Job Discussion Forums

[sly1139]

Hey everyone, I am considering looking into a job in China.

My situation is one year of ESL teaching experience...

I was considering getting a TESOL certificate, because it seems that some of the jobs I was interested in require it.

Is this worth it??? I will be teaching abroad for at least another 2 years....

Also, the jobs seem to be so different.... University job, high school, middle school etc.

One last thing I was considering looking in Shang Hai because the salaries were better, is this the smart thing???

Or would it be better to take a little less pay for a job just outside the city????

[mikefriend]

If you value your health pick a different country...

[lf_aristotle69]

I was going to jump in and say your chances were low (without a TEFL Cert. or a degree) in the developed east coast cities, where, as you say, salaries tend to be higher.

..., but then I checked your post on the Asia/Malaysia forum/thread where you mention having a Bachelor degree...

The questions are:

How much of a "Chinese experience" are you seeking, if such a beast exists anymore?

What kind of facilities and services and environment do you want to be living with/in?

I don't like (living in) ShangHai because it's a lot like big cities in other countries. However, it's nice to visit for an exciting weekend (if you want to blow a few RMB)...

There's are plenty of low/average paid jobs in small (and hopefully scenic) cities and towns, but try and avoid industrial places.

It's certainly handy to have a decent TEFL course (100+ hours plus observed practicum) behind you if you don't have an education degree, and definitely if you don't have a Lang, Lit or Ling degree...

Good luck,

LFA

[roadwalker]

"Is that the smart thing? "

It depends what you want. Do you need to save money? Are you looking for a place with a lot of fellow foreigners? Do you like big cities?

As for the tefl or celta certificate, it is usually asked for in China, along with two years of experience and a bachelor's. There are people who post on this forum and others who don't who do not have the above 'requirements.' But you have better options if you do and are less likely to get stuck in a bad situation if you have the requisite credentials. Personally I am glad I took the tefl course when I did.

I think you would have trouble in and around Shanghai finding a good job in a public school setting, but private schools often are just looking for a marketable (read: white, young, blond, blue-eyed) face and are willing to overlook lack of credentials. Of course, they probably can't get you the proper visa and working papers, which leaves YOU vulnerable to problems with the authorities. (You can't claim victimhood as a defense) See the bajillion other threads on this topic.

Personally, if you do have credentials or are willing to go further afield, public school jobs are a better deal, with housing, airfare, long paid holidays generally standard. (Read the contract!) They often pay less than the private schools, but the hours are usually better and fewer.

Tell us how you would feel being the only foreigner in a curious town for example or whether you need to be near other westerners.

[sly1139]

Nice.... Good feedback so far... Well, i value my independence, but having other foreigners around would be nice I think. I work in South Korea now, and I definately value other foreigners...
I am just sort of lost of what my next action is...

I read some things on here about Korea, that I have found to be completely wrong... I am sure each situation is different, but at the same time I feel some poeple put way too many personal episodes in their opinons...

Is there any way to find out whether a Tesol cert is accredited in the international community??? I have seen prices from 800-1500????
Why such a difference, and is there a difference in the mind of an employer???

Also, I do have a bachlor's degree in Anthropology...

In all honesty, my choices were China, Japan, and Malaysia...

China - Because I would like to see what communism is like, and travel a bit there...
Japan -because the pay is nice, and its not so outwardly controling as Korean society...
Malaysia - I visited on the break and loved it. Great weather, and decent looking women...

[Laurence]

re. 'TEFL certificates'

If you can, I'd strongly recommend you either do the (Cambridge) CELTA or the (Trinity) TESOL. When I started out I used www.whichcourse.com to compare all the courses, and I came to the conclusion that those two are the best to have.

So I did the CELTA, I learnt a lot and it looks nice in my portfolio and it made me a little more employable for sure. Now that I have a few years' experience it has become less significant, but in my first couple of years it made a big difference to both my CV and my practice.

[lf_aristotle69]

Yes, a proper Cambridge CELTA, or Trinity TESOL, or RSA (an American one???) Certificate are the most recognised and respected here.

Communism? Go to Cuba? Maybe?

Come to China to see a corrupt, totalitarian one party state, with a lot of environmental and social problems up close.

Most of the people are friendly and inquisitive about the world though.

Some people get culture shock quite badly here, but if you can handled Korea well then you're probably not a prime candidate, at least not in bigger cities.

It's never bothered me except for my original 2nd fortnight in China (several years ago in ShangHai) when the reality sank in that everyone around me was staring at me, speaking a foreign, unintelligible language and all signs etc. were written in illegible (for me at that time) script... After that life in China has been the great and rewarding, if occasionally frustrating, experience I had been hoping for.

There are a lot more people with some level of communicative English around these days too, so it's not as isolating as it was even a few years before. It must have been an amazing experience to come to China 15 or 20 years ago!

LFA

[sly1139]

So, LFA, where do you work, and what would you recommend for a new comer to China????

Uni, High school, Middle school, etc.

Also cities that would be good???

[lf_aristotle69]

I'm not the type for teaching under 7 y.o. kids, so the high paying Kindergarten jobs are not on my list.

I like the longer holidays of schools and universities, since I want to see as many parts of China as possible, but the pay is generally lower than training centres.

I like the (relative) maturity of university students, compared to middle and high schoolers.

I like EAP courses as opposed to Conversational English classes as they (usually) have more structure and have defined course goals, other people are the opposite and like the freedom of Conversational Classes.

If I could find a well remunerated job in KunMing or YangShuo I'd probably take it. I've heard good things about QingDao, but never been there myself. I also rate XiaMen, ZhuHai and DaLian in the smaller cities stakes, and ChengDu and you guessed it, HangZhou, in the mid-sized city stakes. ChangChun's not bad, the air was usually clear there due to periodic rainfall and prevailing winds during my year there at least. Of the big cities, you know I'm not a great fan of ShangHai, but I could end up there again if the right job falls in my lap, besides that I quite like both BeiJing and GuangZhou, though I've only visited GZ for short trips on 3 occasions and never lived there...

I suggest you just type names of various cities into the SEARCH option here and see what you see about each place.

LFA

[therock]