Job Discussion Forums

[Non Sequitur]

You should by now have taught a few classes.
Complete the poll to see how realistic your expectations were.
Comment as appropriate, including multiple posts.

[JoeKing]

So far, so good....in fact better than I expected, at least as far as the job goes. I am new to China, but taught in the ROK for 3 years, and have experienced first hand the bait and switch. So I was fully prepared to bail out if things went south on me.

Also, I have been blown away by the hospitality shown to me from just about everyone I have met. For example, the school manager took me to the bank so I could open an account and change some money. For some reason they could not do it at that branch so the bank manager hopped in the car with us and took us to another branch where she took care of it - I think she bent some rules for me. Ever hear of a bank manager doing something like that?

The only downside is that I live in a somewhat isolated part of town, but even that would not be so bad if taxis were easier to get. I did get one last night and found out that the other side of Ningbo has a pretty cool nightlife, so maybe it is a good thing it is not convenient, as I could easily blow a lot of money.

[johntpartee]

Even though I'm not a new guy, I'm following this pretty closely. The option for "something else" is intriguing; be interested to know exactly what the "something else" is (only one respondent has chosen this one thus far, so.....).

This topic could be useful for old hands as well, let us know what direction the wind is blowing these days.

[GreatApe]

I'm also following this thread closely.

I just "recruited" (I DO NOT get PAID for "recruiting" and AM NOT a RECRUITER)! ... my first teacher from my home country. I feel a little responsible for the guy and hope he'll join this thread!

My semester is starting off very well; new job, new school, new position, more responsiblities and a bit more control! More stress? ... a little bit, YES! But life is also very good!

Signed a new two-year contract -- new one year R.P. and F.E.C. New apartment with the wife in a new city, At 3.5 years in China ... it's STILL NEW, but it's old too. Life is more comfortable in the best of ways and still frustrating at times in the old, familiar ways.

Enjoying it all so far and STILL very happy to be living and working in the PRC!

Good Luck to EVERYONE! ... and ENJOY!

--GA

[Professional TEFLer]

Good to hear everyone seems to like China. I still might head that way!

[MozartFloyd]

I'm not new to China or teaching, but I've moved to a new city and new university in Xinyang. So far I'm loving this place. People are incredibly friendly both in the university and Xinyang. I'm liking the smaller city away from the hustle and bustle of Changsha.

The university is lacking in many ways. Most classrooms don't have computers, so the PPT method of teaching is out the door. Interestingly enough, it doesn't seem to matter. It's like the old days with whiteboards and chalk. It's making me kick it up a notch and I'm good with that.

I decided on Xinyang because of its location: near the mountains, rivers, lakes, waterfalls.... I bought a sweet mountain bike and with afternoons free, I'm riding in the countryside and breathing the clean mountain air.

[mw182006]

I'll let you know if/when I get there! Looking like an early October start for me...still not sure how to feel about that.

[johntpartee]

I'm glad somebody bumped this, I was getting ready to do it. Still only seven responses to the poll. Actually, I'm most curious about how many people are going to say their biggest problems are with other FTs (only one so far).

[muffintop]

[johntpartee]

I've been here too long, I can spot 'em right away.

[Non Sequitur]

[Mandrews1985]

It's exactly what I expected and better too.

OP, you messaged me a while back giving me some geographical information, which then encouraged me to risk China, after I finished my time in Korea.

I love it here. I teach first grade uni students and they are very cute and enthusiastic, the working conditions are much better than I imagined too. All round... great start!

[BlueBlood]

This is a terrific thread but I cannot really take part in yet as I don't plan to head to China until next spring.

I'm hoping to avoid the bait and switch by making an advance trip later this year to see things in my chosen city/region for myself. It will be expensive but I think worth it. I'm a bit long in the tooth to jump into something blind (which is exactly what I did when I first taught ESL about a generation ago!).

[DCHun]

Its actually been better than expected. The first couple days were rough...but things are pretty good now. My students are not the most...um...studious kids I've met, but they're generally pretty respectful and helpful. My accommodations are awesome. No a/c but its not really needed with the weather here. The school pays on time, but they don't cover expenses that they probably should (residence permit application fee, medical check, etc).

Aside from the little gripes, there are only two main things that I can complain about: The dean, which is my boss' boss, is kind of a dick but I don't really deal with him much. The other thing is that there are way too many cute girls here on campus...I'm worried it will get me into trouble and it makes me wish I was a student here.

Overall, I think if the worst part of your job is that there's too much eye candy around, then you got a pretty good job.

[BlueBlood]

Are you disallowed to date the girls from your college? Not your own students, of course, but students in other classes/majors.