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outoftowner08
Joined: 31 May 2007 Posts: 10
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Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2007 10:19 pm Post subject: In search of good experiences and school recs in Shanghai |
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Hey all. Does anyone have a lovely experience teaching ESL in Shanghai they'd like to share?
Folks usually tend to list their nightmare stories...but I'm looking for a place that isn't a nightmare, so let's not devolve into a forum of ESL Fear Factor.
My basic requirements are 25 or fewer teaching hours per week, and a bit of help with housing and flight.
Thanks!
-J |
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jsteventon
Joined: 08 Jul 2007 Posts: 191
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Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 8:12 am Post subject: Good ESL in Shanghai |
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Amazing that nobody has replied yet! Does NOBODY have anything positive to say about teaching ESL in Shanghai?! |
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HunanForeignGuy
Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 989 Location: Shanghai, PRC
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Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 12:39 pm Post subject: See Below |
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To the two previous posters:
You may wish to read the thread "Calling on Seasoned China Hands" which is still active and available in these forums. While it does not provide the detailed advice that you are seeking, it may provide you with some insight on how to navigate these forums and possibly obtain the
information that you were seeking.
Additionally, Shanghai is by far the most competitive job market for foreign teachers in Shanghai, a fact which has kept wages actually relatively depressed in terms of other places. Furthermore, due to the fact that it the number one choice for many foreign teachers, I think that most would be reluctant to share their hard-won secrets as to the best places to work -- that' s just how things are around here.
HFG |
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China.Pete

Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Posts: 547
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Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 2:03 pm Post subject: Uh-huh |
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"(T)he thread 'Calling on Seasoned China Hands'...may provide you with some insight on how to...obtain the information that you were seeking." - HFG
As HFG suggests, there are SO-OH many reasons why your query may draw a blank. Rule of thumb: you need to do enough research to ask fairly specific questions. After doing this job for the better part of a decade, I can only manage to figure out which is the right school for ME.
Last edited by China.Pete on Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:16 am; edited 3 times in total |
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tw
Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3898
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Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 2:39 pm Post subject: |
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I am not so sure the OP was even remotely interested in teaching in Shanghai, or China for that matter. Other than this thread, all of her others posts were made in the Taiwan forum.
So, that comes down to one serious question: when do you offer advice to newbies, or do you even offer any advice to newbies?
Last edited by tw on Wed Jul 11, 2007 7:31 am; edited 1 time in total |
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7969

Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong
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Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 6:11 pm Post subject: |
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tw wrote: |
So, that comes down to one serious question: when do you offer advice to newbies, or do you even offer any advices to newbies? |
advices? i've always told my students advice was uncountable.... and never appeared in the plural form. was i mistaken? |
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eslstudies

Joined: 17 Dec 2006 Posts: 1061 Location: East of Aden
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Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 8:08 pm Post subject: |
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7969 wrote: |
advices? i've always told my students advice was uncountable.... and never appeared in the plural form. was i mistaken? |
But then I thought the same about "accommodation" before I started here!
To the OP. I worked in a public university in SH for 3 years. The pay was way above average for the year I started ['02] but I note it seems to have slipped back to 7000 since then. It was less than your required hours, and the bonus covered airfares. Students in some departments were good, eg Economics, but woeful in others, eg mechanical engineering. Housing was above average. The concept of Shanghai being ultra competitive and hard to crack doesn't really apply if you have a degree relevant to teaching English, and experience. If this is in an English speaking country, you are highly prized. The language mills, as everywhere else, are not so fussy.
Overall , I had a positive and enjoyable experience.
Generally though, public universities don't pay well, and Shanghai is no exception. On the other hand, well paid side-work is easily found, especially through connections. I was putting in Saturday mornings for a US electrical company for 1500 a time.
Just a question: have the previous respondents on this thread ever worked in Shanghai? |
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China.Pete

Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Posts: 547
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Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 10:21 pm Post subject: Well, Yes |
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"(H)ave the previous respondents on this thread ever worked in Shanghai?" - Esl Studies
Yes.
"So, that comes down to one serious question: when do you offer advice to newbies, or do you even offer any advice to newbies?" - TW
When they ask a serious question about which I have some knowledge. Or, as in this case, I might just make a comment. Not sure it does any good, though.
Last edited by China.Pete on Tue Jul 10, 2007 11:08 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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eslstudies

Joined: 17 Dec 2006 Posts: 1061 Location: East of Aden
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Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 10:36 pm Post subject: Re: Well, Yes |
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China.Pete wrote: |
"(H)ave the previous respondents on this thread ever worked in Shanghai?" - Esl Studies
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It was a question, not an implication.
Quote: |
By the way, Esl, are you even living in China at the moment? |
This is an implication, not a question. |
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HunanForeignGuy
Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 989 Location: Shanghai, PRC
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 4:09 am Post subject: See Below |
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To the OP,
My point-in-question was this : wages for FTs in Shanghai are now less than in other hotter markets. I am in China as I write and I can personally attest to this.
In GZ, where I am, RMB 7000 per month is just a very, very average salary for a very modest university. Sure -- there are unis here that will pay RMB 5000 per month and others that will pay more. The talking point for most unis now is at least RMB 8000.
I interviewed here with one uni that was willing to pay me RMB 7000 per month for 14 hours per week..but they would pay my salary over a full twelve months in addition to a RMB 10000 airfare allowance and the usual benefits (professors' dining hall, car for shopping every week, travel allowance, free electricity, gas and water, etc., etc.
In any case, is your interest in China decidedly serious or rather ephemeral?
All the best,
HFG |
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Anda

Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 2199 Location: Jiangsu Province
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:22 am Post subject: Um |
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I'm hearing 8,000 RMB for no degree, plus you pay your own costs. Up to 12,000 RMB and pay your own costs for a degree. Not big money for living in Shanghai.
A decent apartment will set you back three to four thousand RMB or more to start with a month. You can get a small hole for about 1,500 RMB a month.
Top money is 18,000 RMB a month but very few pay this! |
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tw
Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3898
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 7:31 am Post subject: |
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7969 wrote: |
advices? i've always told my students advice was uncountable.... and never appeared in the plural form. was i mistaken? |
Yeah, my bad. |
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HunanForeignGuy
Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 989 Location: Shanghai, PRC
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:37 pm Post subject: Fishing Expedition |
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Dear TW,
I am beginning to wonder if your appraisal of the situation was correct...was this another fishing expedition? We haven't heard from the OP now at all.
HFG |
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tw
Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3898
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 1:36 pm Post subject: Re: Fishing Expedition |
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HunanForeignGuy wrote: |
I am beginning to wonder if your appraisal of the situation was correct...was this another fishing expedition? We haven't heard from the OP now at all. |
Judgding from the number of posts from the person, and the number of which were in China forums, I knew this person wasn't that serious about teaching in China at all. The reason the poster asked about Shanghai was for one reason and one reason only: high salary. |
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eslstudies

Joined: 17 Dec 2006 Posts: 1061 Location: East of Aden
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Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 7:21 pm Post subject: |
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Maybe the OP gave up waiting. The first "reply" [more a bump]came after 8 days. If it wasn't for that, the thread would be on page 2 and dead by now.
Salary wasn't even mentioned by the OP, TW. |
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