Job Discussion Forums

[brianfkelly10]

Hey all. Any answers are helpful, thanks!

So I'm thinking of working in China doing either a public high school or university work.

I've done some research and it seems 6,000 - 10,000 RMB per month is what I should expect.

Experience:
ESL 1.5 years in the US, 1 year in Korea, 4 months in Thailand, 8 months in Japan.

Education:
I have a 120 hour TEFL certificate (100 hour online, 20 hour practicum)

I have most of my teaching credential (except for the practicum, long story as to why I didn't get it.)

Three questions:

1. What salary range should I ask for?

2. I want to get an MA in ESL Education online. Would I be able to do it, with the internet access, and with my salary?

Thanks!

[coffeespoonman]

Undergraduate degree? Do you have one, and is it in a relevant field? Without one, I doubt you'd get a visa. Relevant field would help your job prospects and salary negotiations.

Internet would be fine for a distance degree, but if you're on the low end of the salary range you mentioned, I can't imagine you'd be able to afford one. I would say that a 6,000 RMB salary is barely livable. But then, I suppose way out West it might stretch. In most major eastern cities, I would think you'd struggle to get by.

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

Take a look at abroadchina.com to get an idea of what is paid for a variety of schools all over China.

Though I do not endorse or recommend that job board, it will give you a good idea of what is being paid in most teaching situations. Of course, there are always the jobs that pay really well, but they're generally not advertised.

You can look at Dave's ESL Cafe job listings as well.

I recommend that you look into as many jobs as possible and read as many different contracts before you make any decisions.

As mentioned above, your chances of landing a job teaching ESL without a relevant BA degree are not very good. (If you look hard enough, you may find a job that will furnish a Z visa without your having a degree, but be very wary of those jobs).

[jimpellow]

"Undergraduate degree? Do you have one, and is it in a relevant field? Without one, I doubt you'd get a visa. Relevant field would help your job prospects and salary negotiations."

I would think that as he has taught in a country like SK, that a "real" undergraduate degree is assumed.

The course of study does not matter for teaching English in China, though it may help or hurt him if he were to apply for a subject teaching position. This may affect him with the government visa according to the regulations, but schools get around this easily by classifying the teacher as a general English teacher.

The two year rule would be covered by his experience, as long as he had or could get official school recommendation letters that added up to 2 years.

In some provinces a TELF or taking the vaunted China TELF will get around this.

On occasion you will see feedback on the NET that some SOB in China wants to see a criminal background check not only from the applicant's home country, but also other countries he has been a resident of over recent years. That could complicate things...

For the poster, do be aware that the process is going to be costly and complicated. Think SK, then add in even more steps and shake it all up until nobody knows what is really needed at present nor how to obtain it.

I would feel that if you place any value on yourself, your salary range is quite low considering that you are not a naive-to-Asia newbie with no experience. A lot with salary also depends on where you end up and what type of position you seek.

There are a lot of desperate employers in China these days. I would play hard to get with any potential employers and recruiters to find the ones that aren't lowballing you.

Best

[Non Sequitur]