Job Discussion Forums

[jm21]

For the jobs teaching high school acience, what qualifies as a degree in science? Any B.S. degree or are they looking for something like biology or chemistry? My brother is slightly interested in working here and has a B.S. in fisheries and wildlife he was never able to use. He had to take O chem and all of that so he definitely knows enough of the various sciences to teach high school science, but maybe Chinese employers wouldn't understand that?

[kungfuman]

None of the science teachers in my school have a science degree. Does that answer your question?

technically I do as I have a BS in Business - but I don't teach science

[Guerciotti]

Your brother might apply to teach chemistry and or biology or(?), but he should list his relevant completed courses in his cover letters or in his resume/CV, because stating his major does not indicate those courses. If he completed O Chem then he also took basic and advanced chemistry at the university level? Also calculus I II III and physics helps. That should serve him well. But make sure he lists those courses. He can, in my opinion, land an AP or A level teaching position.

No one knows what 'fisheries and wildlife' entails, so spell it out for them. Hell, I didn't know you need o chem for that! So explain.

[Non Sequitur]

Not sure that a Chinese high school would want any academic subject taught in English. After all these kids are cramming for the Gao Kao - all of which is administered in Chinese.
An international school might want this skill but then they probably want a Western-registered teacher with classroom experience.

[jm21]

[Non Sequitur]

Certainly possible away from the state system.
Alternative high schools which pitch at parents whose kids aren't likely to score well in Gao Kao are a possibility.
'Study with us and get grades that will take you into an overseas uni and a brilliant future'.
FTs in this situation could be caught between the promises of the school owner and the actual abilities of the students.
Guess who carries the can?
At the risk of sounding like a cracked record, I advise get a bog standard uni or vocational job. Sort out if you can hack China from a day to day basis and then branch out in Y2.
There's a bit of current discussion on Dave's about Feb start jobs, which are starting to be advertised.
Best

[Guerciotti]

jm21 - I don't know of any schools asking for transcripts. Maybe don't worry about that.
I do not have a teaching certificate nor license. I have one of those $200 online TEFL certificates, but everyone knows that's not the same. I have a BS in accounting and a JD and this is my second year teaching business at an international high school.
An international HS is not so bad if you don't mind that most want you there M-F, 8-5 or thereabouts even if you only have 15 classes.
Most int'l high schools have strict entry requirements, at least the ones I know of. Most of the students are good, with the usual one or two jerks whose parents have money. Kinda reminds me of my exclusive junior HS back home.
There are good schools, and bad. Perhaps find an international high school associated with a foreign school. It's work, but if you want more than 5-10,000 per month, you want to teach subjects and you don't want to teach English all the time - for whatever reason - then check it out.
You're here so you can tell your bro about the culture shock and such.

[jm21]

I didn't really feel the culture shock that much and wish I had started out with higher pay in mind. This semester I am so freaking bored. Seen everything in Huangdao a few times, gf doesn't get home until late, not enough income to justify buying toys...like the job but I need higher pay and more hours. Definitely looking at international high schools.

My brother would not do a uni job. He needs to be working at least 60 hours per week or he goes kinda crazy.

Do foreign high school teachers get bribed by parents? Er...given gifts to pay close attention to their kids? It seems pretty common with high school CTs but I've never heard of it for FTs.

[Shanghai Noon]

[Nano]

He should definitely try. Different schools have different standards and if he just put Bachelor of Science: Fisheries and Wildlife, just seeing the word "Science" may be enough for them to seriously consider him. I am employed as a Math/Science teacher (currently teaching Business instead of Science because the school has no one to teach it but another teacher is teaching Science right now) at my high school for students that want to study abroad and I love it. My students recently finished writing their ACT test (test for applying to north american universities) and I prepared them for the math/science portion. I found my job through a recruiting agency so contrary to the poster above, it was not difficult to find it. I have a Bachelors of Applied Science (engineering degree)

What I really like about teaching non-English courses is the almost non-existent prep time I need. Once a week I teach a 45 minute oral speaking class and the amount of prep that goes into it to make it interesting greatly exceeds the amount of prep time I need for the 3x90 minutes math and 3x90minutes business classes a week combined.

[kev7161]

Although my school is a private school, it is not an "international" school. They hire foreign teachers all the time to teach high school level maths and sciences. I don't teach high school so I can't tell you the exact requirements and I believe the starting pay is somewhere north of 10,000 rmb per month. I regularly get in my mailbox adverts for high school science teachers that offer up to twice that amount as well. So I would chime in with, yes, you could probably and possibly easily find the kind of job you are seeking.

[jm21]