Job Discussion Forums

[LaoMa]

I wonder what other teachers have received in terms of benefits, and what benefits are regarded as the most important. Of course, there is an inverse relation between the amount of salary required and the number of benefits provided. Also, the is an inverse relation between working hours and salary.

But let's set aside salary for a moment...just assume that it's enough to get by on (anyway, nobody is getting rich teaching in China...if that's the goal then head for Japan or Korea).

I wonder what other teachers regard as the most fundamental and important benefits. Give the top five, and then add any other "perks" that have made your life easier in China. I think this will be a great service to teachers who are coming over and trying to weigh different contracts:

Top 5:

1. Chinese lessons (I get 5 hours per week with a professional teacher)
2. Round trip ticket for a year of work
3. All visas and work papers covered in country
4. Teacher Training (extensive and rigorous training with expert observation leading to a TEFL)
5. Food & Housing

Additional perks in my case are:
Medical coverage (this sounds like a big thing for Westerners, but medicine is high quality and dirt cheap in China...at any rate, I'm covered),
Vacation (I get three weeks during the year, and I get to specify when I would like to take those weeks)
Cultural interaction (very important that there be some structure for this during the first several moneths, by then you'll have your own set of friends),
Utilities (my company covers reasonable usage and then define levels by city...I've never had to pay anything),
Limited work hours and extra money if request me to work extra (I only have 25 hours of committed work per week...the rest is play time)

That's off the top of my head. I'm sure I'll think of more later. My point in this thread is that the benefits are what have made my year in China great. I'm not here to worry about the 9 to 5 rat race ... that will come soon enough (one more year )

[randyj]

I started to congratulate Laoma on the good luck of enjoying a great year in China, but luck here may take a backseat to prudent judgment and careful choosing. And a good attitude may yield dividends in terms of enhanced relations with students and administrators.

Some of the most important benefits remain intangible and do not lie within the impersonal words of a contract. I think Laoma is correct to say an inverse relationship exists between benefits and salaries, and I suggest the relationship also holds for the intangibles. Take quality of students, for example. Qinghua and Beida offer low salaries, but I daresay teaching such students would make for a great year.

[august03]

I am entitled to a total of 14 paid weeks of holidays a year, not a bad deal at all. It helps to begin a position during the semester in order to reap the full benefits.

[LaoMa]

Geez! I'm not sure what I would do with 14 weeks of vacation time....I guess I could catch up on my reading, and probably write that novel I've been meaning to get to....I'm actually pretty happy with my vacation structure. I really got four paid weeks during the year (contract specifies 3), but the most important aspect was that I could say when I got those weeks.

I'm actually pretty happy to spend time with my students and find that my deepest interactions have been through connections that were initiated at the Center....and anyway, I have a three day weekend every week (failed to mention that before ^^). I really want to spend time teaching; it's a big part of why I'm here, and it's what I hope to do (at least in part) in the future.

[Roger]

I am not sure points 1 and 4 are that much worth:
Chinese lessons may be desirable, yet I have never benefited from formal Chinese classes. I would be happy to get them, but never have! So is it so important?

And Chinese teaching me how to teach??? That's a ridiculous idea! I am here to acquaint THEM with more modern teaching styles!

But on my wish list would be:
(In addition to the remaining three points):

- Automatic delivery of a release letter upon completion or early termination of my contract!
You can judge byyourself that this is a sore point for many!

That the employer spends some funds on acquiring readable literature and regular publications for the library and for teachers.

Medical care should be adequate!

[LaoMa]

Thanks for the feedback, Roger.

Just wanted to offer my perspective that Chinese lessons have been a great opportunity for me. Maybe it's not for everyone, but I'd feel pretty sucker punched if I left after a couple of years without having had a chance to first learn the langauge formally and then practice it by interacting with people. Did you arrive having already studied? I definitely need the lessons!

On the TEFL certification (point four). While I disagree strongly with the idea that foreign teachers have only come to impart wisdom and that the Chinese education system should just sit back and learn from our wisdom, I should also point out that my TEFL classes were taught by Americans. Sorry, I wasn't clear on that point. Certainly I would agree that English teachers should not be taking classes of English teaxhing methods from Chinese teachers of English!

[tarzaninchina]

As the subject heading for my reply would indicate, something I refuse to sign a contract with a school is not having a fully-automatic washing machine (pre-installed of course). Can't stand those 101% manual labor ones....

[cheekygal]

We have teachers' training as a part of the contract and it is usually conducted by our boss or senior foreign teachers. Our Chinese teachers are also TAs but they usually conduct teachers' training for new Chinese teachers if our boss is busy.
The benefits LaoMa mentioned above are also included, so I guess I'm fine

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

LaoMa wrote:

[Guest]

I sincerely wish I had been given some training upon my arrival here 12 months ago, and in fact, I could still use it now. We are given no books, equipment, or help in any way here but I still love it of course. I find that I have to stay one step ahead of my students, as they are generally much better educated that I am and the ONLY thing I have over them is that I speak English. I am not kidding myself about that.

I was teaching the younger grades for the past 12 months and it was not too hard to stay ahead of them, but this year I am to be teaching the older children and that will be more of a challenge for me - to see just how and what to try and teach them. I must admit that seeing each class only once a week for 40 minutes means that you have hardly any time to make an impact on their English pronunciation etc. I sometimes question my worth to the School, but as the School seems happy, I just go along with it.