Job Discussion Forums

[Lord Bafford]

For the past 2 weeks I've been looking for a position in China without much success.

I've had to wade through a plethora of terrible offers, the most frequent consisting of 8,000 RMB for 25 hours per week -- many even offering shared accommodation.

Companies are also trying that nasty trick of luring me in on a tourist visa, something I will never do(again) and urge others not to do either.

Is this the normal state of affairs for this time of year?

I need to be ultra careful this time because I can't afford to take another hit after the botched Hong Kong visa disaster.

[vikeologist]

Well, you've left it too late for Uni jobs. (I'm sure there's some Unis who've been let down at the last minute if you could find them). The same with International or High school jobs. If they haven't found someone yet, then they're going to have a hard time trying to get that invitation letter from the Police before New Year.

So the offers you describe seem fairly standard for language mills and kindies. What do you think is the average salary at these places. You're right about the places who want you to come in on the wrong visa.

To be fair, there are some really good jobs still going begging. I wish I could apply for them, but I have to sit on my hands until the summer, but I hear about them because I'm in China.

It's not fair. It's probably kind of stupid, but once you're in china, you have a lot more grapevine access.

[Bud Powell]

Subscribe to esljobs.com. You'll have more offers than you'll be able respond to. You may even be in a position to ask for more money if you have experience and good credentials.

The "L" visa situations exist year-round. Avoid at all costs.

[Non Sequitur]

There was a thread running a month or two ago that looked at Feb job numbers compared with Sept. One poster was adamant that Feb was not the poor relation it had been painted and that good jobs came up for that start date.
That said it is a bit late and the chances of an FAO focusing on recruitment during Spring Festival are less than zero.
Given the support for Z visa conversions in HK in another current thread I'm less ready to condemn L visa arrivals. But you must have ironclad guarantees about a visa run.

[Lord Bafford]

[thechangling]

This really is Golden Rule number 1 when looking into teaching English in China for newbies:

"The "L" visa situations exist year-round. Avoid at all costs".

[Non Sequitur]

Well this thread currently running:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=105223

gives a pretty positive spin on getting an L changed to a Z in HK, including fees and wait time.
Maybe we should put something on the HK forum pleading that they go into the consulate and get a firm (TIC) reading on what needs to be done to effect this change.
Is it employer, province, guanxi - what?

[tin man]

I may know of a good gig for you. If you want to PM me. You can chat with the school. The pics looks nice and I chatted on skype with one of the FT's.

[JoeKing]

[Lord Bafford]

I appreciate both the replies in this thread and via PM.

I feel the need to reiterate that the HK visa run is possible -- that is a certainty -- but it is equally certain that there's a possibility of rejection.

There is a risk that you will find yourself stranded in HK while you wait for your employer to deal with the situation. This is not fun because HK is immensely expensive and Chinese employers can be disorganised and unsympathetic.

By all means take the risk, but be prepared to splash out on a pricey ticket home and the loss of your salary for time worked.

[tin man]

LB, PM sent.

[BlueBlood]

When I was job hunting for a Feb start back in December, I actually found a couple slots without too much effort. And I was being extremely insofar as location.

That said, the slots I found were hardly ideal: outside city center; low pay; and they wanted a one-year contract would have, obviously, boxed me out of a Sept. start at one of the places I really wanted.

Things changed Stateside for me personally, so the point became moot. That said, if I do end up seeking an FT in China in the future I'll probably try to get a 6-month contract regardless of other factors (I realize this might not be realistic). That's bc I can stand on my head for 6 mo's, but I'd hate to land someplace, realize I'm isolated in a dumpy Chinese "suburb," my flat's on the ground floor and smells, and yet I'm earning a whopping 6,500/mo. for my misery. OK, I'll stop

[Lord Bafford]

[vikeologist]

Lord- What would be a decent job? Universities are nearly always away from the city centre. In fact, many of them are quite a long way away from the city - full stop. Low pay. What exactly do you think is the pay that you should be getting? As for 1 year contract..

Blueblood - It would be (almost) impossible to get a 6 moth contract, because employers wouldn't be able to get a residence permit for you. I'm sure there are locations where this gets relaxed for one reason or another, but by looking for a 6 month contract, you would be severely limiting your options.

[Lord Bafford]