Job Discussion Forums

[Jo NZ]

Hi there,

I have just applied for the Worldlike Education (teach English) programme in Beijing. It looks really good, but was wondering if anyone else has done it and what they thought.

Thanks in advance.
Jo

[ilaria]

No personal experience of these guys, but the word 'programme' got me worried, I looked at the website and sure enough...

RMB 3,500 per month - in Beijing! (OK, so they pay airfare and accommodation, but this is also standard for schools that pay a decent salary.)

25-30 classroom hours a week.

Not only that but also an application fee of US$90, a registration fee of US$690, and a 'fully refundable deposit' of US$1,200 for a one-year placement.

Please believe me, Jo NZ, you can do much, much better than this.

[Jo NZ]

Great - thank you.

I did notice that the pay was low, but I liked the idea of the teacher training course. I have absolutely no experience in teaching at all.

Maybe I will try for actual jobs - is it easy enough to "learn on the job"? Do people that advertise "no experience necessary" actually OK with someone with absolutely no experience turning up?

And I did not sent off the application fee - was waiting to hear from them first - which i havent.

Thanks!

[HunanForeignGuy]

[Shan-Shan]

Paying for a teaching job in China -- like demanding income tax from a beggar.

Training? One would be far better off doing a CELTA or substanstial TESL in a country other than China.

[james s]

...

[Jo NZ]

Thanks everyone for your comments and help. I'm definately going to find something better now!

[erinyes]

If you did want to do teacher training before you go to China there are some pretty good courses around Australia that I know of, but you might be from New Zealand (???) and I don't know of any there.

TESOL certificates look good to some employers, but if you can find a good one, it's the best thing to do for your confidence. The best ones will give you support, advice, resources and a support network when you travel. The cheep ones are not worth the paper they are printed on, and most of the ones you do in China will be worth less than that.

[BMB]

Jo,
I spent a couple of months in early 2005 with World Link Education in Beijing. While I agree paying a fee to teach may seem unusual, I was attracted by the group because they had an Australian office, an 'insurance policy'' when one considers the stories you hear.

At the time I was with WLE, they had only just begun their English teaching arm - they have a long experience in teaching Chinese in Beijing. There were a few hiccups and a few minor promises not quite fulfilled, but overall a positive experience. One of the major problems was a shortage of students, as you might expect in the first few months of operation. I understand this has been resolved.
The location is relatively convenient, in essentially the CBD of Beijing (Chaoyang district), and not all that far from Tian�nmen, etc. The accommodation provided was quite good (shared two-bedroom apartments) in a modern complex not too far from the classroom.
I am considering going back to China, and would be quite comfortable with another stint at WLE.

Brian

[tw]

I love calculating hourly rates so let's take a look at the "salary" these guys offer, which is between 29.17 RMB and 35 RMB an hour.

[Itsme]

darn it.

Money money money. I like it too.

If only people would do a bit of research.

I say open up a school in competition and blow them out of the water.

[gao_laowai]

Hello netziens, travelers, and China enthusiasts,

I am a manager in the Worldlink Education program in Beijing. We have been hearing about this and other forums for some time - and personally many of us use them as well. Recently we have stumbled across some points about our company that range from misleading to just plain wrong - and feel like we may have lost out on some very excited applicants because of what has been posted here.

We do not want to start a flame war, discuss or disparage our competitors, or get into specific examples - frankly, we have a school to run

But we would like to invite anyone interested in what we feel is the best entrance and teaching program in Beijing to visit our newly updated website at

www.worldlinkedu.com/teach-in-china/

I dont want to 'spam' on this forum - we really think we have a great program to offer (I am an ex-teacher there myself).

Specifically we address our: pay scale, living and working conditions, and bonus structure - which we see hasn't been addressed on many of these forums. Honestly everything provided our pay scale _is_ competitive). Also on the site we have contacts listed to talk to real teachers currently in our school. Please feel free to email us any specific question or requirements and we will have a real teacher or director get back to you promptly.

Thanks for your interest and we hope to see you in Beijing soon -

The Worldlink Education Team

[Lobster]

Well, GL, I've looked at the website and now can offer my opinion that it's a lousy deal with lousy pay. In addition, I find the way that the information is presented to be misleading and deceptive. Starting with the fact that I can't believe that you'd dunn someone $1000US to teach in your mill and continuing on to the obligation to put in 40 hours per week combined teaching and office hours.

I think it's clever that the stated remuneration is 8200 per month, but the actual monthly wage in pocket is 3500. Gee, that's only 4500 for a shared apartment, a few dirt cheap local trips, a couple hundred in utilities, a few bowls of mi fan and a "teaching" certificate that's recognized by... nobody. So not only does WLE hit applicants up front with the "registration fee"; they also continue to profit by taking an exorbitant amount for monthly living expenses.

So, tell us why a prospective teacher shouldn't get a reputable TEFL Cert back home and work at a third-tier uni for more with accommodation supplied and far fewer hours or join another mill like WS and get 10-12k per month, no application fee required. In terms of hard salary, WLE offers 70 rmb per hour, which is a joke by BJ standards. If the classes are 45 minutes, teachers are carrying 33 classes per week. If you have 12-students classes, with each student paying 50 per class, that's 600 per class. Pay the teacher 70 and you've got more than a school; you've got a license to print money, even with the 100 rmb per week performance bonus. Bravo!

You'll be typing long past midnight before you'll be able to pull the wool over the eyes of the members of this particular forum. We have calculators and know how to use them!

RED

[Teatime of Soul]

[eslstudies]

Interesting thread. The one respondent [BMB] with actual first hand experience of the company in question gave it conditional approval.
The rest of the forum dumped on it, based ironically enough on the information contained in the company website!

As for using anecdotal "evidence" to support one nationality's genetic pre-disposition for successful EFL teaching in China, and a statistic clutched from thin air [90%??] to advise a self confessed newbie to jump into the deep end where the "old hands" hang out.........ugh.

Oh, and by the way: What's different between paying an agent up-front to find you a job, and using the services of a "reputable" placement agency - which charges the school which then deducts it from your pay - to find a job?
Most of us would do neither, but then we know the game, and enough of the language to fly solo.