Job Discussion Forums

[W.V. Orman]

I'm looking for recent info on Yang En University in Quanzhou, Fujian Province. I just saw an ad for jobs starting in Sept. I know this place has gotten a lot of bad press in the past, but most of it is now old. I'm wondering if there have been any improvements there. Are there any current or recent teachers from Yang En reading this forum? If so, can you post anything about current conditions. Or PM me if you don't want to publicly post.

Thx.

[jeffinflorida]

I recently had a chat with a fellow who has been working at Yang En with his wife.

He now works at Quanzhou Normal.

He said Yang En is an OK place to work and noted no problems with the place.

The largest drawback he mentioned was the remoteness of the uni in relationship to the city center.

[Gorak]

The air is fresh, the restaurants on their "student street" are good (better than the few school canteens I have eaten in) and the country-side is interesting.

In my opinion, the biggest downside is the group of FTs that you might be stuck with in the same apartment block. You might be lucky and hit a good year of FTs. In my year there, at least 1/2 of the FTs were really vicious, backstabbing and violent humans. A few FTs were normal, intelligent, interesting people whose company made my experience at Yang-En a worthwhile one.

[Geoff & Sandy]

We are a husband and wife who have each spent 30 years teaching in Canada. We taught at Yang-En University in 2004/05 school year and again in 2006/07. We are distressed by some of the comments that we have read on-line because we feel that teaching at Yang- En was in many ways the most rewarding two years that we have spent in our 30 years of teaching. It certainly was the most enlightening experience of our career.

Yang-En is located about forty-five minutes from a major shopping area in the city of Quanzhou � not much further than what we travel to a shopping area in Canada. The university is nestled among low mountains and on a lake. The terrain is somewhat similar to areas in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. The air is clear, there are miles of biking trails, hiking trails, and it is lush with greenery. Yes, it is away from the hustle and bustle of the city but we loved the area. The campus itself has two Student Streets where you will find at least a hundred restaurants, as well as hair dressers, grocery stores, bakeries, clothing stores, book stores, electronic stores, fruit, vegetable and meat markets and spas etc. The food is inexpensive and delicious � we ate out every night and rarely spent more than $1 a person. It also contains a pizza shop and a chicken franchise that is similar to KFC. Once a week the University provides transportation to a major shopping area in Quanzhou � a 45-minute bus ride. Furthermore, Student Street hosts taxis and public transportation buses that leave for the city four or five times an hour during the day and evening. We made a trip into Quanzhou weekly and always found interesting things to do � it is a middle-sized city with a rich history that stems back to the Silk Road in Marco Polo times. It contains all the modern conveniences including enough western restaurants to satisfy most hungers. It also has an airport, Jinjiang, that provides flights to the major cities in China as well as a flight to Hong Kong daily. (We took this half-full flight in June, 2005)

About 90 minutes away from Yang-En is Xiamen City --what we consider one of the most well run, beautiful cities in China. There are many sites to see in Xiamen and hotels are much cheaper than in the more common major cities in China. Xiamen acts a hub for many of the Chinese and Asian airlines, so an easy jumping-off point for many Asian countries.

The students at Yang-En are a delight to teach. Many have studied English for many years prior to university so their language skills are excellent. What they lack are oral English skills and that is the focus for all foreign English classes at the university. We found the large majority of them to be motivated, hard working, curious and extremely interested in the programs we taught. Classes in 2006/07 ranged from 40 to 45 in number � this was a reasonable size and it allowed for good participation in class and it also made it easier to get to know students quite quickly. Discipline is not an issue � students are attentive, cooperative and work until they are dismissed.

One of us taught western accounting to financial management juniors and seniors -- the other taught Extensive Reading to freshmen and Teaching Methodology to teacher trainees. The facilities are excellent with all classrooms having access to computers, TV monitors and specialized equipment needed to teach the oral English program. Most studies are textbook-driven so new teachers find it quite easy to prepare their classes. Over the past few years we have seen the university become involved in educational reform and very involved in providing professional in-service training for teachers as new initiatives are undertaken. As a member of the Yang-En staff, professional responsibilities include the preparation of a syllabus at the beginning of each term, weekly lesson plans, the preparation of common examinations and attendance at English Corner one evening a week. Other minor responsibilities can be read on the website. There is no end to voluntary extra curricular activities. You can enrich your teaching assignment by tutoring IELTS, BEC or content related material, or by getting involved with one or more of the many clubs �tennis, soccer, newspaper, dance, English Language Learning Society, tai chi, cycling, etc. You can be as busy as you choose to be � boredom was not an issue during our stay at Yang-En.

Perhaps a word of warning is applicable here. This is a university and with only 12 to 16 hours of classes that you are required to teach each week, your preparation time can be substantially more than your student contact time. Teachers that we have found to have difficulties in their classes in past years usually are not well enough prepared for the two-hour classes. Chinese students are serious about their education and expect to learn something for the money that their parents are paying for their four years at Yang-En.

The school administration was very open to requests and ideas put forth by foreign teachers. Our school principal and the vice president of the university was Mr. Mei. He spoke English very well and his door was always open to foreign teachers. In addition to Mr. Mei, there is a Foreign Affairs Office (currently with a staff of five ) that addressed day-to-day teaching concerns, requirements, policies and procedures. We were treated very well --our pay was deposited to our bank accounts the last day of every month like clockwork, translators were provided when necessary and we enjoyed social occasions with the administration and other Chinese teachers. We were recognized for our achievements and expertise in and out of the classroom. In our opinion the administration was excellent. They let us do our day-to-day teaching with little interference but were there when we needed them.

Lastly, accommodation � we were housed in one of four twenty story apartment buildings in a gated area designated as staff quarters. Our two bedroom apartment was comfortable and spacious, the building was well maintained and clean, and the furnishings certainly adequate � sparse perhaps in kitchen items and linens but they were easily acquired at a very low cost.

In conclusion, Yang-En provided us with a unique teaching experience. There were challenges for sure but each day brought wonderful surprises that enriched our lives immensely. If family considerations allow us, we will return to Yang-En for another term with pleasure.

Geoff and Sandy

[Worldly]

Geoff and Sandy,

Your summary is very much appreciated. Thank you!

I have a few questions:

1. Do you feel you were treated better, overall, given you are a married couple, and possibly perceived as more stable and/or reliable than unmarried FTs?

2. Of the FTs that were significantly disgruntled, and may have departed hastily, what were their major complaints?

3. You mentioned the focus for all English classes is oral skills. Yet, one of you taught Accounting. I'm curious how you integrated an "oral improvement" goal into an Accounting class. Did you focus on accounting vocabulary? Were "hot topics" such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and ethics (in light of recent Western scandals) taught? Did you use a Western textbook to teach Accounting?

Thanks!

[jeffinflorida]

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