Job Discussion Forums

[dharma86]

Hi. I would be new to the esl teaching. I am currently about to graduate with a degree and I am considering teaching in China starting september.

I was previously considerin doin a TEFL weekend course but ive been doin alot of research and found theres alot of ways in without any need for it as all i need is a degree and the enthusiasm.

Having been to China before I know I want to teach in Chengdu, so at least the location is not a problem to me. The type of school on the other hand is what i dont have enough information on...

also, in terms of the months vacation they offer, is this just the national holidays all added up to equal a month? or can you request your own time? for example, the winter vacation. Could you stretch that over starting before christmas to the end of the Chinese new year?

lastly, is a one-way flight reinburishment a bad deal?

sorry about all the questions hopefully yous can help me with at least 1

[Dan The Chainsawman]

The TEFL isn't mandatory, but it can provide you with a good starting point if you've never taught before.

Type of school?

Depends what you are looking for. Do you want to teach adults or children? Chain schools cover both adults and children, but I'd be very cautious about chain schools. Some are good, but there are way to many stories about them being rip offs.

From the looks of it Universities probably have their own set of issues as well. Double check the specific school to find out if they are a gang of crooks or not.

For your holiday:

Find out how much paid leave you'll be getting. You already get all national holidays off providing they fall on a working day for you.

For instance, I get 7 days of paid leave every six months. This is on top of any national holidays I might get off.

[dharma86]

I am not too choosy in the age group although I would like to teach at a school at any age starting from kindergarten all the way up to university level. I haven't done it before so therefore i am in no position to be making any assumption on which is best.

Sorry i forgot to elaborate on the holiday thing, when a job advertises that it offers 1 month paid leave per year, does this usually refer to it being all the national holidays added up or is this an additional month?

[west2east]

[nickpellatt]

The holiday issue can and will vary wildly.

My last job had the perk of 7 weeks off over the Spring Festival, around 10 weeks off for the summer, PLUS the standard festival days...all of which were paid.My next job only offers 10 paid days per year ... which I think will just cover Spring Festival.

I imagine it would be quite rare to take holiday at a time of your choosing, it is more often that it will coincide with times to suit the school closures, rather than your desire to travel.

Also most jobs (again in my experience) offer only a return ticket home rather than round trip fares.

[dharma86]

thanks dats a gud help. its basically an issue you have to take up with the school in question then.

and i hope yous dont mind me askin yous but; do yous work in private or public schools?

[west2east]

My school is private and also supplies teachers to a large local government school. At either site, the FTs (foreign teachers) work under an identical contract.

[vikuk]

[dharma86]

what's the best way of looking for public schools and universities?

Is university teaching good or worse for young graduates who want to teach?

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

Dharma, I actually have a question for you:

I taught in South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and China. China pays the lowest salaries and has probably the lowest standards of living when compared to the rest.

Why have you chosen China instead of the other places?

[dharma86]

I have been to China b4 i lik it there! I haven't been to those other places so I wudnt no if i wud wana teach in dem for a year. maybe if i was in China i wud get to visit all those countries which wud b cool!

and also, i wana learn mandarin

and for you again; which country did you think was best?

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

Hard to say.

I liked South Korea because I was able to communicate and learn how to read. The Korean alphabet is darned easy to learn. I also liked the food and lifestyle and was never short of friends or western goods/products.

But I disliked the nationalism and racism I faced on a daily basis. I also hated the greedy bosses of schools and all the nasty and terrible things some of them would do just to save a bit of money. That, and being lied to all the time.

I liked Taiwan because I was able to learn Mandarin in a modern-day environment and similar to South Korea, I was never short of friends or western products that made me feel comfortable.

I disliked Taiwan's pollution.

I loved Japanese culture, loved the food, happy with the salary and students and school, enjoyed living in a modern and clean country with smiley cute people everywhere, loved the manners, was very happy with a fullfilling um... personal life, and was fond of seeing all the innovative technology.

I detested how everything was so expensive and it was difficult for me to get used to everyone driving on the left side of the road. I also didn't like the subway perverts.

China I was pleased having everything being so darned cheap. I also had a real nice boss which is semi-rare. I also met some good friends and lived a pretty good life there all in all.

I hated the ignorance and blindness and sometimes racism towards the West in general and the United States and Japan in particular. I also hated the Internet being blocked all the time, the garbage and pollution, and all the staring and rude behaviour. I also didn't like having to struggle to find things such as dill pickles or mustard.

[NateInChina]

@dharma86
I am in a similar situation as you, just graduated and now looking to spend a year in China working on my Mandarin and trying my hand at teaching English.

I went through the same process and determined it probably isn't worth the money to get TEFL certification, esp since I plan on teaching for just a year.

And I am also searching hard for positions (around Shanghai and Guangzhou) - but I have had difficulty separating out the bad from the good. It seems everyone says 5000RMB is too low, but the only places I see offering more are from DD Dragon, Delter, and various recruiters whose names show up on many 'warning' lists. Public schools seem to offer much less in terms of salary and other compensation.

So how then does one find reputable recruiters or schools?

[dharma86]

NateInChina:

i don't think 5000 is too low especially if we didnt have any tefl qualifications or apparant ones.

sometimes i feel that there is too much out there but then i think to myself that maybe i'm looking for too much perfection, i should just take a plunge on a decent enough looking job!

as far as i can see, if a recruiter isn't a complete con artist, then they should be ok if they are getting you a job and are free. From this forum however I have learnt in my head for some reason to avoid Angelina's and horizon recruitment.

i think when i'm finished up in university, i'm just going to go for one! I am thinking too much.

The Great Wall of Whiner:

after reading your comment i've come to the conclusion judging by your experiences I am looking for somewhere that is less westernised and China seems to be the most appropriate for that. I have overcome the 'Western Stares' on my last visit i take that with a pinch of salt its funny, and I love Chinese food! So i'm pretty happy with my intention to go to China!

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

Well I really don't have much advise to give then. 5000 RMB is less than a thousand dollars a month. Taiwan, which is also a Mandarin-speaking place to teach pays much more than that. Just seems to me that you are setting yourself up for unhappiness in the long-term.

I do wish you all the best, though. Good luck.