Job Discussion Forums

dialogger · Joined: 14 Mar 2005 Posts: 419 Location: China

Can we keep this job related?

Hansen · Joined: 13 Oct 2008 Posts: 737 Location: central China

Dialogger, The nature of medical English, on a thread about teaching in medical universities, is "related." It may not be the main point of the thread, however.

dialogger · Joined: 14 Mar 2005 Posts: 419 Location: China

Let's agree to disagree.
I have just fed 'medical university.edu.cn' into Google and there are tons of responses so anyone interested should be able to find some lines to follow.
However, you do raise a good point Hansen and that is whether specialist colleges and universities need FTs with backgrounds in the subject.
I've taught tourism, navigation, law majors and have no background in those subjects.
I know that a business background gets brownie points in doing corporate gigs.
Is it an issue and more importantly in these troubled times does specialist knowledge eg medical, parlay into higher salaries in universities and trade colleges?

Hansen · Joined: 13 Oct 2008 Posts: 737 Location: central China

Regarding specialist universities, the answer is definitely yes, they need people with backgrounds in those areas. You may be required to teach some oral English as well, but if you are a trained lawyer, for example, there are schools that might have a greater interest in you than say, in a social worker or psychologist. A law school for instance.

Although few physicians are likely to turn up here and work, I met an RN who was teaching in the medical department of a large university. Her job included teaching medical English to students from other countries studying medicine in China. English is the medium of instruction for those students, at least in part.

One problem is that with more prestigious specialist universities, there is a certain haughtiness which translates into low pay, bad housing, and general disdain for an FT. They figure it's a privilege to work for them.

Interestingly, one health related university told me they were not interested in medical English, only oral English. I was also turned down in Japan because the company had no interest in medical English, only oral English with children. It pays to know what the school needs.

kerrilee · Joined: 22 Jan 2006 Posts: 59 Location: Dalian, China

I taught 2 years ago. As a former nurse I was really excited about the chance to teach 'medical English.' But was told by helpful students that their Chinese professors did that and that I should just stick to the book I was given to teach them from (some readings for post grad book full of stuff from Newsweek and the Economist.)

Class sizes - I had 2 classes for listening only which had 27 students, but the rest (oral English) had 64 students and reading or listening classes had 90 students in them. This amount is just insane. And as for adding speaking to the reading classes - forget it!

Even in the oral English classes students were reluctant to join in many activities. It was a pretty tough gig. You also get 'invited' to English corner activities.

Just as I left they moved the uni out to Lushun. Miles from anywhere. We already had a curfew, but then Lushun had the added pleasure of being impossible to get to after about 6.30pm.

If you are set on Dalian, stick to somewhere closer to the city. If you are set on medical English teaching, prepare for disappointment. There may be a good job for it out there, but I doubt it's at a Chinese uni.

dialogger · Joined: 14 Mar 2005 Posts: 419 Location: China

Very interesting Kerrilee.
Oral English - exactly my experience. Any class size over 30 is impossible and I found the text useless as very little dialogue material.
Re Lushun - I bussed back and forth from Dalian which added around 2 hours to each day.
Still if a few more universities relocate out there is may develop as the physical locationis pretty.

RiverMystic · Joined: 13 Jan 2009 Posts: 1986

Thought I'd bump this up, as this university is now "relevant" for me. Anybody have any recent details about this place? There was a suggestion (above) that accommodation isn't good. But I have pics which suggest it's quite decent.

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

Since this thread started Dalian Med U has relocated out to Lushun.
That has the plus of improved accom for FTs (I hope), BUT the 50-60 min commute to/from if you want to live in Dalian is a real turn off.
If you live at Lushun (Port Arthur) there may be restrictions on movement of foreigners as there is a naval base there.

drjtrekker · Joined: 16 Feb 2008 Posts: 251

Yeah,

The few peeps that I have known that worked/lived there also had the same critique, Far from downtown...maybe a bit boring.

I think if you like the countryside mixed with the ocean...not bad.
Cruised out there many a time on my scooter and quite enjoyed it.
Nice seafood street as well.

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

'Cruised' out there.
Well the restrictions on foreigners must have been lifted.
I suppose with Liaoning International Business, Dalian Medical and Dalian Foreign Languages Unis out there, there may be a critical mass of FTs which in turn may give rise to local Lushun nightlife.
Even so you would want at least one run into Dalian per week to stay sane.