Job Discussion Forums

[anikan346]

Does anyone have any experience, good or bad, with the Dongbei University of Finance and Economics in Dalian China? I have been offered a contract at the university but have not been able to find any feedback from former teachers anywhere on the internet.

[Non Sequitur]

I worked next door at Dalian Maritime for 3 semesters and kind of dated a DUFE student.
It is a prestigious school and students really have to compete to get in - especially if they are from out of Liaoning.
I looked over the FT apartment building and at the time (2004/2005) I thought they were palatial. Seemed to be an older set of FTs in residence and they stayed a long time.
So I guess a good question would be which building you are being housed in?
Really just one main teaching building but it's very close to apartments. Bus and light rail at the door and say 20 mins to downtown.
I55 on Gaoerji Lu was a good hang out place for Sunday brunch although current reports aren't so good.
Big Carrefour-type hypermarket nearby with good foodcourt, hairdresser etc.
PM me if you like.

[Beyond1984]

I applied to Dongbei, and asked what salary I could expect with Hon. BA and MA in English, as well as graduate-level one-year TESOL Certificate.

I was told to fill out an impossibly long online application and then could find out an approximate salary.

So many universities pay such low salaries that I never bothered with the online application.

Do you mind revealing the salary you were offered? Are you still in the US or have you arrived in Dalian?

Thanks,
-HDT

[anikan346]

This may be fairly standard but I have two MA degrees--one in Ed one in humanities and 10+ years of experience teaching in the public school system in Cali. The annual salary at the international school is greater than $10,000 US per year compared to the uni. It doesn't make sense to me since I would make at least 33% more at a Jr. College here compared to a public high school. It's the opposite in China. Secondary pays more than tirtiary.
Basic Salary/month
￥15,000
Before Tax
Housing Allowance/month
￥2,500
Monthly Income
￥17,500
Relocation Assistance
￥8,000
See< Relocation Assistance>

[MisterButtkins]

15k is ludicrously good for a uni. TBH I have never heard of anything over 10k at universities, except for joint venture schools.

As for the school, met one guy who went there. He was a complete chode. Arrogant as hell, seemed to think he was super special for going to a 'prestigious' Chinese school (that's still worse than 900 different universities in the US).

[Beyond1984]

I agree with Mr. Buttkins - the salary on offer is excellent for a Chinese (non-joint venture) university.

Do you have the usual teaching load or 12-15 hours? Free weekends? No evening teaching? How about office hours and any other non-teaching duties?

Thanks for sharing,
-HDT

[BlueBlood]

I'm looking forward to his response as well.

I thought the "usual" teaching load at a university was 18 classroom hours? Perhaps it was 18 classes at 45 min. a pop?

[Non Sequitur]

45 mins is a teaching hour at most unis.
2x45 with a 10/15 min break = a class and say 8 of these = a week.
DUFE are very active in the post grad MBA market so they may be looking at you in a role that has more content than your average FT gig.

[jds1986]

@OP,

I suggest you thoroughly read this blog if you want to know more about working at DUFE:

professor-in-dalian

The blog is written and maintained by Robert Garmong, a middle-aged American who's been living in Dalian and working as a teacher at DUFE since early 2009. I'm sure you'll get to know him quite well if you wind up working there. You can even email him directly for more answers concerning the university (his contact info is on the blog).

Not only is his blog a good read for those who may potentially work at DUFE, it's also good for those who are wanting to know more about Dalian, or those wanting to know more about teaching at a university in China. Most of the blog is quite entertaining, and I can of course relate to a lot of what he writes, since I lived in Dalian for two and half years myself. Other university teachers or China expats here on Dave's would also probably let out a chuckle or two when reading his blog.

As for the university: here's what I know. DUFE is considered one the most prestigious universities in Liaoning province. I personally knew a few students who went there, and I lived near the university about one and a half years. It's located in a pretty nice part of Dalian, really close to Heishijiao and Dalian Software Park. Xinghai Park, Xinghai Beach, and Xinghai Square (my favorite part of Dalian) are all only a couple of bus stops away, or a medium-distance walk if you're feeling limber. There are a few supermarkets within walking distance, and plenty of nice restaurants and street food surrounding the university. There are countless buses that pass right by the university, as does the 202 light-rail (mentioned earlier by another poster). Largely depending on the time of the day and traffic levels, it generally should take around thirty minutes to get from DUFE to downtown by bus (only a 1 RMB ride). Maybe 15 minutes by taxi (around a 25 RMB ride).

Sorry, other than what I've read on the blog, I know nothing about actually working at DUFE. I know there were a few middle-aged Westerners working there (including Robert). Overall, my impression is it would be a pretty nice place to work, though I admit I could be horribly wrong.

And by the way, a 17,500 RMB per month salary in Dalian is exceptional. You would certainly be living the good life on that kind of salary while teaching at that university in that part of Dalian. Unless the devil is in the missing details of the contract (and it very well could be), I say go for it. 100%.

[anikan346]

I can't really answer the question regarding teaching load at this time. It looks like there are ten (two-hour) classes in English Oral Skills 1 but it also looks like the moduals are divided among a team of 4 (five if the team coordinator is also an instructor).

Thanks for the referral jds1986...Robert G. posts some amusing stories there on his blog.

[ChrisHenry15]

Bump. Updates?

[Tazz]

Boy, oh boy.....it really says something about the foreign teacher community's expectations and experiences of China when incredulity or disbelief is expressed at a salary of 17,000 a month for a University position- I negotiated a salary of 8,500 for 2-3 hours over the contracted 12-14 teaching periods a week at DLUT back in 2003....lived well on that then, as would anybody now on the 17,000 mentioned in this thread.Probably well worth the time needed to complete the online application I'd say! Never met anybody who worked at one of the Universities who was disgruntled or dissatisfied, by contrast I never met anybody who worked at any of Dalian's language academies who had anything good to say about it...

[Non Sequitur]

Teacher accom at Dalian U of Tech was crap in 2003 so think PACKAGE guys and the package includes the quality of what's on offer.
Dongbei U of Finance had a very settled older group of FTs when I was in Dalian.

[Tazz]

Dalian Uni of Technology teachers ALL lived in the hotel, as I recall....and unless my memory is playing tricks on me, that was pretty decent.

[Non Sequitur]

They did indeed live in an hotel.
If you can exist for a semester in what is effectively an en suite hotel room (no cooking - which was in communal kitchens) you are a better man than I.
By comparison Dalian Maritime had one or two bed apartments with sitting room and bathroom. Facing south and very sunny.
I used to come across one DUT teacher sitting in the nearest KFC in winter just to get out of the hotel.
International students shared the floor and kitchen.