Job Discussion Forums

[lowes13]

Time for a change.

[Guest]

Dave

I am an Australia who arrived here in China 12 months ago with No Degree, No Qualifications and No Experience. I had been working in a Real Estate office for 25 years - in a very stressful job and with a mean and demanding employer.

I thought I would be too old, but I was welcomed with open arms here and I have now returned to my School for the second year. Although teachers (female) retire here at 55, I have been told I can stay on for as long as I wish. I will turn 58 next January.

It is possible to "teach conversational English" without a Degree etc. and indeed I feel sometimes that it is even better because the more educated you are, the more frustrated you may feel by the way your are treated here in China. Basically we are just figureheads to show the parents that the school has a foreign teacher.

To be considered a good teacher, the children have to like you. It does not seem to matter particularly how much you are actually teaching them. I plan well ahead for my lessons and I try to give them all the help I can, but I do not know if I am actually making much of a difference.

Giving it my best shot is all I can do as I have 400 students and I only see each of them for 40 minutes a week, so I do not know how much impact I am supposed to have on them in that short time.

In relation to the money - your figures sound spot on. I receive 3,500 rmb per month, but I only teach 10 hours per week and have no office time.

The money does go a long way, especially out in the sticks where I am.

Best of luck

[Roger]

Hi, Dave,
welcome to China! Don't worry too much about yourjob prospects! As Rhonda rightly pointed out you are going to be used as a figurehead. Still, you can derive a lot of fun and satisfaction - at least in the beginning when you are on your learning curve. Later on, it might be a different story...
Don't emphasise you are willing "to give something back" for the money you stand to earn - the Chinese are congenitally good at getting what they want.

If you can survive on a 4000-yuan-a-month income then China might be a good experience; the question is: how long do you expect to be lasting? You are not hoping to make EFL your next career?

Your next question concerning outdoors: avoid Shanghai and other big urban sprawls! If you really want to enjoy a laid-back area, possiobly a natural habitat, choose Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou or Sichuan; also Xinjiang (but very few job opportunities besides being politically sensitive due to interethnic strife).
Yunnan is a dream for anyone, so jobs are a bit scarce; I heard of someone posted to Jinghong, Xishuangbanna, 500 kms from the capital, a kind of no-man's land, but a wonderland full of colourful ethnic groups.
Sichuan is verymountainous, and from CHENGDU it's easy enough to organise an outing for hiking on natural trails.
Guangxi is almost ideal - no big cities, yet full of natural wonders (like those pinnacles around Guilin). Guizhou is also very rural. SOme like Hainan - tropical but very laid-back, little urbanisation, not overpopulated yet!

As for rapport with members of the fairer sex: check out other theads to see the general opinion here. Avoid coastal areas with their calculating and parasitical female drifters from the hinterland! They are much more honest and nicer in their own home provinces in the interior of the country. Your age is almost ideal!

[oprah]

It sounds to me you have analyzed this realistically, the way it is here. I would also say Rhonda has sumarized things here perfectly. I would say be on the alert regarding accommodation. Some accommodation offered is not so good ... compared to where we come from. I am always cautious about this and want to know everything about the place I will live in.

[lowes13]

Thanks so much for the replies, very helpful and informative.

Obviously you feel that 4000 RMB is rather a scant salary but would you also say it was realistic as a starting point, depending on the area?
Thanks for the info regarding the provinces, great stuff.

Point taken regarding accomodation Oprah, I had read that this can be very variable, thanks.

Thank you Rhonda for your insight and personal experiences.

Dave

[shenyanggerry]

You should have no problem finding teaching work in China. When you speak of a second career, red flags pop up. Long haul, you'll have a problem without a degree. Unless you have a pension or other income independant of what you earn in China watch out for the money trap. 4000 RMB when an apartment is provided will give you a nice living in China. I make less. It will not allow you enough savings to return to a first world country and live.

China is a wonderful place for early retirees who have a pension they can live on if necessary. For new graduates wanting a year of experiences and an interesting entry on their CV's it's also good place to come and teach. For someone in mid-career approaching peak earning years, I wouldn't advise it. If you've already provided for your retirement, go for it! China's fun.

[lowes13]

Thanks Shenyanggerry,

All the points you've brought up are sensible and indeed are all aspects of this move that I've considered carefully.



Dave

[lily]

I came here with only a basic ESL Certificate - no degree, no experience. I'm on 4500 Yuan a month, and have found it plenty to live on, plus pay off close to NZ$5000 debt at home. Plus travelling to Beijing, Shangai, Guilin, and Yellow Mountain in AnHui where I'm teaching. Plus going home with NZ$1000 ish in my pocket.

I say: GO FOR IT!!

And have fun!!

Lily

[lily]

oops! also meant to say that I get these benefits: paid for housing, drinking water, power, internet. Have to pay for the gas that heats the water, but that's quite cheap.

I live in a small city, so cost of living is quite low.

Lily

[lowes13]

Thank you Lily.
With the feedback I've had so far a picture of what its going to be like becomes more vivid and more attractive. Thank you once again.

Dave

[sojourner]

Dave,

In my opinion,it would be a good idea for you to undertake some quality TESL training (eg CELTA or the Trinity College course) before coming to China.Of course,many people do come here without having had such training - but it would give you a "feel" for such work, provide you with some good ideas re lesson planning/classroom control/teaching the intricacies of English grammar,etc;and,of course, convince the more reputable employers here that you are,indeed,serious about your new career.

Without a degree, you may find it rather difficult - but certainly not impossible - to find a job in a tertiary college or uni.You shouldn't,however, have too many problems in finding work in a language school - the salaries in such places are,in fact, often more generous than those paid by colleges/unis;although language schools , generally speaking, don't provide as many holiday breaks as you'd find in the tertiary sector.

You have mentioned that you have had extensive experience in the greenhouse industry.Possibly,you MAY be able to get a job in a uni or college that happens to have a faculty of horticulture,even without the relevant degree. Who knows,with your work experience,you may be offered a job teaching something called "Horticultural English" ! ESP (English for Specific Purposes) is a growing field in the ESL world.Something for you to consider.Anyway,if interested, do a search for those unis/colleges that happen to have faculties in horticulture,etc.

Regards,

Peter