Job Discussion Forums

[NickH]

Hey all,
I am new to this whole thing and am trying to get a job in Shanghai for the fall semester at the moment. I guess what I'm trying to figure out is: how much BS-sounding stuff should be waded through or believed? I know the situation in China is chaotic, but I feel I am in the midst of some illegitimate black market or something, the whole process of finding these jobs online seems so circumspect. Take these series of email exchanges, for instance, and tell me if you think it is worth following up on or if it is bogus, specifically since they seem to not want to give me a Z visa ahead of time:

Dear Nick,

Thanks for your interest in my full-time teaching position.

Here are some basic information about our center:

1)The basic monthly salary is 4500-5500,I know this salary is not too
high,but you must know this is only the basic montly salary.According to
this basic salary,you only need to teach 60 hours per month.

2)If you teach 60-85 hours per month,the center will offer you 100 per hour
for the exceeding hours.If you teach more than 85 hours,the center will
offer you 120 per hour for the exceeding hours.

3)The center will offer you the free accommodation,if you do not want to
live in this accommodation or you have already had one,the center will
offer you 1500 per month for the housing allowance.

4)The center will offer you the free meals,the free insurance.And if you
sign a whole-year contract with the center,the center will offer you the
round-way airtickets.

If you have any questions,please feel free to contact me.

By the way,could you please tell me when will you come to Shanghai and begin to work?

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Angela

Hi,
I am available for work from about late August/early September until January. Obviously, I would like to secure a job as soon as possible, as I need a work invitation to get a work visa processed, which, from what I understand, takes several weeks. Can you tell me some more information about your center? i.e. the name, the history of it, any contacts of current English teachers you have?

Sincerely,
Nick Herman

Dear Nick,

Thanks for your reply.

I can arrange the interview for you in the next week that you can know more information from the director.

We usually let the foreign teachers to apply for the tourist visa to come to China,when the teachers arrive at our school,our school will transfer the tourist visa to working visa.You know,it will spend much time to apply for the working visa out of China.

If you can attend the interview in the next week,please give me your contact phone number and the time.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Angela

(notice also how I have no idea about what school or company or ANYTHING this is even involved in)

[mlomker]

My first thought was that your correspondent had really good English skills. The hours sound reasonable, they aren't insisting on an annual contract, and they have a housing allowance option.

Those are not things that you see with the worst schools--they usually want to lock you in right up front. If the salary is reasonable given your credentials then I don't see a reason not to have the interview.

The visa situation is complicated for many reasons. The worst that can happen is that your tourist visa will expire and you'll have to make a visa run to Hong Kong (and be out a few bucks for that). On the plus side it seems well worth the possible expense because you'll get to actually see the school before signing anything...and look elsewhere if it isn't what you expect.

[Mideatoo]

- Call them or have them call you....

It sounds like a private center, not a school per say.

If it is a private center, they should not pay you less than 150/hour.
If you teach professional adults, you then become a corporate teacher, and your rate shouldn�t go under 200RMB/h

4500RMB in Shanghai is a miserable salary.

FYI Chinese English teachers in Shangai, working for a HS or a U. 20h per week, are not paid less than 6000RMB

[go_ABs]

Nick,

When you applied to this job, was there a school name on the ad?

If it was one of those "Good salary available in Beijing" generic ads, I would be very wary. Chances are you're talking with a recruiter, rather than a person at the school. In this situation, I would want to know things like the address of the school you are applying to, the headmaster's name, and see some photos.

If they won't do this, then they're probably planning to send you out to another school(s) after you arrive. They're not quite sure which one(s) yet, so don't want to give you any specific info.

Her use of "the school" constantly, in place of a name, also makes me think it's a recruiter you should avoid.

Be wary also of jumping to conlcusions. You could guess from these replies that either a) the person doesn't want to give details (see above), or b) their English isn't great and they didn't answer the question because they didn't quite understand it.

Given what you posted here, though, I would lean towards A, so if I were you I'd be careful.

But then I'm of a cautious nature.

Good luck in your search, and let us know how you get on.

[Roger]

This is NOT a SCHOOL but a training centre.

This is evident from the way in which "Angela" with her supposedly supremely good English deals with your workload.

A school would have a timetable, fixed holidays, and they wouldn't work you close to 100 hours a month (including overtime).

You have to put up with:
- constantly changing weekly and daily schedules;
- classes get cancelled, new ones get started at extremely short notice.
- You will have to commute.
- YOu won't have many paid holidays - ask "Angela".
- And such training centres tend to dawdle over visa matters,
especially if their business volume during your first couple of months
is low - in which case they would hate to commit themselves to you
on a long-term basis.
- Apart from your salary it doesn't state anything about your
rights and perks: airfare? visa costs? Housing? Medical care?

[brsmith15]

RUN!