Job Discussion Forums

BenPaul · Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Posts: 1 Location: Los Angeles

Im a recent college grad from California who has always wanted to travel abroad to teach English. Im in the process of applying to various school in China now and have narrowed my search down to a few schools. One is called American Education Services (AES) with schools in several cities. Another is called Buckland International Education Group is Guilin. The third is Beijing New Oriental Language School headquartered in Yangzhou.

All three of these school have pretty comprehensive websites in English but I was hoping someone here might have some firsthand information about any of these programs. I would also appreciate any advice about the cities these schools are located in. Just want to make the best choice before going all the way out there for a year. Thanks for the help!

-Ben

Captain Yossarian · Joined: 05 May 2004 Posts: 385 Location: Dongbei

AES (Aston) is a great option for those first coming to China. Good salary, bonus, apartment and fantastic Chinese staff to help and support you as you adjust to life in China.

Their locations are nearly all in the north. Dalian is nice but some people find it too sterile (it doesn't have the 'buzz' of other Chinese cities). Shenyang is an industrial giant and is the 4th largest city in China. Changchun is a nice city but is very cold in winter (but good for skiing and seeing the Harbin winter ice festival). Jinan is hot in summer and excellently located (Shanghai, Xi'an, Qingdao and Beijing are a night train (or less) away). Xi'an has a great city wall, one of the largest Muslim districts and, of course, the Terracotta Warriors. Dandong is smaller and right on the border with North Korea.

go_ABs · Joined: 08 Aug 2004 Posts: 507

Hi,

I don't know about any of the schools you mentioned, but I did visit Guilin recently. I found it to be a very nice city. The streets are wide and tree-lined, the people were friendly and the city itself was not too big, not too small. On the other hand it's very touristy, so as a foreigner they'll expect you're a tourist and charge you accordingly. But if I was offered a job in Guilin I'd be very interested.

Summers are hot, though...

Cheers,

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

The gist about AES has been said; I have nothing to add but to say I concur.

As for Buckland, this is a recruiter based in Yangshuo next to idyllic Guilin. This means Buckland is not your actual hirer; you might end up anywhere in the country, and you will not know where you are heading for prior to your departure - unless Owen allows you to nail him down on that.
Generally speaking, Buckland has a good reputation. They take good care of you once you are in China. This has been staed by many ex-Bucklanders.
If you are super-lucky you may end up teaching near or in Yangshuo (highly unlikely!). Buckland only takes a modest cutin commission, but many schools that retain Buckland's service pay relatively low salaries. Still, you will have more than a reasonable chance of being employed by a more trustworthy school.