Job Discussion Forums

eslmommy · Joined: 14 Mar 2008 Posts: 21 Location: Canada

Hi All,

Hey All,

I previously posted this in the newbie forum but it was suggested that I post in the China forum... I'm looking for some help... sorry about the cross posts.

I've been reading through a lot of posts on this site and... well I guess I'm looking for a little encouragement.

My husband and I have decided that I should move to Beijing with our 9 year old daughter to further her Mandarin language. She has been learning Mandarin for nearly 5 years and really needs to be immersed to become fluent. My husband will remain in Canada.

I expect to get a job teaching English. I have no formal experience however, do homeschool our daughter. I have a BSc from a University in my home country of Canada and of course am a native English speaker. We homeschool because we feel we have our daughter's best interest at heart, not for religious or social reasons.

We plan to send our daughter to a school in Beijing. Friends of ours in Beijing have been very helpful with that end of it.

I guess what I am wondering about is what can I expect from a school that would consider hiring me? Money is not really a huge concern although I want to be paid what I am worth and do not want to contribute wage reduction for others by accepting a lower paying job. My husband will still be working in our home based business and my income will be basically for my living expenses in China. Is, say 4,000 to 4,500 RMB with paid accommodations a fair wage for an inexperienced teacher. Should I really stress my homeschool teaching as experience? I am also very involved in the Chinese community in our home city, would that have any weight? I have a couple of upcoming telephone interviews and any input would be helpful.

Thanks in advance
J

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.

Lorean · Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 476 Location: Beijing

mcl sonya · Joined: 12 Dec 2007 Posts: 179 Location: Qingdao

out of curiosity, why is it so important for your daughter to go to China to become completely fluent in Mandarin? I don't know how encouraging this will be, but it just seems like an unnecessarily huge step.

normally Chinese school on the weekends and maybe a Chinese nanny/babysitter (who you're only allowed to speak Chinese to) will do the trick... if you're part of the overseas Chinese community, then that helps a lot too... at least, she should be able to speak it fairly well, though not as someone from China would speak it. moving to China just seems huge for a little kid. when I studied in France, our adviser enrolled her nine year old daughter in a French elementary school and pressured her to speak French all the time. the girl already spoke some from home, but she hated the new school system and missed California all the time and refused to speak French at all. one thing that a lot of Chinese Americans do is send their kid back to China or Taiwan for the summer, where they either stay with family/friends, or enroll in summer school.

As far as work goes, I don't think participating in the Chinese community back home will help, unless anyone you know has connections with schools and such. Most schools seem to want their teachers to be as foreign as possible.

lf_aristotle69 · Joined: 06 May 2006 Posts: 546 Location: HangZhou, China

eslmommy · Joined: 14 Mar 2008 Posts: 21 Location: Canada

Hey lf_aristotle69,

Thanks for the advice. I don't have a teaching certificate or TESL, so I am a little reluctant to apply at an Intl. school as a science teacher. Where is a good place to "hunt" for these jobs.

My daughter is very excited about moving to China. Our friends in China are Chinese. We met them at the Mandarin school here in Canada offered on Saturday mornings by our school board. They recently moved back to Beijing for work but they are not teachers.

Our daughter's private language teacher is really emphasizing the immersion process. I really think he knows what he is talking about given he's been in the same circumstance trying to learn English in China. We also have a highschool student as a tutor. I tutored her in English in exchange for help with our daughter's Mandarin. I have seen with my own eyes how much one can learn through immersion. In Canada, learning a second language is somewhat the norm. Most learn French our other national language. We have government run French immersion schools, so the immersion idea is widely accepted in our society.

I hope to make many friends both Chinese and international.

I appreciate your help and suggestions.

J

eslmommy · Joined: 14 Mar 2008 Posts: 21 Location: Canada

Lorean,

Thanks for your post. I'm thinking that most schools offer a position with 20 hours per week with paid accommodations. I understand that often private schools expect more hours. As far as whether it be university level, private, public, international, training etc. perhaps someone could give me a low down on the pros and cons of the different environments.

Thanks
J

eslmommy · Joined: 14 Mar 2008 Posts: 21 Location: Canada

mcl sonya,

Thanks for your post.

I seem to get a lot of discouraging comments about taking my daughter to China to learn the language.

We have explored all of these learning opportunities in Canada but still feel the best experience would be moving to the country. We have a lot of support and I suppose if things are really, really, really bad we will come home.

What do you mean by "as foreign as possible"? As far as appearances, I couldn't get more foreign looking in China... blue eyed, blonde hair. I just thought perhaps if the school was worried that we might bail because of culture shock that some exposure to the Chinese culture might help alleviate those fears.

Thanks
J

Lorean · Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 476 Location: Beijing

For 20 class hours (50 minutes) per week, 4000-5000 a month is horrible.

For that number of hours, as a first-time teacher, you should aim for 8000-10000.

I have not lived in Beijing for a while; however, you will probably need about 2500-3000RMB a month for an apartment large enough for 3 people.

Universities have more relaxed environments and less teaching hours. However, they pay peanuts. The students should all be adults

Training schools can screw you ten thousand different ways if you are not careful. How to deal with them merits another post.

International schools pay out very well. You will be dealing with kids or teenagers. The required number of hours depends on how you work out your contract.

mcl sonya · Joined: 12 Dec 2007 Posts: 179 Location: Qingdao

It's cool if everyone's sure that's what they really want to do, it just seemed like an unnecessarily huge step just to learn a language and I was asking why is learning Chinese worth moving to a new country? It's really not easy transferring from home schooling to public school in any case, but from home schooling to public schooling in a foreign language and a new country? If your kid looks and sounds foreign that won't be easy too. I'm not encouraging you, but at the same time I'm not discouraging you, just wanted to point out there are other ways for kids to become fluent without moving to a different country. But again, like you said, if it's bad you can always change your mind and leave, and at the same time, I guess happiness is a choice in some ways, and this can work out really well.

I didn't talk about your appearance, I said, in response to your question about whether or not it will have any weight, "As far as work goes, I don't think participating in the Chinese community back home will help, unless anyone you know has connections with schools and such." No one's going to be more likely to hire you because you have Chinese friends in Canada, they don't want you because you're used to Chinese people, but because you're foreign. (Although, seriously, Chinese people in the West and Chinese people in China are completely different things, and I myself am kind of being hit on the head with culture shock I guess).

Well, whatever, I don't really have anything else to say besides good luck, etc.

Lorean · Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 476 Location: Beijing

eslmommy · Joined: 14 Mar 2008 Posts: 21 Location: Canada

Thanks all,

Lorean,

I guess that was my point about having some understanding of the Chinese culture. I am hoping that my dedication as a homeschool parent will translate into dedication as an employee and teacher in their school. From what I understand about Chinese parents their children's education is paramount. I guess I thought they would consider it admirable and a sign of my dedication if I was willing to move to China to better my daughter's education. I guess I am being naive. You seem to think that the schools won't share my view?

Thanks
J

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

Schools worry about a live body that moves out in the front of the class and is popular with the kids plus gets teaching results. A good demo lesson by MSN messenger will replace all of the talk. Use your own kid for the demo. We must be half preforming monkey and half teacher to fill most jobs here. Ask them would they like to watch you teach by MSN.

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China.Pete · Joined: 27 Apr 2006 Posts: 547

This has to be said. OP, if you homeschool your child in North America because you believe you have her best interests at heart, I'm rather perplexed that you would then launch her into the experience that is the Chinese education system. Public schools in China are famous for cranking out bored, incurious, even burned-out children, who are pressured through all of this so that they can meet some threshold established by the college entrance exams and get into a decent public university. This experience has got to be just about the opposite of what a homeschool parent would be striving for. If you're looking for immersion, there's got to be a better way.

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

Kids here in Elementary schools are treated good in most places and it is only for a year or so. What is wrong with you lot. What is so great about Western schools these days except drugs and sex education?

Send your kids to a US school so they can learn Spanish from illegals huh.

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

Give me Chinese schools any day. Kids are safer here and you can always home school when they get home after school of a day.
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