Job Discussion Forums

dastardly · Joined: 20 Jul 2007 Posts: 9 Location: Worcester

I've been teaching EAP at my local University for the last four summers and the students are mainly Chinese. As part of the course they need to give a PPT presentation and they often give presentations on aspects of Chinese culture, food and their home towns. Anyway, I'm feeling as if I'd like to spend some time in China, but I have a GREAT term-time only job in the UK so it would have to be a summer-only deal (May to September inclusive, at a push).

I have 2 degrees, a Master's in Anglo-American Lit, a CELTA and several year's experience of teaching Business English and have taught on 4 intensive EAP presessionals at a UK University.

What are the chances of my landing a decent job in China (or anywhere else in the Far East, if you know?) for just 3 or 4 months?

My one proviso is I need the flexibility to turn down working with kids - have never done it and don't particularly want to start now. Could I afford to be that picky? And would I be better off just visiting as a tourist for a few months rather than scrabbling around trying to find Business English / EAP work?

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

What do you call kids? High school or do you call university students kids too as these are two of the main groups that take Summer Camps. You only need a four year Uni degree and a body to get a job.

Business English positions for the big money you need to be here on the ground and connected usually for the better jobs.

You can try putting your particulars here on Dave's ESL and other sites and see if anything comes up as it's free to post so nothing lost.

http://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/wanted/#PostMessage

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dastardly · Joined: 20 Jul 2007 Posts: 9 Location: Worcester

Heh, I'm not that old!

Kids - <16. I usually work with Uni students, and that's good fun. But I don't think I'd be on for (or even good at) teaching groups of 7 year olds or 12 year olds.

Thanks for the pm.

loboman · Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:03 am Post subject:

eddy-cool · Joined: 06 Jul 2008 Posts: 1008

I taught at two distinct summercamps in the same town this past summer, mainly because my wife was required by her high school to work in a summer camp there and it was a tad boring for me.

I soon enjoyed my work enormously; first it was with kids, later with adults.

You are only interested in the adults, so my good tidings shall dwell on that experience.

The training centre I worked for starts new classes every month as they have a continous intake of adult English learners from around the whole country. The TC is well-known and has been in the business for some ten years.

It works like this: Students take 6 hours of classes every day, 4 in the morning, two in the afternoon. These six hours are divided into 3 lessons, each held by a different teacher. You need to coordinate with your colleagues, of course, but it's not a big deal.

Some of the students privately told me they had options of studying English in Zhuhai or in big cities but they came to this small town because the rates were much lower. In Zhuhai a six-month English immersion programme sets the student back some 22'000 yuan. Zhuhai is quite popular though it has no incentive to offer its English learners apart from a high concentration of suitable camps.

As for pay - you won't break into the 10'000-and-up crust working in such camps but you will more than break even.

vikuk · Joined: 23 May 2007 Posts: 1842

At the type of camp that Eddy writes about (oral English where you are expected to be the classes English conversation buddy) - you may feel a little over qualified, and under utalised when you possess

dastardly · Joined: 20 Jul 2007 Posts: 9 Location: Worcester

Thanks for the replies.

I'm not worried about being underutilised - it would only be for a few months, after all, and I have a term-time contract with a Uni in the UK so I'd be verging into "tourist teacher" territiory anyway. I just want to live and work in the Country for a few months. If I broke even that would be all I could ask for.

I just didn't particularly want to be dancing around in front of kids or getting ripped off by unscrupulous employers. Now that IS something I'd like to leave in the past. And a lot of Summer schools in many countries do seem teen and child-oriented. It's encouraging that there's some stuff out there that could fit the bill. Admittedly any move would be 8 or 9 months away but still....

vikuk · Joined: 23 May 2007 Posts: 1842

Orrin · Joined: 02 Apr 2005 Posts: 206 Location: Zhuhai, China

@vikuk,

Very well said. Good work. Very Happy

eddy-cool · Joined: 06 Jul 2008 Posts: 1008

[quote="vikuk"]At the type of camp that Eddy writes about (oral English where you are expected to be the classes English conversation buddy) - you may feel a little over qualified, and under utalised when you possess
[quote]

Nothing could be further from truth. We were not supposed to be our classes' 'conversation buddy', no Sir! No one expected to converse in English for 6 solid hours a day. Utter nonsense!

We soon specialised in various relevant subjects - grammar, phonetics etc., one guy talked about 'American culture and history', and participants were grateful for not having to speak in every single lesson.

vikuk · Joined: 23 May 2007 Posts: 1842

eddy-cool · Joined: 06 Jul 2008 Posts: 1008

More erroneous inferences by vikuk; the use of Chinese was severely discouraged by everyone. THey thought speaking during two hours of one class per day and English corner once a week was largely enough. The rest of the time they wanted to learn something new.

vikuk · Joined: 23 May 2007 Posts: 1842

Thanks Eddy for putting me straight - did you by any chance help your students with their written english?