Job Discussion Forums

[englishgibson]

[Katja84]

Thanks a lot for all of the advice! I guess I may have to relax the hope of getting flights paid, but if I can expect a salary of at least 3000 a month I guess I should be able to save up to it anyhow.

Sorry if I am continuing an off-topic debate, but I do find the question of whether a non-native speaker can speak better English than a native speaker rather interesting....

[in_asia_bill]

But as Conrad himself said, he spoke like a child. It was only in writing that he passed as a native speaker.

[Katja84]

[HunanForeignGuy]

[Katja84]

[in_asia_bill]

[Katja84]

[cheekygal]

Katja, I am not a Native speaker teaching in China.
It isn't easy but it is neither impossible to find a job. And get paid much more than 3,000!!! A lot of jobs are found on-the-spot: people get here as tourists and try their luck.
I'll second the advice above - send your CV to as many places as you can. And something will surely come up! Just don't forget to get more information about schools you apply to.

As for the whole Native speakers conversation - there are tons of different accents and some are really hard to understand for Native speakers themselves, leave alone those who aren't. So, yes, some non-native speakers DO speak better than Native ones because they have clear neutral pronunciation and quite correct sentence structures.

[jamesmollo]

[eslstudies]

[HunanForeignGuy]

Katja,

All of this being said, if I were in your shoes, so to speak, with your background, first I would place an advertisement on www.eslteachersboard.com in the China rubric. Before that, however, I would very, very carefully write the ad in a truly succinct manner making use of many of the good comments of the previous posters.

Next, IMHO, these are the markets that you should probably target :

1. Shenzhen (it's red hot so to speak and there is a shortage there);

2. Guangzhou (yes, you can actually pull it off here -- I have many non-native speakers colleagues who are gainfully and $$$$$ employed here);

3. Changsha, Hunan (I know, Roger will trash it, but it is truly a livable city and you might even enjoy it);

4. Next, if you PM me, I will put in contact with a university in Hangzhou that has NO problem hiring foreign teachers who are non-native with a little experience and they offer a decent package;

5. Next, there is always Harbin, and if you come from Helsinki, well, then you will have no problems in Harbin, either getting a job or putting up with the weather; and

6. if you want folklore, blue skies, simply folk but good hearted folk, try most of Inner Mongolia, especially the Northeast regions around Manzhouli and Hailar. It's God's country so-to-speak but it's worth it;

7. You will have more of a difficult time in Beijing and Shanghai might be just impossible, only because of Shanghai FEB rules.

All the best,

HFG

On a much lighter note, a previous poster was talking about a "neutral Australian accent"...I related that remark to one of my British colleagues here and he looked at me as if I had lost my mind..so I told him that I was just quoting a message that I had seen.

[Steppenwolf]

[Steppenwolf]

[eslstudies]