Job Discussion Forums

[Jmbf]

[mysterytrain]

[3701 W.119th]

I'm also in the 16-20 bracket, but it's my first year teaching at a university, so I'm putting in (absolute minimum) an extra 12 hours a week lesson planning, making my own materials, reflecting on lessons, doing class/student profiles, and all that other stuff that a lot of FTs in China scoff at.

Not to mention having 200-odd students with my WeChat/email, and the explicit (and genuine) instructions to message me any time, day or night, if they need to talk about something. I get the impression a lot of them have never had that kind of outlet before, and I really encourage it.

Overall, I still put in less hours than I did during my 9-5 back in the UK financial sector, but I do a lot more actual work. No dossing at my desk for an hour or two a day here. Yet I love teaching, and I wouldn't change it for the world (FYI, in China I earn about a third of what I did in the UK).

At my private centre last year, I was working (i.e. in the office) for much longer than I am here, was earning more money, but was considerably less engaged than I am now.

[Jmbf]

Sure! I wasn't saying my situation is the norm, I was just highlighting the possibilities.

What would you say would be the normal income range for a newbie working 16-20 hours per week? Approx 7 - 9K? Quite a few factors play into that as well though - type of position, type of educational facility, location etc etc. As mentioned you could live alright on that within China. The problem is when it comes to going home, that RMB doesn't translate into a significant amount of cash in your home currency unless you are willing / able to transition into a much higher paying teaching position.

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

Hours and pay aside, should the OP switch to ESL in China as a career, he should consider several factors.

1. He will experience a much lower overall standard of living. This includes quality of medical care, water quality, utility service, general health and related issues. A modern apartment and a fat paycheck can't compensate for the fact that he'll be breathing noxious air if he lives in one of the major cities or a heavily industrialized city.

2. Does he intend to stay in China until he dies? He should discuss this with someone who has made the commitment and has jumped the rings of fire to do so. If he intends to return to the U.S. what will he return to?

3. Does he speak Chinese or is he committed to learning to speak it fluently?

4. Is he prepared for the negative discrimination you will often encounter during your daily life?

5. Does he think he'll be able to live in a thoroughly different culture, understand it, and navigate the many pitfalls of a westerner who lives in China?

Again, China is not the land of Milk and Honey, and ESL/TEFL in China is not an easy-peasy gig if one is a committed teacher. Is the OP willing to put in the hours of preparation necessary to teach 16-20 hours per week? The OP may find himself working 40-60 hours per week plus commuting to work an extra four hours per day with a bunch of coughing, wheezing and spitting kids on a packed bus .

If he thinks that his bank owns him, wait until he arrives in China. His schedule may change with little to no notice. He may be prevailed upon to give a lecture on a subject of which he has little knowledge, and he'll be expected to give that two-hour lecture tomorrow.

He may change his mind and see just how good he has it at his bank job with a coffee machine and a water cooler in the corner, enclosed parking next door, food from a grocery store whose ingredients he can identify and feel reasonably assured that they won't kill him.

Shall I go on?

To wit: China is not for the faint of heart. The OP should give this change serious consideration. Failure in China may inflict irreparable damage to whatever career he may have at the moment. After two years away from the banker's life in the west the OP may find that he is considered damaged goods by his former industry of choice.

OP: Good luck, and don't drink the water before you boil it and be sure to pass it through a Geiger counter before you put it to your lips.

And put a helmet on it if you date the locals.

[JohnE3294]

Mysterytrain, I think you're taking my use of the term "slave" a little too literal lol. All I mean is that to make it in the financial world, you can't think of it as an 8-5 job. I get to the office betwee. 7:30-8 and there are nights that I don't get home until 9. That's what I meant by "corporate slave".

Thanks everyone for the replies. I wouldn't expect to make what I make now from teaching, but I've come to realize that your time is much more important than making "good money" - at least for me. That is the biggest allure to teaching overseas. So I guess that was my main question, is it common to only work 20 hour weeks while making the equivalent of a full time salary. I've been to China before and of course it has its issues like anywhere else, but I think having the opportunity to work while still being able to travel around a new country and potentially pick up the language would be great.

[JohnE3294]

[Jmbf]

[buravirgil]

[mysterytrain]

[JohnE3294]

I see your point and apologize if I've offended anyone. In trying to convey my message, using the term slave was a poor choice of words.

Otherwise I appreciate all the great replies, it's been very informative reading the ongoing discussion.

[Non Sequitur]

Jmbf: Could you clarify your visa status?

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

I know the feeling of being a slave in a large company. Officially, the work hours are 40 per week but there's always that project that's due next week and there's still work to be done. And when that project is finished, there's another and then another.

The OP may find his present job stifling, but in China, he may find himself alone and alienated beyond belief despite the fact that there are other FTs. Worse, he may feel alone and alienated BECAUSE of the other FTs in the city.

Someone in this forum once observed that "Hell is other Foreign Teachers".

(I think it was GWOW).

[Non Sequitur]

I'm just putting the finishing touches to my book on my China experiences.
I devote a chapter to the antics of other FTs - entitled - you guessed it - 'Hell is Other Teachers'.

[buravirgil]