Job Discussion Forums

[pennywise]

Hi all, I'm a long time lurker on here, initially interested in teaching in Japan however recently I have become open to the idea of teaching in Shenzhen. I'm a newbie with no more than a BA in English and a TEFL cert, and I've been trying to research what I can, however if any of you would be able to point me in the right direction with any of the below it would be a great help!

- A Z visa should allow multiple re entries to HK, would there be any unforeseen implications which may arise if I decide to visit HK regularly on weekends, i.e any kind of stamp that may fill up my passport etc? I'd like to be able to go across the border unrestricted.

- Obviously sending CV and passport pictures to any old random recruiter raises a red flag with me, so I'm looking to apply direct So far it seems to me that there are a core of private companies out there such as WSE, Web, EF and Meten. Are there any others that have a decent reputation, and how does the process of finding vacancies in regular state schools work?

- I've seen jobs advertised which offer 25 teaching hours and 15 office hours, or the option of 18 teaching hours with a two hour break in between. It seems that jobs with higher teaching hours at private companies tend to have a more rigid structure and perhaps more/better teaching materials available. Of course the lower teaching hours available at (I presume state schools) would allow me more time to prepare for lessons. What are your opinions on this? Currently I work a full time and a part time job, so that's probably around 45 hours per week.

- Is a past stint in the armed forces better left off your CV?

- Do many of you share an apartment? I'm weighing up the benefits/drawbacks of this. On the one hand it would be good to save money/have others around to consult with or vent to, on the other I haven't shared an apartment in several years now.

- Is inflation a worry over the course of a year's contract? The pace of change is evidently pretty rapid in China. I've seen some jobs advertised at up to 15k gross for teaching in Shenzhen, is that a reasonable expectation?

- What in your experience is the average lead time from application to departure?

[sistercream]

I'm no great fan of Shenzhen, but just a couple of points from south of the SZ River:
Hong Kong no longer stamps passports; my passport shows that I usually get 8 mainland stamps (4 return journeys) onto one page.

For a single year, I don't think inflation will eat up huge amounts of your earnings. But you'll need to remember that by mainland standards HK will make for expensive weekends - transport, accommodation and like-for-like food, not to mention any boozing in expat watering holes, are all a whole lot more expensive than in the Big Land.

[doogsville]

A z visa will allow you one entry into mainland China, whereupon it should be converted to a Resident Permit, which will allow you unlimited entries for the period for which it it is valid. Sounds like nit picking, but this is China so it's worth getting the terminology right from the get go. Once you have a resident permit in your passport, you are able to go from Shenzhen to HK as many times as you like while it's valid. Hong Kong customs no longer stamp your passport, taking up valuable pages, but staple a piece of paper to it.

Everything else, from average earnings to lead times for visa applications are subject to the Universal law of 'Who knows?' China is a work in progress, so everything is up for negotiation. Hit a few expat sites and see what the going rate seems to be.

Sharing an apartment is not a bad way to start out in China unless your roommate is a complete Ahole!!! This has happened to me twice! The first time I was paired up with an Australian chain smoking alcoholic, and the the second was with an English guy who shared his room with his Chinese wife with whom he either had loud, crazy sex, or loud, crazy arguments. Both of which sounded like they were in the same room as me. That being said I know people who have lived with roommates for two or more years who they have never had a problem with. If your situation sucks, move out. Find an apartment that suits your budget and needs with the help of either your students, or your employer, whichever seems to have their sh*t together the most.

Sending photos and CV's to recruiters and agents? Simply?, Don't. Apply direct. Shenzhen has a ton of private and public schools as well as private clients. Apply direct. Do the research, it's not that difficult.

Inflation is not an issue, and if it becomes an issue, the we'll all have to deal with it together, which is what brings us back to Dave's again and again. It's that sense of camaraderie and helpfulness that we all share. Can you feel the love?

The average lead time from application to departure? As long as it takes. As long as it takes the confused, lazy, disorganized, bureaucratic self obsessed machine that processes your paperwork to finally spit it out in a form that it's counterpart in your home country can deal with. This may sound like a bad thing, but, if you survive it, and still have the desire to come to China, then there's at least an outside chance that you will also survive while you are here.

Good luck with it and let us know how you fare.

[Aristede]

[choudoufu]

[sistercream]

Particularly in Shenzhen. As some astute geographers might have noticed, it's entirely within Guangdong Province, which is one of those places which does not allow people to obtain Z visas in Hong Kong or Macau (unless, of course, they already have legal resident status there).

Oh, and another thing I've thought to mention about SZ is that although one of its outer suburbs nestles against the Hong Kong land border, it is such an enormous sprawl of city that if one lives in the northern or eastern areas, it would be quicker to get to HK from Zhuhai ( other side of the Pearl River Delta). IMO, a far nicer city than SZ in any case

[davelister]

In my humble opinion, there are much nicer cities, with more history, more culture, more soul (sorry for sounding like a hippie) and are much more pleasant to walk around, such as: Nanjing, Xian, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Xiamen ...

[sistercream]

Couldn't agree more, Dave ... I would go so far as to add Lanzhou and Xining to the list of nicer-than-SZ cities despite having a strong preference for a tropical climate.
Would probably draw the line at Golmud though ...

[Harbin]

[pennywise]

Thank you very much all of you for your replies. I hadn't considered Zhuhai before, and I've been reading of people's experiences coming over and getting stitched up working on an F visa whilst the Z never materialises. I feel it would be better for me to teach older students such as in a university setting where students already posses a basic understanding of the English. Being a newbie I'm going to have a hell of a lot to learn and I'm expecting to be overwhelmed at the start but as a positive if I'm snowed under coming up with lesson plans to start I shouldn't have much problem saving money! I'm the sort of person who loves to take charge of their own area of responsibility and keep coming up with improvements, so although a mill might be the easy option to start with I'm not sure it'll be the best option in the long term. It's still a case of not seeing the wood for the trees as far as where to start making applications to though and I'll need to do a lot more research.

[teenoso]