask. I was told that the owner does cater to what the teachers prefer to do. For instance, if the teacher only wants to teach (and even specifically- young children, adults, etc.) that's what the teacher will be given. Also if the teacher wants to do other tasks, outside of teaching, then they will also get to do that. I was told the owner has built relationships with a lot of organizations, schools and government, so that teachers sometimes have classes to teach at the companies or schools and that any taxi expenses are reimbursed.

The salary range was listed as 6000-12000 RMB. When asked what salary I was expecting, I said the highest, 12000 because I would like to get paid for my education and experience teaching (abroad and home). I was also in talks with another school, public school, which could only offer 6000 or 6500 for 18 hours.

Yes, the days given for holiday are very little. However, I've learned through working for both public and private abroad that private institutes usually don't offer that many days as they are in business to make money.

I like this opportunity as I was told the owner values creativity and is open to new ideas and if there's something you need for teaching, you can just go to him to ask and that the facility is equipped with technology and other resources.

[Non Sequitur]

'Valuing creativity' = there are no school-supplied resources.
My take:
Airfare s/be 10k
O/time s/be 100-150 per hour
Check the office hours thing as others have said
Make sure all school teaching is on the one site and near your apartment. The privates could be anywhere of course.
As a uni hack, I wouldn't be able to cope with 30 hours contact time and remember lesson planning is on top.
Still, at this time in the recruitment cycle it may be a good idea to secure a reasonable job and then look around if you want to commit longer term.

[rogerwilco]

[muffintop]

[Denim-Maniac]

[ttgirl]

Thank you to everyone for your input and advice.

I was informed by the owner that the 30 hours are teaching hours.

I had been interviewed by a former teacher who gave me most of the previous information, as well as telling me about his experience working there and for the owner.

One other thing is that I'm looking for a school that is willing to purchase my flight ticket to China. I know it's not common for China because I've only seen a few schools that state they do it in their ads, but most are for teaching only very, very young children (like kindergartners or under 11), but I prefer older students (teens and young adults). Of those I've asked, only a few responded either saying no or only with the promise of reimbursement. So far, the public school was supposed to be checking on it with their superior since it's something they've never done before. The owner of the school that gave the offer is offering to purchase it for me as an advance.

Also, I know it's rare for apartments to have bathtubs there, but it's really important to me. I've lived without one before in other countries, but I've found it makes a big difference for me because I don't like taking showers at all, and taking baths are stress relievers and relaxing for me. I can do without a western toilet (and many other western things), but not having a bathtub is difficult for me. The apartment I will have doesn't have one. However, I asked if either another apartment could be found or a tub added to the current one. The owner has promised to buy a plastic one (did warn they're hard work as far as transferring water, though) for my apartment which I'm happy about. It's better to me than not having one at all.

I'm waiting to hear back from the public school about the airfare. From your input, I understand that the pay is low for the school with the offer. I saw other schools that have higher salaries, but most of them are only working with very, very young students which I have taught before but my preference is for older students. So, I wouldn't want to only teach them but at least have a mix of age ranges if I had to which is what the owner said I'd teach (children and teenagers).

[ttgirl]

@ Denim-Maniac: I saw your message after posting my last one.

Since I found out the 30 hours are teaching hours, you mentioned a few more things I'm going to ask about including whether there will be office hours, how long each class is to know if the 30 hours are based on working the actual 30 or if a class is shorter (like 45-50 minutes) if it's considered an hour. The 30 hours bother right now (not sure if that feeling will change) since I've worked 40+ in the U.S. in a public school with no school given planning time (up until my last year) and no overtime for anything over 40 hours (which often happened with meetings, paperwork to be completed and not being able to leave if you had students still there) because of being a salaried teacher.

I was told there is a set curriculum in place and book, though. I usually don't like to strictly follow the book. There is also technology, ipads and interactive boards with projectors in almost every room. Technology is really important to me because I like being creative, and it helps increase the possibilities of ideas for class.

Again, you made a good point about travel time (if any), the number of hours and resources. I usually use the internet and like to create original content/projects. However, the factors you mentioned can have a negative effect if I have to teach 30 hours, travel often and keep office hours with limited resources. If I don't have enough time for proper planning, then I may not be able to be as creative as I'd like. I experienced that while teaching at one private school in South America where I sometimes worked more than 30 hours a week (split shift) and was without technology in the classrooms which was even more difficult for me.

The former teacher who I interviewed with kind of hinted at the "bait and switch" that you mention but in terms of other schools when I told what salary I'd like. He said that some of the schools that say they pay 15-20000 will tell teachers that, but it's often different when they get there, having to work more hours to get that. The owner's salary range is supposed to be based on experience, the more the experience, the higher the salary.

Definitely, thank you for mentioning the Z-Visa documentation. The employer told me to get a tourist visa and that he would apply for my work visa when I get there. However, after looking on the embassy site, you need documentation for a tourist visa which I don't have. I'm going to contact the former teacher who is supposed to be helping me plan my trip there. I'm going to talk to him about it because it seems that I could be asked to return to my home country if I don't have the z-visa in order to obtain it. It's not like going to South America on a tourist visa.

I'm also going to ask about contacting with a current employee, although I've learned that people can have differing opinions on their experiences at a place. I did that before at one place and the teacher happened to be friends with the supervisor and recently promoted as part of management which wasn't very professional, but I got a good report on things. However, upon arriving there, it was a horrible situation with regards to management and morale, and the teacher who had previously been a contact had decided not to do so any longer because of the responsibility (which could have had something to do with the turmoil there). So, if I had talked to her before going there, maybe I would have gotten a different perspective.

Thank you again, for your insight!

[rogerwilco]

OP, I have never heard of a school in China that is willing to pay upfront the airfare for an FT . Stranger still for an FT that they do not know in person.


Have you asked yourself why the school would be so desperate ?


My assumption is that you will be arriving in China with very little money.
What will you do if there is an emergency, or a problem with the school, that requires you to pay the airfare to go home ? Do you want to be stranded in China with no options ?

[Javelin of Radiance]

Hey keep in mind the more questions you ask, the more benefits you want (air tkt up front), the more requests you make (bathtub), might decrease your chance of getting the job. Employers will give a bit but there's a limit and if you pass that limit they'll just forget about you and find someone less demanding. Want to come to China? Worry more about the important stuff like getting the right visa, which it seems this school isn't certain of providing.

[muffintop]

[Non Sequitur]

[ttgirl]

I really appreciate the input from everyone, definitely some things to think about. I actually haven't used the forum in a while, but when I was thinking about where I could get some input on jobs in China before I went forward with any offer, I remembered the forum here and thought it would be a good idea to share here which is what I thought it was for. It definitely hasn't been my intention to offend or annoy anyone with what I have shared, but to anyone who feels this way, please accept my apologies and please know that you're under no obligation to give attention to or respond to what I share.

@ Javelin of Radiance: I am definitely asking about the visa. So I am willing to wait for the proper documentation, especially after looking at the embassy's website today.

@ Muffintop: I wasn't aware of a need for a trip to HK to get the visa, but I will bring that up as well. Also, I'm not sure what trolling is, but it sounds negative. From your response, it sounds like you are inferring that I'm putting too much information on here which appears to be suspect. I figure it's anonymous, though as long as I don't mention names. And yes, being able be creative with my classes is important to me no matter where I'm teaching.

@ rogerwilco: There are schools/recruiters that are offering to pay the airfare to China upfront, at least on their ads. There aren't that many. I think they may all be for private institutes, like Disney English for their summer program. You can check the China Job Board on here where you can find them. However, the ones I refer to in my post did not advertise that. I asked.

@ Non Sequiter: I don't think there is anything wrong with asking for something. The worst that can happen is that someone says no or they don't even respond. That's okay, and it's definitely their right. However, I'd rather ask than not know if it's something I really want. You'd be surprised that sometimes, you get a "yes". I've learned from experience and know other teachers who have made requests and have gotten a "yes" for things that others just assumed were set in stone or not even a thought.