Job Discussion Forums

[andrzej]

hola queridos amigos,

wondering if there is such a thing as summer school in china. further, does that summer school include language training, mainly english classes? continuing, when would such a summer semester begin - around june or july? is it limited to public schools or do language institutes also organize such things? was thinking that a small job like that would be a good way to start out my china conquest and to test the english teaching business.

can't wait to have something other than questions to contribute to this forum...

[Roger]

plucky you, you show the right frame of mind: you want a "gig", not work, and teaching English is a business, and you will conquer China.

Good news for you: summer holidays get routinely ruined, yes: ruined for the little ones, from their very beginning (July) to their very End August) by stupid parents and stupider (or business-savvy) principals and training centre operators who put these young unwilling and long-suffering learners trhough yet another unholy season of "studying".

It pays, but most of these jobs are not legal. And yes, it is a way of getting to know the schizophrenic underpinnings of China's TEFL scene. Good luck!

[vikdk]

wow they sound nasty - I've never been to one - can anyone tell us what goes on in these places?

[andrzej]

well, i meant a gig as in work, but of the non-permanent nature. don't worry, i don't plan on stumbling in to class each morning with puke on my clothes from the night before. i'll make those little kids squeal and wish globalization had never happened! they'd be having nightmares in english by the time i'd get through with them....seriously though, i thought it would be a good way to be in china as a non-tourist and not have to commit to a five - eight month teaching job.

well of course it is a business, isn't all education? how many people actually want to learn english for the love of the language and to explore its mediocre poetic tradition, and how many do it for career advancement? put in dollars (or yuans) and eventually get back dollars (yep, hopefully dollars back). the best you can do is actually help them reach their goal, whatever that may be.

so summer school exists - great. the schizophrenic part sounds great too. thanks for the advice.

[vikdk]

I always wondered about what was the point of education - of course, silly me, it's to pay airfares - looks like you're justb the right material for summer school teacher!

[andrzej]

they pay the airfare too? holy cow! it's better than i thought. i was always under the impression that teaching english in china is a great way to date 18 year old girls...now i find out that they'll fly me across the ocean for that too! i'm packing my bags as i type...

thanks for the advice, even if scattered with bits of self-righteousness...

[dajiang]

Yeah go for it.
Although you'll be more likely to have 8-year olds in your class than 18 year olds...

Anyway, there are plenty of summer schools out there, and like Roger said, it's not always that nice for those kids.

Not always nice for the teacher either btw.
You'll get lots of spoiled brats (materially spoiled, otherwise neglected) wreaking havoc on your carefully prepared lesson plans on grammar topics.
So, be smart and if you do end up at a summer school make sure you have suitcases full of activities and FUN things to do.
The emphasis should be on fun more than on English really. You won't really be a teacher there then, more something of a nanny, or a group leader. It can still be fun if you're into that kindof thing, but make sure you don't expect anything else. Best is always not to expect anything after all.

A place you could start in is Yangshuo.
Check out the schools there and there's surely a spot for ya there (There is for anyone really). Though I don't think they'll pay an airfare for ya there.

DJ