Job Discussion Forums

[mk177]

hi,

I would like some advice on where I should teach in China and whether the job offers that I have recieved are suitable. I have a degree but i do not have a TEFL certificate or any relevant job experience. I plan to teach for up to 6 months. I have tried on various websites to apply to schools directly and not by using recruiters. For example, this job board contains many recrutiers. Now i have been told by 1 recruiter ( Iris ([email protected])) that she has potential schools but only in henan province and she is very insistent on Yueyang and Zhengzhou, even after I have asked for other places. She says the salary is between 3000 to 8000RMB and the workload is up to 24hrs a week. The contract is for 4 months, and accomodation is provided but not airfare. Does anyone have any advice on whether this sounds decent and what these cities are like.

Another recruiter has found a job in a school in Yunnan province, which from the research I have done seems like a very nice beautiful place. The school provides accomodation, and the salary is 4500 RMB a month. It is located in Wenshan, and the teaching hours are 20 per week. Please could anyone tell me if they have been there to teach or knows about this place and whether the contract sounds reasonable.

Thanyou verry much

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

[frank d]

Henan is considered to be (by most Chinese and expats) the WORST province in all of China. Thievery and corruption are rampant throughout China but said to be partiicularly bad in Henan. It also has the highest population of any province.

I'm hoping other FTs will provide additional direct knowledge about Zhengzhou, but in the meantime, here's a promotional webpage that offers facts, stats, etc.:
http://www.expatsz.com/cities/2008-8-18/2008818115632.htm

Pay particular attention to the "tourism" section.

Good luck and look elsewhere besides Henan, unless you have a strong interest in martial arts. If so, then Henan is the place to be.

[Hansen]

OP

The Henan PSB is supposedly issuing only 6 month visas; however, others have reported getting a one year visa. The upshot is that the PSB office is a maze of uncertainity for some individuals. Six month visas may effectively destroy any holiday plans you make because your passport may remain locked up in an office during the holiday.

The contract you described sounds terrible The chance of you getting 8000 is virtually nil. No airfare and four months of work stinks.

As for Yunnan, I spend my holidays there. Beautiful place. I would jump on an opportunity to work there. No question in a choice between the two places. Where do you want to be, heaven or hell?

[mk177]

thanks for the replies. I have spent a while researching for potential jobs on the internet but on the vast majority of sites, there are predominantly recruiters and hardly schools themselves looking for teachers. does anyone know any sites which are not like this. I have emailed a number of recrtuiters but they take too long to reply or do not reply at all.

I am starting 2 become worried that I have not got a job sorted yet and would anyone advise travelling to yunnan for example in september to look for a job while i am out there. As i have not sorted out visas yet, and there is only 1 month left till school starts.

Thanks

[englishgibson]

i'd suggest you to make sure you don't get trapped in your employment contract. chinese employers love "owning your arse". for example, have a contractual clause that allows you to get out if your work environment isn't suitable/professional enough to do your job. and, investigate further the location's regulations for fts there. some areas have got quite unreasonalbe regulations with respect to RPs and if you want to stay on for a longer time in one location you may find it difficult in some areas...if you do not work for one/the same employer for longer. in nanning, you need a "recommandation letter" from your previous employer. employers are "shy" to provide that kinda official letter..i repeat it has to be "official", not just typed on a piece of paper and stamped. also, you might be subject to abuse with such practices, or shall i say regulations.

cheers and beers

[vikuk]

[Hansen]

I would advise not visiting Yunnan in hope of a job.

Relatively well off people here looking for a job, willing to work cheap, just to be here. Masters degrees, years of experience as a professional, plus China teaching experience.

In a few words, stiff competition.

Another issue with showing up, desperate. You are going to be vulnerable to a very poor offer. They know your situation and will exploit it to the max. Remember, few of these people are your friends. Their business ethic requires them to hurt you as much as possible. Don't let them.

Not sure, but the glory days of ESL in China may be past. Consider Japan or Taiwan.

[englishgibson]

this is the quote of the day below

[TravellingAround]

[mk177]

Thanks for the replies. so what would be the best course of action for me as I have not had any suitable job offers yet and the start of term is just a month away. Should i carry on looking and sending out cv's or would it be wise for me to start looking at taiwan, bearing in mind that I would only like to work for 6 months maximum. Any help would be appreciated.

I am to be honest starting to become worried about the little time left.

Where else can i look? I have applied to so many job listings, including on daves esl cafe.

btw i am of asian(pakistani) descent if this matters, but was born and raised in UK.

[Hansen]

Pakistani? You're toast. Something to be very clear about. Political correctness in China doesn't consist of singing "We are the World" together. Schools here want WHITE people. Get it? Few exceptions.

Forget about ESL. Focus on the future. Look for a career in some intelligence organization, MI5, for instance. If you have mixed loyalties, you can always become a "mole." First, ask yourself if you can really "do the time" when they catch you.

[mk177]

damn. is it really that bad? so is there little chance of me findin a decent job? what about other less racist countries?

[Nauczyciel]

This may sound terrible to the Western ear, but that depends on your looks. If you can pass for a white person, you'll be fine, but if you look Asian, you'll have a hard time finding a job in China. Keep trying, all in all you've got the right citizenship, but don't count on that too much.

My girlfriend (who's Polish) who I worked with in China in 2005 was stunned to hear from her students that they had been afraid that someone completely different would turn up, a blonde with blue eyes perhaps, and they were disappointed/relieved (depending) to find her a brown-eyed brunette...

[mk177]

I have recieved a job offer from Volunteer Intercultural Project (VipChina86), with Goldwyn Zhang. for a job in wenshan in Yunnan.

The term of this contract commences on the 1st of Sep 2009 and continues until the 25th of Dec 2009 , however, to prior termination of the Employee�s employment in accordance with the section titled �termination�.

Duties: The duties to be performed by the Employee include: 1. To teach oral English according to the textbook 2. Lesson planning and preparation as well as curriculum development
3. Assisting with administration including intake and placement of students and recording attendance
4. Counseling students 5. Participating in the school�s social program including Extra Curricular Activities (ECA�s) 6. Participating in Employee training programs and workshops organized by the school 7. Participating at promotional and marketing activities organized by the school
8. Attending all scheduled meeting where his/her presence is required unless those meetings occur during the Employee�s holiday or the Employee�s day off
9. Other tasks assigned by the Education Department and our school in his/her working hours.

Remuneration The Employee�s remuneration will consist of the following: To remunerate the intern during the internship a total monthly amount of 4500 RMB, you should get 4500 RMB from VIP organization through bank account, we will send your salary to your bank account before 10th of next month.
The Employer will provide accommodation for the Employee. Well-decorated accommodation are typically free and on-campus, private kitchen and bathroom, TV set, desk, chairs, sofa, computer with Internet ADSL connection, kitchen utilities and so on. The Employer ensures that all the facilities in the dormitory are ready for use when the Employee moves in. Water, electricity, gas are free of charge.

Working Hours
Working hours per week are no more than 23 hours. The Employee will be given a weekly schedule, however the Employer reserves the right to change schedule as required. The Employer will attempt to accommodate the Employee�s schedule to offer two days off consecutively. However, due to fluctuating student demand, the Employer reserves the right to separate those two days off.

Termination
The Employer reserves the right to terminate the Employee�s employment without any severance benefits at anytime in the following circumstances:
The Employee brings the school into disrepute by his/her conduct
The Employee breaches the confidentiality clause as referred to in section �confidentiality� If the Employee is guilty of dereliction of duty, incompetence, insubordination, dishonesty or other breaches of the Employee�s obligations under this agreement or the rules and regulation of the college.
4. The Employee has been diagnosed not capable of resuming work after 30 days consecutive sick leave
The Employee reserves the right to terminate his/her employment with a one-month notice in writing in the following circumstances: The Employer has failed to comply with the terms of this agreement
After receiving the Employee�s notice, the Employer has the right to terminate the employment within one month.
If either Party wishes to terminate the contract before the agreed date, it must give a one-month notice in writing to the other party, otherwise it will compensate the other party to the amount of one month�s basic salary as referred to in section titled �remuneration.� In the unlikely event of a disaster such as earthquake, fire, flood, civil unrest, etc. that would make the Employer unable to continue operating business, the contract will be considered nil and the Employee will be under no obligation to stay.

Early termination of contract: Teachers that give one month�s prior written notice to leave a school will not be subject to a fine, but will still forfeit all rights to any contractual bonus. Teachers who leave a school's employment or have their employment terminated before the end of the contract dates as specified at the head of this contract and do not give one month�s notice, will be subject to a 5，000 (Five Thousand) RMB fine. Confidentiality The Employee will keep all information about the Employer�s teaching methods and administration confidential The Employee will not disclose details of his/her contract The Employee will not use the Employer�s teaching method and materials in the instruction of any private student and/or with another Employer The obligation of the Employee concerning the section titled �confidentiality� will survive the termination of this agreement.

Other Employment

The Employee acknowledges that the Employer�s business is highly competitive and the protect the Employer against unfair competition including unauthorized use or disclosure of its methodology and other sensitive information, the Employee warrants that as long as he/she is employed by the Employer, he/she will not carry on or be employed or concerned in any business, whether directly or indirectly, if that business is similar to or in competition with any part of the Employer�s business. After termination of this agreement, the Employee will not operate a business in direct competition with the Employer within a year of the contract termination. Additionally, due to the competitive market and in regards of unfair competition practices, the Employee agrees to not accept employment with the Employer�s direct competitor(s) who shares the similar model to our teaching style in the same city within a year of the termination date. If the school does not honor the contract(between VIP China and the shool),VIP China reserves the rights to place the teacher in an alternative school.

General
This contract will be interpreted in accordance with and is subject to the laws of PRC. The parties submit irrevocably to the jurisdiction of the courts of the PRC in respect of any dispute relating to or concerning this contract. The terms and conditions of this contract prevail over any conflicting or inconsistent provisions of the Employer�s rules and regulation in effect at any time. This contract is effective immediately and supersedes any prior agreements, understandings or representations relating to or concerning the Employee�s employment by the Employer. Should the Employee desire to renew this contract, he/she should formally make the request no later than a month prior the termination date of this contract Each party will receive a signed copy of this contract. Both versions are identical and equal in the eyes of the law. The Employee acknowledges receipt of a copy of this contract.

Rules for Foreign Teachers
Don�t be late for work or leave early. Don�t be late for classes. No eating in the classes and in the office. Prepare the classes carefully. Strictly follow the lesson plans in classes. Do not wear shorts and slippers in school. Whoever violates the rules 1,2 and 3 will be fined RMB 80 for each violation. Whoever violates the rule 6 will be fined RMB 20 for each violation.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW, is this decent? Apparently i cannot contact teachers there now or older ones because the school is closed. Also i cannot contact the school directly as it is not the recruiters policy.

Thanjs