Job Discussion Forums

[Kootvela]

[theincredibleegg]

Is it worth taking an IELTS test as an L2 teacher for job seeking purposes?

[jibbs]

I have no idea how many teachers of English are not native speakers, or how many do not speak English very well, but there are a lot in Nanjing, and I assume all over the country.

[wailing_imam]

RDI Shanghai's ESL dept. is composed of more than 50% non-native speakers, mainly from Singapore and the Philippines. Their English is generally good to excellent and all are able to cope with the teaching duties. Salaries range from 15,000RMB upwards.

English is a global language, and the more exposure to GOOD English spoken by people from a variety of countries, the better.

I suspect RDI prefers to hire large numbers of non-native speakers, and pay them fairly well because they work hard, don't complain all the time and complete their contracts.

[Sinobear]

[wailing_imam]

Yes, I am.

I didn't make it through an entire contract. Some of the non-native speakers in ESL have been there for years, wheras the native speakers seem to breeze through quite quickly.

Gross salaries are heavily dependent on where you are hired from. Those hired outside China seem to be paid more, and receive better benefits than those hired locally. Teachers from certain countries (read: Singapore) get paid substantially more than those who are not.

Yes, the other departments are packed with teachers from all over the world, occasionally speaking English of a most worrying type.

[gregmcd101]

[Katja84]

[Katja84]

Sorry, never mind, I was looking at the poll question but the title of the thread did specify FTs... I do think it's helpful comparing non-native FTs with Chinese English teachers though. I think the problem is the fact that the Chinese view foreign teachers as "foreign experts", where I doubt that for instance Sweden would give preference (let alone higher salaries!) to someone just because of their possession of a foreign passport.

[lf_aristotle69]

If these Chinese teachers/professors (university, not sure about Govt schools) really are earning so much less than FTs then why do so many own cars and houses, even after just a few years teaching.

How do they buy a 60,000rmb car and a 400,000rmb house when they supposedly only earn the paltry 1500rmb/mth mentioned on some FT recruiting ads (to reduce the resistance to the scummy 3000-5500rmb/month FT salaries which have hardly risen in the last 10 years!)...

About the OP's question. I would have thought that the big developed cities have lower frequencies of non-native FTs, but what was said about Raffles seems to put paid to that theory...

However, I think the bigger reason, in the rural areas at least, is that Filipinos, for example, will work for 30% less salary. Also, the aforementioned work ethic and lack of complaining... Lots of ads now ask specifically for Filipinos.

I must admit the best (most effective and expert) FT I have ever worked with was a Filipino lady. Maybe she went to Raffles in SH after she left our school in HeBei in 2003? Another American teacher (2006) should be my #1 pick, but personality flaws reduced his effectiveness as a teacher.

LFA

[sharpe88]

It depends very much on the school they teach at. A Beida or Tshinghua salary cannot possibly be compared to a prof in a Hebei Agricultural Uni.