Job Discussion Forums

davester13 · Joined: 14 Oct 2008 Posts: 26

Hi,

Thanks for reading my post. I'm doing research on my own but I wanted to post my query here about finding a good (not necessarily great) teaching job in China. I would appreciate your insights and advice.

My backgrond: Bachelor degree, introductory TEFL certificate, 2 years teaching experience in Korea. My interests: some Western amenities, like foods; culture and access to it (important!); a 4-season climate, if possible (less important); decent nightlife/social/dating scene.

*How much money and which benefits (paid apartment, medical, etc.) could I 'command'?
* Which cities might meet my 'interests criteria', which I listed above?
*How should I conduct a job search to find something starting in January or February (search only in ads or ads plus a recruiter----if so, how to find good ones?)

Thanks so much for your advice and assistance.

Dave

Sugar Magnolia · Joined: 14 Oct 2008 Posts: 233

Dave,

You might want to check out www.chinatefl.com for university jobs. The big training centers accept inquiries.

www.asiaxpat.com used to have some nice jobs. I wonder what happened?

I wonder which tooth to pull next.

Sugar

roadwalker · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 1750 Location: Ch

Dave, still not specific enough: define culture. Chinese tradition? Discos/karaoke? Museums/sports stadiums/zoos? Temples? Starbucks/KFC/McD? Walmart? For me a western style tavern/pub means culture. Hard to find those.

Dating? Fellow foreigners or Chinese? If you are breathing and don't look particularly Chinese, you are HANDSOME, very handsome as far as many Chinese women (and men) are concerned. You can easily trash a few reputations and ruin lives if you care to. If you are somewhat ethical, you can still find happiness. Many on this board have married locally.

As for specifics, more and more smaller cities have more and more imported western foods for sometimes hefty mark ups. The wild card seems to be bread. Truly hit or miss. If it looks like good western bread, it may be sickly sweet or filled with bean paste, for example. Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and maybe a few more cities have almost all comfort foods you might seek. Others probably have most.

I would say most destinations in China have four seasons. Not Coastal Guangdong and Hainan and parts of the SW, such as Yunnan. If you want the second tier cities in the four seasons zone, many fts choose Dalian, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Xiamen (maybe too warm?), Chengdu, Xian and too many to list. I would consider jobs in any of those. Remember the actual campus might be way out in an isolated dogpatch. Check. All of those cities should have western goods, but maybe not next to where you live.

Accomodation is included in most public school and even private school jobs. If they don't provide (often the case in Beijing and Shanghai) they should provide a housing stipend and assistance in a apartment hunt.

Can't tell you what kind of salary to expect but make sure you add the entire package including airfare reimbursement (not including housing, which is expected UNLESS they don't provide it or a stipend and in that case deduct at least 1000/m, more in a bigger city) to a yearly total. Be sure to deduct if they charge for utilities, insurance (@1500-2000 one year) and other costs. As a rule, the eastern cities are more expensive than the central and western ones. Sometimes much more. So judge an offer by location as well. And negotiate the contract if it looks almost reasonable to begin.

If you plan to travel, I would also judge the city by it's location and transportation options. Is it close to other interesting places? Does it have a good airport relatively close? How long by train or bus to other cities? Good luck.

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

davester13 · Joined: 14 Oct 2008 Posts: 26

roadwalker · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 1750 Location: Ch

North China Laowei · Joined: 08 Apr 2008 Posts: 419

Xiamen is a jewel of a city. True, the weather is semitropical but all of those nice beaches so close by and the white water rafting not so far away and the simple cleanliness and verdant nature of the city. It is considered the most ecologically correct city in China and it is a very nice blend of traditional and modern. The inhabitants are quite friendly and it is an "outdoor" kind of a southern city. True, there may not be the four seasons that you are seeking, but good God, the weather tends to be really nice most of the year.

Jobs are not so easy to come by in Xiamen, however, as it is very, very favored by foreign teachers and wages are often lower for those same reasons. With a little bit of careful looking and research, however, a good job still can be had.