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scriv
Joined: 09 Oct 2003
Posts: 1
Location: UK
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 Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2003 10:36 am Post subject: EF Wenzhou |
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| I'm a newly qualified CELTA with some experience in Asia in a previous career. I've been offered a job with EF in either Chengdu or Wenzhou. I appreciate, from some of the other posts, that chain schools might not be the best employers from a financial point of view but without a degree and/or experience I need to get some teaching under my belt. Can anyone give me some realistic feedback on either of these schools and/or cities. Thanks / scriv |
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struelle
Joined: 16 May 2003
Posts: 2372
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2003 12:45 pm Post subject: Re: EF Wenzhou |
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| Quote: |
| I'm a newly qualified CELTA with some experience in Asia in a previous career. |
Congrats on getting the CELTA - it's hard work!
| Quote: |
| I've been offered a job with EF in either Chengdu or Wenzhou. |
Now this is an interesting piece of news, as Wenzhou happens to be my favorite city I've been to in China. Something which, of course, I don't tell my Shanghainese friends, as they give me strange looks. Former students from the school I worked in Shanghai last year lived in Wenzhou and they invited me to visit. Needless to say I fell in love with the place and kept coming back every vacation.
I would certainly work there but in the past I couldn't find much in terms of language centres (only low-salary jobs were available). I mainly assume that Wenzhou people amass their wealth through exporting light industrial products, and English learning hasn't quite caught on yet. But if EF is investing in Wenzhou, the market must be there. Not that I have any strong desires to work for EF, but it acts more or less like a market indicator.
The city itself is big enough to have all the modern conveniences you need, yet small enough to have a relaxed feel and breathing space. The private sector is quite big there, and the government tests many economic and financial reforms in Wenzhou. People there have a reputation for being rich through their own innovation. Also, there is much natural scenery. Close by are many mountainous regions in south Zhejiang province and numerous scenic spots to visit on the weekend.
Chengdu is much more remote, yet my colleague came back from there recently and commented that the people are very friendly and the city is home to some minorities of western China.
If you're after salary, I have a strong hunch that Wenzhou would offer more money, but Chengdu definitely would offer more cultural experience.
My liang kuai worth,
Steve |
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Roger
Joined: 19 Jan 2003
Posts: 9138
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2003 12:58 pm Post subject: |
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Try this - Wenzhou, the shoe-making capital of the world (or at least of the PRC).
Rather humid and hot in summer, humid and cold in winter.
But that's not a serious deterrent.
Holy Putuoshan is within easy travelling as is Shanghai for the culturally-starved.
Chengdu has that to offer too. |
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yvechina
Joined: 06 Mar 2003
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2003 7:32 am Post subject: EF |
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| For goodness sake read all the letters about EF in China BEFORE you sign. They have one of the worst reputations here!!! |
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Burl Ives
Joined: 17 Jul 2003
Posts: 226
Location: Burled, PRC
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| Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2003 10:10 am Post subject: Re: EF Wenzhou |
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| struelle wrote: |
| Quote: |
| I'm a newly qualified CELTA with some experience in Asia in a previous career. |
Congrats on getting the CELTA - it's hard work!
| Quote: |
| I've been offered a job with EF in either Chengdu or Wenzhou. |
Now this is an interesting piece of news, as Wenzhou happens to be my favorite city I've been to in China. Something which, of course, I don't tell my Shanghainese friends, as they give me strange looks. |
They wouldn't be the only ones.
As a present resident of Wenzhou I'll give you a funny look too.
Former students who live in Wenzhou and invite a loved teacher to
visit are probably great kids. Wenzhou people are something else.
Wenzhou is cultureless. Its supposed civic atmosphere is hollow. The
people are brutal in business and mean in spirit. Insular, too.
The city itself has a good open feel. If you've seen a lot of 70s sci-fi,
you'll have a comfortable feeling when you see the dominant building
style, and that's not a bad thing at all. It does feel nice.
The traffic is appalling. Not in volume, just in sheer lack of fellowship.
This is my third Chinese city and I've never seen such casual ferocity.
There's are not really great reasons to stay away. I just feel something
missing in my experience of this city. |
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struelle
Joined: 16 May 2003
Posts: 2372
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2003 1:15 am Post subject: Re: EF Wenzhou |
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There's are not really great reasons to stay away. I just feel something
missing in my experience of this city. |
Thanks for your comments. More and more, I'm giving the idea a pass and thinking of moving further south for my next post. The biggest appeal of Wenzhou, I found, was the open atmosphere and business opportunities. Also, it's big enough to be a city but it isn't overwhelming.
However, Xiamen is looking to be a much better choice at the moment. The biggest attraction is that the city is clean, people are friendly, and damnit, the weather is warm in the winter! I'm sick of the cold weather now, and I want something warm for the next post.
Steve |
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Burl Ives
Joined: 17 Jul 2003
Posts: 226
Location: Burled, PRC
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 11:08 am Post subject: Re: EF Wenzhou |
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| struelle wrote: |
| Quote: |
There's are not really great reasons to stay away. I just feel something
missing in my experience of this city. |
Thanks for your comments. More and more, I'm giving the idea a pass and thinking of moving further south for my next post. The biggest appeal of Wenzhou, I found, was the open atmosphere and business opportunities. Also, it's big enough to be a city but it isn't overwhelming.
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I have some more things to say. The first is, Wenzhou in fact ain't that
bad. It is cultureless and civic virtue is a hollow joke but in fact it ain't
that bad.
See, Wenzhou people carry out a routine and daily insult to whatever
intelligence might happen into their sphere. They call it "business."
Of course it's a Chinese thing to jack up the price whenever the boss
spies a sap but in Wenzhou every boss demands that every customer
be that sap. This is the superior business ability for which Wenzhou is
famous. It sucks the life out of daily interactions to witness the
performance and know that it is rendered impregnable by a seemingly
total absence of goodwill. Wenzhou people are proud of this.
I haven't been here long enough to know but I think it's a Chinese
nouveau riche thing. I find it fairly disgusting but I suppose it is at least
in part naive. (Only in part naive -- Chinese aren't that stupid.)
But, really, Wenzhou ain't that bad. It's the city where I finally realised
a long cherised dream. I now own a lava lamp. |
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