Job Discussion Forums

[sanpedro72]

Hello China experts and teachers,

I'm here today, because I have been presented an opportunity to teach SAT in one of these cities

Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Changsha, Zhongshan, and Beijing

1. My recruiter asked me rank the five cities to secure my top choice. Since Google searching for 2 days hasn't been fruitful I would like your advice on the cities (- Beijing) based on items that are important to me: clean air, ease of transportation, the availability of REAL organic foods, and cost of living. Zhuhai seems like the best so far but I lack sufficient information on Zhongshan and Changsha based on the items listed above. Any help?

2. I have taught SAT before but like pre-prep for low level ESL students, but nothing too formal. May I get some advice on some teaching tactics for teaching SAT for students in China? Anything will do.

Cheers to all and thank you for reading and responding!

[teenoso]

yes probably Zhuhai. But check where exactly in the city you will be. It is spread out and transportation is not always easy . Zhongshan is between Zhuhai and Guangzhou - the fast train goes through there, but I have no idea about the city itself.
Shenzhen is very big and bustling.

I doubt if you can find real organic food anywhere in a big city here , but the 'Park and Shop' supermarket in Zhuhai purported to sell organic veg ( and maybe meat ?), at inflated prices of course. To be frank , unless you have seen the veg or animal grow here, any 'organic ' claims are almost certainly spurious , because for growers and suppliers it is seen as a quick way to sell expensive products, and the supply chain is not carefully controlled.

Zhuhai has lots of HK residents who live /commute between both cities, so maybe they exert some pressure to grow healthy foods.

[doogsville]

You can buy food labelled as organic in most of the big supermarkets in Zhuhai, but Jusco probably has the largest selection.

Zhongshan is just north of Zhuhai, in fact you can cross from one to the other without realising it in places. It is however, like a lot of Chinese cities, very spread out, so you might want to find out which part of Zhongshan you would be based in and research accordingly. You can find information on both cities, as well as Shenzhen, here http://www.deltabridges.com/

Zhuhai is one of the cleanest cities in China, and has a lot of green space. The only letdown for me is that the sea, or rather the Pearl River Estuary that the city sits on is too dirty to swim in. There are beaches here, but the water is no where near as clean as it is in Hong Kong for instance, and you have to travel out to one of the islands to find good swimming/snorkelling conditions. I don't find Zhuhai that spread out. The things that most people need are close enough together and the bus service is good if busy at peak times. Taxis are also cheap, and Zhuhai is quite bike friendly.

Zhongshan is a very industrial city, with a lot of manufacturing. The air quality is not as good as in Zhuhai but it's not too bad. There are quite a lot of foreigners there too, in both teaching and business, so there's a few bars and restaurants selling Western food and drink. Not sure about shopping though.

You can check the air quality here http://www.aqicn.info/?city=Zhuhai

[chinatimes]

[Bud Powell]

Kaplan, Princeton Review, Barron, and a few more SAT book publishers require certification in order for you to use their books for training purposes. Certification won't necessarily make you a more effective coach as long as you have a good grip on the subject and can keep the class moving along. There are many, many practice tests, and the vocabulary and Latin/Greek prefix list is huge. Be prepared.

Ask which book you'll use. If it is not from an American publisher, don't take the job. You'll be spinning your wheels.