Job Discussion Forums

[bluetortilla]

I recently got married to a wonderful Chinese woman in Qingdao where she works as a mathematics teacher in a public junior high school. For the past few years I have been teaching in public universities/colleges and would like to continue that line of work if possible.

Right now I'm in Henan Province and obviously want to make the move to Qingdao for the next term to be together with my wife but I'm not sure how to go about it. It seems I can get jobs in training centers, 'international schools,' and the like, but I'm not quite sure how to go about finding a position at a university or college in the area besides asking agents.

It's pretty easy to get a choice of positions in different locations, but not so easy it seems to find a job in a specific city or region. Any ideas/experiences?

[teenoso]

Sending your CV by email to the FAOs of all the unis in Qingdao might work, but I think they must get lots of random interest from people who never follow up.
If your wife is not too busy , you could ask her to ring round the Unis, explaining your situation and asking about vacancies. As Non-S has said, there is plenty of time before the hiring period begins for next semester, but if they are sure of your commitment, and have personal contact with your wife, you might get an early offer.

[hdeth]

Having a local wife is seen as a huge plus by Chinese employers. Especially with some experience thrown in you should be a prize at most unis in Qingdao. I think some of them use recruiters but I've never seen advertisements for some of them at all (e.g. university of petroleum). Having your wife get in touch with the FAO is probably a good idea, though some might speak enough English for you to call. They probably haven't even started looking for spring semester but they might have jobs that opened up when someone quit.

[GreatApe]

I agree with the suggestions here. I relocated to my wife's city about 3 years ago and she was instrumental in finding me interviews, positions, opportunities and jobs. A Chinese wife is your best bet, especially if she's a teacher too, and if she has some solid contacts.

BEST of LUCK!

--GA

[Day Dreamer]

I was in Qingdao for about 4 years. When I first arrived, I also tried the universities. They pay dirt cheap. I remember the first time someone quoted me a salary. My initial response was, "Is that for a week" The answer was no, it was a month's pay.

Another school wanted me to replace a teacher for 2 months with a corresponding visa and contract. Then I'd be off for 3 months (no visa, no contract, etc.) In August, we would discuss the "POSSIBILITY" of working in September. In other words, no guarantee. I walked out.

There are few universities that hire FT and provide a work visa. And of those, they don't really hire too many. They prefer to use Chinese nationals returning from overseas training and schooling. It's cheaper and easier.

But, to succeed, the first step is to send CVs or résumés constantly. There are two windows of opportunity; in Spring when they try to replace outgoing teachers and a week before class when they find out they are short

Having a Chinese wife means squat (sorry to what others have said) It's all about the money they don't want to pay. The 2 biggest schools are Qingdao University and Ocean University. But there are others.

I stopped trying after the first week. And don't worry about taking part-time work to get your foot into the door, again it means squat. There are thousands of expats in the city they call upon to do that. If they can find a teacher willing to accept 10 kwai less, than adios amigo.

Other than that, good luck