Job Discussion Forums

[revilo]

When I signed up with Footprints recruiting, they told me I had to start my interviews w/ Wall St. English. There was no discussion of interviewing w/ a public school. I have experience w/ private schools like Wall St., English First, etc. Language lessons are micro managed and someone is always observing your teaching style to make sure it's "communicative" enough. It got to the point where I had to stop in mid-sentence to get the students to talk and contribute. In addition, there were other drawbacks:

1. Pay for rent several months in advance in expensive places like Shanghai.
2. Nightmare commutes in cramped public transportation.
3. Teach only at night when I am clearly a morning person.

I interviewed with Wall St. and deliberately sabotaged the interview. In the meantime, I contacted a recruiter with Linked In who got me a public school job in Northern China with daylight work hours, paid apt., and a short walk to class. The pay is much better than Wall St. when you add in the cost of apt.
I was wondering if the rest of you have similar preference when it comes to teaching....

[johntpartee]

In China, public school hands down, no discussion necessary.

[roadwalker]

Why sabotage the interview? That doesn't make sense to me. You can always turn down offers if they offer you. And are you saying that Wall St didn't (or wasn't going to) pay a monthly stipend for housing in lieu of providing accommodation? That's common in Shanghai and Beijing.

But to answer the question, I also prefer public schools partly for the less interference. My private school experience is not extensive though, and doesn't include China.

[WLamar]

A great number of folks here (I'd venture half) work in other places, including a university setting. What's your logic in limiting the poll to these two choices only?

[doogsville]

Public schools are in the business of education, whereas private schools are in business to make money. The latter are far more likely to cut corners and deliver a shoddy product in order to make as much money as possible. Some of the people who run those schools don't see a distinction between selling education and selling shoes, they just see more opportunity for profit from the former. That being said, I'm not blind to the corruption and corner cutting that can happen in public schools, I just think that they quality of the product is a little higher, since there's less financial incentive for them. Also, the Chinese staff in public schools are likely to have more training and education in the field of education than the people who run private schools, who are business people through and through.

[twilothunder]

I also don't see the point in sabotaging an interview.

Interviews can be good practice anyway - even if its a job you don't want why not do it properly and see what lessons you can learn/what difficult questions an interviewer may throw at you?

[teenoso]

If you have an interview for a company or job you don't want, then consciously or unconsciously you are going to sabotage it , IMO. I at least could never do a 'proper' interview in these circumstances. The motivation and intent are all wrong.
Can't understand though why Footprints would require you to do such an interview. Maybe you were just too polite to refuse.

Anyhow, I agree that in general public schools win hands down, though privately funded parts of public unis here are often just cash cows for the sponsoring Uni and its backers.

[revilo]

Footprints is the recruiter and their method is to dole out one interview at a time. In addition, they also require a waiver of liability so that teachers can't sue them in the event of misrepresentation. I guess i was in a poor state of mind when I did the interview. I don't recall if that was the case when I interviewed, but it's required for Footprints in Abu Dhabi. So much control was taken from me and I had to do 2 interviews with Wall St.
It's so much better knowing that I had a backup plan and I should have cancelled the 1st interview.

Anyway, I'm happier working with my current employer than I would be with Wall St. Money-wise, there is no difference and the working conditions are better.

[Non Sequitur]

[D-M]

Private schools. No question.

I've worked in 3 places in China. A middle school, a vocational college and a private school. The private school wins hands down on all counts. I can also see from reading various posts on here that my middle school and vocational college experience was fairly standard and I wouldnt want to experience those same working conditions again.

Im not prepared to accept large classes of students who arent even streamed by ability. I wont accept last minute schedule changes or meetings that are conducted in Chinese. I also wont accept the role of a conversation teacher only and like the freedom to teach as I was taught in my training.

[weigookin74]

Are wages going up for public school teachers then? How is the apartment they give you? Are the working conditions ok? I just never thought public school was an option in China as the pay was pretty low. Thought you had to do the language mills in large cities if you wanted to make money. As for that, many of those mills give money for rent, I thought or a bigger salary? Maybe 4000 RMB? I looked online a while ago and found some nice ones in Shanghai for 5000 RMB way better than any apartment had in SK for that price.

I just ask because I really don't know except for what I read or come across on line.

[johntpartee]

[weigookin74]

[johntpartee]

[revilo]

I teach at a public school (which has associations with private schools) and it's like a conglomeration. Several thousand students attend, and I teach about 20 contact hours for 12000 RMB per month.

The apt. is in poor condition, but it has heat during the cold winter months and it has a kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom, and study. I don't pay a dime for rent and it's a short walk to school. I get to listen to honking horns as Chinese parents drive their kiddies to school and mess up the traffic on the little side streets. The parents have wealth from employment at oil companies and they drive like they are entitled to mess up traffic.