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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China
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 Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 7:26 pm Post subject: |
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A lot of us got our first gig in China on much worse than this.
Once the Z option was front and centre, the only remaining issues were location of workplace in relation to accom and the subject, which impacts on non-contact hours. |
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jammex88
Joined: 09 Feb 2014
Posts: 43
Location: United States
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| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 7:34 pm Post subject: |
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| He said there would likely be writing and oral classes every semester, plus maybe a third class at times. And of course the writing courses require more grading. Apt is on campus so that is a plus. Hard to know how it will be until you are there. |
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muffintop
Joined: 07 Jan 2013
Posts: 803
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| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 7:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Non Sequitur wrote: |
A lot of us got our first gig in China on much worse than this.
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True. I actually came over on an F visa initially. But.....I'd still suggest others be more cautious than I was. I am not saying he should blow off the offer...but he should be careful and of course he should have a backup plan. That applies to anyone.. Z or F visa.
All I can say is that I hope it works out. It seems like a good deal on the surface.
Last edited by muffintop on Wed Feb 12, 2014 7:37 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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muffintop
Joined: 07 Jan 2013
Posts: 803
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| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 7:37 pm Post subject: |
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| jammex88 wrote: |
| He said there would likely be writing and oral classes every semester, |
Oh dear....here is where things start to turn ugly....
Last edited by muffintop on Wed Feb 12, 2014 7:39 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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jammex88
Joined: 09 Feb 2014
Posts: 43
Location: United States
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| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 7:39 pm Post subject: |
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Back up plan like teaching at a Wall Street or something?
Have you heard (is it common) to get to China with all your paperwork in order, z visa, originals of background checks, etc and have the gig fall through? |
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jammex88
Joined: 09 Feb 2014
Posts: 43
Location: United States
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| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 7:40 pm Post subject: |
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| muffintop wrote: |
| jammex88 wrote: |
| He said there would likely be writing and oral classes every semester, |
Oh dear....here is where things start to turn ugly.... |
why..you mean just the amount of grading? I am used to it, personally, been teaching Spanish in the States for years. |
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muffintop
Joined: 07 Jan 2013
Posts: 803
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| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 7:42 pm Post subject: |
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| jammex88 wrote: |
Back up plan like teaching at a Wall Street or something?
Have you heard (is it common) to get to China with all your paperwork in order, z visa, originals of background checks, etc and have the gig fall through? |
Nope. It's not common to arrive with proper paperwork to have the gig fall through. It is however not exactly uncommon to land a gig that made you wish it did fall though.
Things are not always as they seem.
and...backup plan like....getting your butt back to your home country. You may be surprised by how many come here without that option available. |
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muffintop
Joined: 07 Jan 2013
Posts: 803
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| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 7:43 pm Post subject: |
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| jammex88 wrote: |
| muffintop wrote: |
| jammex88 wrote: |
| He said there would likely be writing and oral classes every semester, |
Oh dear....here is where things start to turn ugly.... |
why..you mean just the amount of grading? I am used to it, personally, been teaching Spanish in the States for years. |
No...I don't think you quite understand how much work goes into an actual writing class. |
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jammex88
Joined: 09 Feb 2014
Posts: 43
Location: United States
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| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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| I haven't done it over there, (I've done it here in Spanish) but if you're teaching language it's inevitable you have to teach writing at some point. Being new anywhere you don't get usually get the best schedule, your first choice. |
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muffintop
Joined: 07 Jan 2013
Posts: 803
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| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 7:48 pm Post subject: |
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Ok guy. I get it. You taught Spanish so clearly you have a grasp on what it's like to teach writing. And...no it's not inevitable that oral English teachers will teach writing.
Best wishes. I'm going to bow out of this thread.
I do hope the OP could give us a status update after 6 months or so on the job though. |
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Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China
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| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 8:37 pm Post subject: |
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| jammex88 wrote: |
Back up plan like teaching at a Wall Street or something?
Have you heard (is it common) to get to China with all your paperwork in order, z visa, originals of background checks, etc and have the gig fall through? |
It IS usual to go to China for Sept start with all papers in order and you seem set to do this.
The proportion of Oral to Writing classes in unknown and unknowable. Hell, the first class is still 6m away. OP is right to view this as something to be dealt with in due course.
The only niggle I still have is the thought that teaching Spanish in the US is the same.
In the US you would be teaching Spanish through English as the language of instruction.
Teaching English in English is a little different.
But I'm sure you'll cope. Overall I think your approach is miles better than many who seek help on this forum. |
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jammex88
Joined: 09 Feb 2014
Posts: 43
Location: United States
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| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 8:48 pm Post subject: |
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Right. I am sure teaching Spanish in the US is different than English in China. Very different I am sure. But, it is still language teaching...and I have had stacks of comps to grade so I know that can be a drag but feel like it is part of the job.
I have not seen any ads for "Oral English Teacher". Do such jobs exist at a Chinese university? Full time with an apt included, etc?
btw, upper division Spanish at US universities do teach pretty much the whole course in Spanish (at least they should and that is what I do). but yeah, lower division ones rely more on English. |
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Shroob
Joined: 02 Aug 2010
Posts: 1339
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| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 8:55 pm Post subject: |
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| jammex88 wrote: |
Right. I am sure teaching Spanish in the US is different than English in China. Very different I am sure. But, it is still language teaching...and I have had stacks of comps to grade so I know that can be a drag but feel like it is part of the job.
I have not seen any ads for "Oral English Teacher". Do such jobs exist at a Chinese university? Full time with an apt included, etc?
btw, upper division Spanish at US universities do teach pretty much the whole course in Spanish (at least they should and that is what I do). but yeah, lower division ones rely more on English. |
Yes. I was one of them. Everyone at my university was one of them. I can't think of any foreign teacher I knew in my city in China that wasn't an oral English teacher. Full time, apartment, flights, etc. included. |
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jammex88
Joined: 09 Feb 2014
Posts: 43
Location: United States
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| Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 8:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Shroob wrote: |
| jammex88 wrote: |
Right. I am sure teaching Spanish in the US is different than English in China. Very different I am sure. But, it is still language teaching...and I have had stacks of comps to grade so I know that can be a drag but feel like it is part of the job.
I have not seen any ads for "Oral English Teacher". Do such jobs exist at a Chinese university? Full time with an apt included, etc?
btw, upper division Spanish at US universities do teach pretty much the whole course in Spanish (at least they should and that is what I do). but yeah, lower division ones rely more on English. |
Yes. I was one of them. Everyone at my university was one of them. I can't think of any foreign teacher I knew in my city in China that wasn't an oral English teacher. Full time, apartment, flights, etc. included. |
Interesting. Then who is teaching the writing classes? |
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Bud Powell
Joined: 11 Jul 2013
Posts: 1736
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| Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2014 12:24 am Post subject: |
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Re. Writing Classes
It's my observation that at universities that have an English language program, there is also a writing class for each oral English class. If the FTs are competent to teach writing, the classes are assigned to them. If not, the Chinese teachers teach it, something they really don't want to do.
The big challenge of teaching English composition is to get the students to do it. I've had advanced classes whose speech was near-perfect. However, they hated writing, and they brought trash to class and expected to get a grade. I am a h@rd@ss and nobody gets a grade until everyone turns in intelligible papers. That was my policy. I'd get to class an hour early so they could see that I put in a LOT more effort into correcting their papers than they put into writing them. By midterm, they wanted to know what their grades were. I reminded them of my policy.
They always wake up when they see that I mean what I say. |
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