Job Discussion Forums

shadolite · Joined: 19 May 2003 Posts: 6 Location: Jilin province

Greetings all.
Could anyone who has worked for or been involved with the Little Doctor English School in Dalian please let me know of their experiences, either positive or negative.
Many thanks and keep up the great work on a very informative forum
Sebastian

MyTurnNow · Joined: 19 Mar 2003 Posts: 860 Location: Outer Shanghai

oops...sorry. where's the delete key?

MyTurnNow · Joined: 19 Mar 2003 Posts: 860 Location: Outer Shanghai

I don't know this school but love Dalian.

From the name I can almost promise you that this is a private school exclusively for children. Have you had the pleasure of teaching large blocks of children's classes in China yet?

I do know a couple of people who love it. But personally I'd rather take 2 large needles, oh, say, 3 or 4 inches long, and plunge them directly into both my eyes. But that's just me. Wink

MT

shadolite · Joined: 19 May 2003 Posts: 6 Location: Jilin province

MT
Thanks.....feel a whole lot better now.

MyTurnNow · Joined: 19 Mar 2003 Posts: 860 Location: Outer Shanghai

Shadow,
my apologies. Hard to resist- I just deeply hate the kids' schools and the grubby little denizens that infest them. I love kids but I have no interest in teaching a roomful of them. Teaching little-bitties (8 and down) can be fun sometimes but once they get past that age-of-innocence thing they start to seriously suck.

If you are experienced with kids here and can handle it with skill and enthusiasm, then you have my deepest awe and respect. You can tread somewhere I cannot. I'm good with adults but I just can't hang with the larval stage.

If you don't have this experience, then you should be prepared for it to not be the Day In Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood you might possibly be envisioning. Sure, a lot of them can pretty sweet individually but in the classroom you'll be facing a pack. Kids here do not want to be in your classroom and many will extract revenge one way or another...or at best will lapse into a coma as quickly and often as possible for the duration. They are forced to study about 140 hours a week and the last thing in the world they want is yet more school...they will seek only release and fun. 99% have no interest in learning English and will display no enthusiasm, imagination, or originality. They will only parrot what the kid before them said. Most of the kids in the private academies are from rich, connected families...they get the world on a platter and no real behavior control. In most such schools you will have little real power to control them and they will have only contempt for your attempts to do so.

There are a few teachers who can shine, thrive, and flourish in this environment. I am not one of them...are you? I will kids no more forever...

This is a broad-brush portrait but it's true in way too many places. At least it's needle-free. Wink

MT

Seth · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 575 Location: in exile

The quality of primaries can vary widely. My first stint at a primary in Luoyang was pleasurable and the kids were great. The grade 4 students were the best. Every class they would sit up attentively and happily do everything I asked.
Then I went to SCHM school in Hangzhou. Some had warned me about it, but I brushed it off as inexperience with kids. My school in Luoyang was no problem. I found out, however, that the quality of kids can vary greatly. The Hangzhou kids were horrible, spoilt brats. My Luoyang kids could get pretty hyper sometimes, but the Hangzhou kids were just plain mean and vindictive. Even for the native teachers they were bad.
I think it has something to do with location. People in Henan are a bit more friendly and hospitable than East coast folk. I used to slag off Henan for being dirty and backwards, but now that I've had a taste of the nouveau riche Chinese mentality I think I'd rather be in central China.
The class size is also important. Never teach classes larger than 20 - 25 if you value your sanity. Make sure there's a clause in the contract stating a co-worker with you in the classroom, and complain loudly if they don't give you one.
I have plenty of tricks to keep kids behaved, sometime I should post them.

However, that being said, I think all private k - 12 schools should be boycotted until they get their act together. The experience in Hangzhou was a valuable lesson in upper-class Chinese education, or lack thereof. Teachers are nothing more than foreign faces to help grease a few palms and trick the parents into paying 25k yuan a year for a generally bad education. It's almost robbery.
When you think of private school in the West, you think of high educational standards and discipline. It's quite the opposite in China.

Ferne · Joined: 29 Apr 2003 Posts: 177 Location: GZ

Hi Shado, I can faintly remember driving by that school on my way out of Dalian going North (the only direction you can go out of Dalian anyway) on the highway. Indeed it looked like a kids' school but otherwise didn't look like much, rather small and it looked closed. If you already applied to the school and even if not, ask the people there for contact information of a former foreign teacher. I had never even heard about that school before, and usually you get to know the whole school and expat teaching scene pretty fast in Dalian. Driving by I remember wondering whether they hired foreigner teachers! Are they advertising teaching posts somewhere, or how did you hear about them?

shadolite · Joined: 19 May 2003 Posts: 6 Location: Jilin province

Thanks Ferne, NT and Seth for your input. Appreciate it greatly as I am a beginner in this field. Only persuing the teaching thing as a second choice. Am a journalist/editor, but most of the English publications arnt hiring for the next year or so.
After reading your collective comments the hairs on the back of my neck were standing at attention!
Will keep looking...and let you know how it turns out.

shadolite · Joined: 19 May 2003 Posts: 6 Location: Jilin province

Sorry that NT should be MT

MyTurnNow · Joined: 19 Mar 2003 Posts: 860 Location: Outer Shanghai

Hey Shado...

Ain't no thang. And I'm glad to hear you are shopping selectively...makes all the difference in the world in this business.

MT

travesty21 · Joined: 24 May 2003 Posts: 56

I am living and working in Dalian. The city is nice if you are looking for a modern city that is tearing down all the history they have, ie Japanese occupation and its buildings. The city is very new. The bonus is it is clean and fairly uncrowded by comparsion. The beachs, well if you have ever lived near the beach, they are nothing spectacular.
Anyways, Little Doctor English school is not near downtown, and is a small school. A little bird told me they may be opening a new school soon downtown and would need new teachers. The contracts are only part time, ie 15 hrs or so. They pay about 80 RMB in hour. Currently if you are heading to Dalian, don't sign any contract. Many, many teachers have left because SARS and all the english schools are closed for the time being. With the outflow of teachers you should be able to find a job anywhere and at anytime. I could possibly give you a few names depending on whether you want to teach children or adults. I really suggest just coming here and then going to a local bar and asking around, plus if you come on a 3 month double entry visa and you don't like Dalian you can head somewhere else. Just my thoughts.