Job Discussion Forums

zhuangzi · Joined: 30 Dec 2004 Posts: 325

Hi everybody.

I've been in Chang Ping since October. I'm teaching at the Experimental Middle School near Yong An Lu. 实验中学 near 永安路.

I've been looking at some of the private schools around Chang Ping and Beijing. Eh. Recently I got a job private tutoring a rich kid. I just want to say that I enjoy this much better than the middle school.

I gave the kid a book to read, "Ender's Game," by Orson Scott Card. He read it in two days. I teach him four two-hour lessons a week at 250RMB per lesson, and I will travel to Wuhan with his family this spring festival to be his English buddy for 3500RMB for two weeks, plus an all expense paid vacation.

Look into private tutoring the children of wealthy Chinese. Their parents often want them to learn in foreign univiersities, so they pay for private lessons like this. Plus, I get to hang out with the family, play the piano, cook meals, etc. It's all a lot of fun, and much more rewarding than the 50-kid classroom.

If any of you are near Chang Ping, let's meet up. If there are any groups who get together in these netherparts, I'd like to join the crowd.

What a cool board.

Zaijian.

-Z-

dearbarbie · Joined: 05 Sep 2004 Posts: 317 Location: Tianjin, China

welcome! im pretty new myself, what a good idea about teaching by the way! where is the place you're at in relation to beijing?

im going to be in Tianjin in 3 weeks

Norman Bethune · Joined: 19 Apr 2004 Posts: 731

foreignDevil · Joined: 23 Jun 2003 Posts: 580

The only thing I can glean from the OP's teaching methodology is that maybe he has a cool reading list: "Ender's Game" is a good book.

But other than that... I think "nanny" fits.

zhuangzi · Joined: 30 Dec 2004 Posts: 325

Illegal, hm. I'll tell the tutoring agency tomorrow after they pay me my money. Now when I add up the cost of the round trip air and the hotels and the meals and the skiing trip and the sheer experience, somehow I just don't feel like I'm getting screwed.

The maid and the nanny will enjoy the trip as well. See, they're coming too. There will be no diaper changing for me. And to think I was going to do nothing for Spring Festival other than sit back and collect my holiday pay from my regular gig.

But whatever you need to say to make yourself feel right about the way you're living your life and other's wrong is really no skin off my back.
Oh, and by mentioning the part about cooking meals, it has been a long time since I have cooked, and I love to cook. The actually have a kitchen, and I find it a great pleasure to be able to cook up some meals that I haven't tasted in a while.

As for the rough comments, I suppose there are three types of people in the world: Dinks, Posies and Arsemoles. Dinks flock posies. But Dinks also flock Arsemoles.

Why am I gracing your replies with a bit of tinge, then?

I don't know. Pleasure?

Chang Ping is about 30km north from Jishuitan on the 919. It's all right, I guess.

(Is it just me or are there occassionally some Dinks on the board who like to elongate their ego with their list of make-wrongs, whether experience, credentials or clappitytrappity?)

anthyp · Joined: 16 Apr 2004 Posts: 1320 Location: Chicago, IL USA

You shouldn't go after Norm, he can become quite belligerent when roused.

cj750 · Joined: 27 Apr 2004 Posts: 3081 Location: Beijing

It has been a long time since anyone offered me the job of being someones English Buddy...well never..that is..I guess I dont have the right look..or English for that matter..but remember that people post and answer post for a varity of reasons and rarely do they contain an honest intention. If this is something that you think will make you some extra coin..then by all means ..but these kind of thing can soon lead to "you being the entertainment"...so set the limits early which is always good advice when dealin with the rich...and consider the deal and your desires and not what people say..

tofuman · Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 937

Zhuangzi,

It sounds like you have a nice gig. My school allows me to teach outside during vacations, so I see no problem there.

I have no idea what kind of people you are dealing with. They sound nice enough.

Personally, based on my experiences here and in the West I would be very careful in my relationship with the boy. Suppose that his parents decide that they need your salary for something else? "You inappropriately touched our son."

They save your salary, and you may have the opportunity to describe the Chinese legal system to us --in details of which you would rather be ignorant.

Just a word of caution....

zhuangzi · Joined: 30 Dec 2004 Posts: 325

Thanks for all the warnings guys.

Here is what I've found out.

1. It's perfectly all right with my school to accept this holiday gig.

2. My student's parents started a stationery company many years ago. Today they own to factories, employ 4000 workers and sell to 30 countries and the UN. They are the wealthiest Chinese people I have ever seen. They have two nice homes, one in Beijing and one in Wuhan. The thing I like the most about them is that they don't dress wealthy or shove it around.

Thanks for looking out for me, y'all, but I've got a pretty good danger-ticker myself. The family is cool.

Boy I sure feel like a loony entertainer sometimes in front of 50 adoring kids. But I feel like I accomplish more with this one-on-one interaction with someone who actually wants to know.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

Apart from the OP's amateurish attempt at romanising CHinese place-names - if you write 'Beijing, then why not Changping and Yong'anlu without those silly spaces? - I found his post absolutely uplifting.

First of all, he gets paid an extra 3500 for just 2 weeks of holidays in company of his student; he gets to travel and live with his hosts; surely a great way of exploring China?
Apart from that he will also collect his regular monthly pay.

The only proviso: he should stay aloof of the father of this boy and his business; who knows how he got so rich in such a short time?

I once had a similar offer - travelling only within the same province - and spending time with two kids. It was great. Generosity could not have been better. I just knew that the father didn't earn his first million the honest way, but then, when he had made it he was working hard as a businessman.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

Apart from the OP's amateurish attempt at romanising CHinese place-names - if you write 'Beijing, then why not Changping and Yong'anlu without those silly spaces? - I found his post absolutely uplifting.

First of all, he gets paid an extra 3500 for just 2 weeks of holidays in company of his student; he gets to travel and live with his hosts; surely a great way of exploring China?
Apart from that he will also collect his regular monthly pay.

The only proviso: he should stay aloof of the father of this boy and his business; who knows how he got so rich in such a short time?

I once had a similar offer - travelling only within the same province - and spending time with two kids. It was great. Generosity could not have been better. I just knew that the father didn't earn his first million the honest way, but then, when he had made it he was working hard as a businessman.