Job Discussion Forums

[Voyeur]

I'm currently teaching TOEFL at a very good high school in a provincial capital. I have a fair bit of experience with this test, but I do not know it cold the way true TOEFL prep teachers know it. For example, I can usually evaluate an essay or speaking response within one level of what ETS would score it. And I can tell a student what could make it better. But a real test prep master can tell them exactly how it would be scored, and exactly what ETS is looking for in an answer with a perfect score.

Next year I'll be helping students study for SATs. I'm a Canadian, and I have never taken the SAT. I will be learning about it as much as I can this summer.

I plan to stay at this school for another two years, and I think this will provide a good chance to learn (mostly by way of self-study) a lot about prepping students for these two tests. As I know more, I may also tutor these tests part-time, or even work at a Chinese test-prep school part-time to learn some of their approaches. However, after that I would like to move into a bigger pond and try to earn more by working for one of the better Chinese institutions or tutoring services (with perhaps some self-employed tutoring as well).

Does anyone have any experience with serious, big-league test prep in China? If so, I'd appreciate any advice with respect to my "Five Year Plan".

Key elements of this plan, and ideas I'd like advice on, include:

1) Writing the SAT myself

As I didn't graduate from an Ivy League school, don't have an advanced degree, and have never written either the SAT or the TOEFL, I assume that getting a very high score on these tests will be essential to establishing my bona fides.

I also think there is a nice opportunity opening up with respect to the SAT, as it is about to undergo some serious changes, which may level the playing field with respect to previous experience. I'm assuming there is no point in me writing the old test, and I should plan on writing the first new test in the spring of 2016 (the last year I will be here at my High School). I'm curious whether I should care about my math score? Any advice here. I imagine I should write the optional writing, of course. What about SAT II subject tests?

With respect to the TOEFL, is it recommended that I also write that a few times, aiming for a perfect (or at least very near-perfect score)? Are there any other tests I should take (IELTS, GMAT, GRE), or should I focus at first before broadening my base (if I ever do)?

2) Move to Beijing/Shanghai

I'm not a big fan of pollution, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. Nevertheless, given this distaste, I'd prefer Shanghai. I would, however, like to know if Beijing noticeably more lucrative for test prep.

3) Work for a serious Chinese Test-Prep company

No one knows test-prep for Chinese like the top Chinese companies (except maybe the Koreans). I know that their main programs are in Chinese, but these companies do have some work for foreigners. Does it seem like a good idea to work with someone like New Oriental in Beijing for at least a short-time to really learn as many of the Chinese techniques as I can, and also get a feel for what the competition is up to?

4) Learn Chinese

I'm new in China and have no Chinese ability. I do plan on working on it over the years to come, but the key point is how much do I need and how quickly? It is a bit of a trade-off, because the more I focus on Chinese, the less I can focus on mastering the key tests and getting some high scores in them. Furthermore, no matter how much I study, I'll never be ready to teach classes in Chinese in three or four years. And of course I also need to keep working at my school and other jobs along the way. So calibrating my future commitment to learning Mandarin is a bit tough.

I do realize that without an Ivy League degree and fluent Chinese, I'll never be able to play in the very highest test prep leagues. Or, perhaps more accurately, I could make it on the team on the team but not as a starter, much less an all star. Nevertheless, I do feel that there is an opportunity to do fairly well in this field if I work hard over the next 3-4 years to position myself. I'd definitely appreciate any advice.

[teenoso]

I think focusing on test-prep is a good medium -term strategy, but as you say the star performers are always likely to be the chinese teachers , who teach essentially all in Chinese. Foreign teachers are more likely to teach the speaking parts of the tests (TOEFL and IELTS).
I think having a command of some Chinese is useful, but not essential , and certainly you would not be competing with native Chinese teachers for the top (VIP type) teaching.

I doubt there is any advantage in taking TOEFL and IELTS yourself: in IELTS at least , if you are a literate native speaker, and don't fluff the test , you are bound to get a maximum 9 on all parts of the test. TOEFL may be another kettle of fish , but I can't see how having full marks on TOEFL would impress someone enough to give you a job, or would have any weight or bearing on getting hired.

SATS is different again - don't know too much about it , other than it's a college entrance exam, with general and subject tests, for US colleges. Once again , I can't think why having a great score on SATS yourself would enhance your employability as a SATS teacher. Great soccer players rarely make great coaches .... etc.

My advice would be to get some experience with New Oriental or similar, so you can show a track record of success and good results.
Becoming an IELTS examiner or TOEFL grader would also be useful presumably.

[Voyeur]

Actually most (or so a somewhat lengthy Google-derived survey of the field would appear to indicate) really high-level test prep organizations demand that their tutors have a top 1 percentile SAT score. Some even demand that their tutors take the SAT every year to stay current. It's less clear to me if TOEFL is needed.

I agree with you about the Chinese teachers being the VIPs (though I suppose that one day, in say 10+ years, I could theoretically compete for that with good enough Chinese and maybe even be at an advantage, but that is really dreaming). Still, the new SAT is going to be a lot less coachable, so there might be more call for Foreign tutors, especially for students with high-level English.

[SledgeCleaver]

[Voyeur]

The test is only in English. However, the most intensive Chinese SAT test-prep is a very short-term, somewhat last-minute affair. There is absolutely no intention of improving your English language skills per se, and efficiency in everything, including communication, is paramount. Furthermore, while this kind of prep caters to all kinds of students, it is especially popular amongst students whose English language skills are a bit weaker and are limiting their performance. Intensive Chinese SAT prep teaches students how to circumvent their English language deficiency-based difficulties. Therefore, this kind of instruction is best delivered in Chinese. However, should a foreign teacher somehow achieve true written and reading fluency in Chinese, he probably could command as much or more than his Chinese counterparts, or so I would assume. But that level of Chinese fluency is incredibly difficult to achieve for most.

This being said, I believe the SAT and TOEFL prep markets are large and diverse, and there i probably room for a variety of approaches. The SAT is about to become a lot less coachable using last-minute, end-run-your -weak-English approaches. So I can at least see the possibility of somewhat longer-term, English-language-based SAT prep approaches becoming more popular. And foreign teachers being in more demand as a result. That, at least, is my current operating theory.