Job Discussion Forums

[Paulusmack]

Hello everyone. I recently left a job in Thailand, have BA and TESOL Cert, eight years total teaching experience, willing to teach any age and level. My wife and I want to go to China asap. I have two questions for those with current or recent experience in China. First, given my age, what are the prospects of landing work at all? Second, what sort of salary can I expect in a large city and in lesser populated towns? Thanks for any information you can help us with.

[johntpartee]

Your chances are good, employment-wise. Salaries will vary according to COL.

[Non Sequitur]

You've got to think 'package' and look for these features in public sector tertiaries.
5500pm salary
10000 travel reimbursement
2500 spring travel allowance
Paid spring break
Free single occupancy on campus apartment
Most /all utilities paid incl broadband
No more than 20 contact hours
Paid summer vacation if you re sign for another year
As to age you have a better chance of having your permits renewed if you stay with the same school. Moral: Get it right and stay on.

[teenoso]

60 years old seems to be a cut-off point for some employers and some locations (not a hard and fast rule).
Often I think because some elderly teachers have died here , and brought the school /city a lot of hassle, so the school gets nervous and applies the 'rule'. Or sometimes because the school needs fewer teachers and uses the rule to weed out teachers.

But don't let that put you off. With a good long teaching record in Thailand and a steady family , you may appeal to many employers.
In the private sector you can earn more certainly than NS quotes, but with longer hours. In the Uni or high school sector , I would negotiate for a max 16 hour contract. 20 hours is often seen in joint venture type unis , but 16 hours is plenty enough , imo, for us oldies.
I wouldn't accept less than 5000RMB per month, even in very small towns, unless it is a place like Yangshuo where competition for jobs is high, but once there you have plenty of opportunities for side-work.

[Mr. English]

For the past two and a half years I have exclusively done private tutoring, but due to ongoing problems with keeping the hours up, I began working part-time this past September with one of the best and oldest high schools in Guangzhou, teaching writing in a new program they began that month for students aiming to go to college/university abroad. The school hired four foreigners, including me, the other three full-time, for this new program. Ages: 59, 61, 62, 68. Salaries are better than most universities offer. You just have to find a place that values experience.

[colonel]

O.P. you also need to factor in the potential damage to your health.
I recently left the Middle Kingdom after six years.
Six years in which pollution levels have risen to an unacceptable level.
My eldest daughter, aged 9, and myself endured a hacking cough for a couple of months.
Diagnosed, on our return to Thailand, as bronchitis I determined that enough was enough.
Given the suggested rise in car ownership in China, over the next decade, pollution levels are not going to improve, significantly, in your lifetime.

[Santos]

Aside from the health and sanity issues I think we will all admit that age discrimination is very common in China. All employers want young good-looking model types with entertainer personalities - especially for teaching young primary school and kindergarten students.

[creeper1]

Yeah and I want a supermodel as a girlfriend.

What they want and what they get are two different things especially with another country nearby offering higher salaries

[muffintop]

[doogsville]

[mike w]