Job Discussion Forums

[Don McChesney]

You will be welcome in our place, lilbecky, you've got style!!

[Babala]

I suggest Jiangsu or Zhejiang. Any of the following cities..
Jiangsu - Suzhou, Wuxi or Nanjing
Zhejiang - Hangzhou, Ningbo
All of these cities are quite modern and have a fairly good-sized foreiger population.

[7969]

your original post was somewhat vague. roger didnt mean he had to consider you an asset, but would your prospective employer consider you an asset. there are a lot of losers here in china (amongst many otherwise good esl people), and there's no need to add to the list of the former.

if you let little things get under your skin (for example, someone's post on these thread) then maybe china isnt for you....

more important than thinking about where you should go in china, you should really consider whether or not you can make the adjustment to life in china and doing things the chinese way. a lot of people dont consider it thoroughly enough and end up in trouble.

7969

[Neilhrd]

I understand why you feel miffed. But Roger does have a point. There are a few foreign teacher's in China who give the whole profession a bad name and I have been pestered for introductions to schools by people I would not hire under any circumstances.

Unfortunately this is not a one sided problem. There are also schools from hell in China and as soon as you get here you will be pestered by cowboys of every description to come and work for them for salaries which sound great but never materialise.

My advice is read as much as you can find about schools you are considering. Avoid recruitment agencies and only deal with places where you can apply direct. Ask for the e mail addresses of foreign teachers who already work there and see what they have to say. Most importantly don't believe anything you are told. Triple check everything. The truth does nothave the same importance in Chinese culture that it does in the west. Contracts are always negotiable and valid only as long as it suits the Chinese. As a rule it pays to stick to schools which are operated by Western companies at least until you know your way around.

Having said all that there are some good jobs in China and salaries are rising because the govt have at last started to demand proof of qualifications to obtain Z visas and this has put some of the cowboys out of business.

A city worth considering is Nanning, in Guangxi, in the South West of China. It is hot in summer and mild in winter. It is a modern commercial city, quite affluent and cleaner than most Chinese cities which is an important consideration. There are enough foreigners to have a social life but not enough to stop you having to learn a bit of Chinese language and culture to get the best out of the city.