Job Discussion Forums

milesdenman · Joined: 16 Mar 2006 Posts: 42

I'm sure I'll be slated for not using the search function, but have tried, and am trying to save myself an evening of searching, but..

I'm planning to come to China, and will be job hunting around December (probably). Anyway I really want to wait until I'm there to find a job (see where I like etc.). Is this possible, or a bad idea? Why?
Must you find work before you arrive?

Sorry and thanks.

Anda · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 2199 Location: Jiangsu Province

You can come on a tourist visa find a job and do a visa run to Hong Kong to change to a teaching visa.

Some will want to get out of paying you travel allowance at the end of the year but most will pay it. Just make sure that's it in your contract.

China is a big country so do your study well as to where you want to work before you arrive. July August is the best time to arrive but keep in mind that you will probally need to support yourself until the begining of September.

Oh, and earn 5,000 RMB a month is more like it.

kungfucowboy83 · Joined: 25 Jan 2006 Posts: 479

$5000 a month? if you are a qualified teacher with years and years of experiece and get in with a top international school you may make that but that would be in a very small number of schools with very very high requirements and competition.

Surfdude18 · Joined: 16 Nov 2004 Posts: 651 Location: China

I don't necessarily think you need years and years of experience, but he definitely would need to be properly qualified.

(For reference, my friend completed his PGCE, did a further year teaching in the UK, and then was straight off onto the international school circuit)

The_Hanged_Man · Joined: 10 Oct 2004 Posts: 224 Location: Tbilisi, Georgia

milesdenman · Joined: 16 Mar 2006 Posts: 42

Hi, thanks for the replies. Sorry the $5000 was just to get peoples' attention.

There are lots of jobs on TEFL.com, but do they hire overseas as they do in Japan?

eslstudies · Joined: 17 Dec 2006 Posts: 1061 Location: East of Aden

bearcanada · Joined: 04 Sep 2005 Posts: 312 Location: Calgary, Canada

The $5,000 may not be so far off the mark as some of us may have thought. Three weeks before Christmas last year I had some discussions with a large Chinese firm who provided English teaching services ("English Training". God, I hate that expression) to MNCs. AT the time, they didn't need anyone with my qualifications, but their top salary ranged from 40,000 to 50,000 RMB per month. Blew me away.

On the other hand, I once had a brief but spirited discussion with some yoyo at Siemens who wanted an English teacher for their medical research division (consisting of 50 Ph.D.s), for which she wanted to pay 4,000 RMB per month for an 8-hour a day job. In Shanghai. No apartment provided, but you could have the free use of a Siemens mobile phone. She thought she was being a good negotiator. My opinion of her, and Siemens, are not high.

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