Job Discussion Forums

[CdnInKorea]

I'm currently teaching at a university in South Korea while pursuing an MA in Linguistics. When I'm done my MA (in my second of four semesters) my plan is to work elsewhere in Asia, and China is a place I'm considering.

My problem is that I don't see any ads on job boards for good university jobs. Many of them seem to have decent apartment, some with private offices, some with good vacations, and most with good teaching hours.

The reason I don't consider these good jobs is that none of them I see require anything more than a BA; I'd like to work at a university that requires a graduate degree and, this is important, pays accordingly.

Do such university jobs exist in China? Thank you in advance for your replies!

[alter ego]

There are a few universities in the big city where I live that require teachers to have advanced degrees, with monthly salaries ranging between 8,000 to 15,000 RMB for 14 to 18 teaching hours per week. In China, having an M.A. or PhD might open a few more doors to better jobs but the difference in pay and perks is still pretty minimal.

For example, the set pay scales at many universities and polytechnics in China provide M.A.s with only about 1,500 more per month, give or take a few yuan.

If you're looking for teaching jobs that pay according to level of education, the Middle East might be a better choice. Or why not just stay in Korea? I taught in the ROK for two years and most of the top uni jobs there require teachers to have M.A.s or higher, and pay accordingly.

In China, at least for now, the B.A. is still good enough to find good jobs, at least for some of us!

[CdnInKorea]

I could stay in Korea- I like it here and there are jobs that I can't get yet because I don't have an MA to look forward to, but I don't want to limit myself to one country.

Anyway, thanks for your thoughts Alter Ego.

[Purduealumni2001]

Alter Ego, do you have any suggestions as to where I should post my resume for university jobs in China? I know that I'm not going to find great jobs on websites, I'm going to have to contact universities by myself and what not. However, I'm hoping to at least put myself out there to get noticed by people proactively looking for qualified teachers. I feel I could land a great job in China if I just knew where to look. I have six years of ESL teaching experience, three at the university level, in Korea, and an M. Ed in TESOL. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm going to be new to China at the end of this year.

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

[alter ego]

I'm sure others here can also give you some good advice. With your credentials I'm sure you can get a good university teaching job in China. As others here will suggest, go to university websites and email your CV directly to people whose job is to find suitable teachers.

From my experience, though, the best way to get a university job in China is to apply in person. This means you need to be in the city where the university is located. I live in one of the 10 biggest cities and came here from Thailand two years ago to take what I considered to be a fairly good job at one of the big language schools.

After a year I applied in person for two uni jobs and got one of them (the other uni generally only hires teachers with M.A.s but occasionally makes exceptions). I like my situation here, but the pay is lower than Korea. Most of the uni teachers I know here do outside teaching, private tutoring, side jobs, etc. Some frown on this but I consider it to be standard practice and it raises my monthly income to what I think is a respectable level.

[Shan-Shan]

So long as you bring your own change of underwear and have a chipper disposition, there are not many universities which won't hire you.

Those who decide whether to accept or decline your application for work where one might earn as much as $1,000 a month aren't all that concerned about your intellectual prowess, be it at the MA, BA or crayola crayoned level.

[China.Pete]

"In China, having an M.A. or PhD might open a few more doors to better jobs but the difference in pay and perks is still pretty minimal." -- Alter Ego

Just so you're clear, OP, speaking of "good university jobs in China," at least in the sense of pay, is basically an oxymoron.

[theincredibleegg]

Most teaching jobs in China doesn't require that you teach anything, hence noone is ready to pay extra for your education or take you seriously.

[CdnInKorea]

Well, this thread has helped me reach a depressing but necessary conclusion: China is a place I'd like to visit, but not a place I'd like to work (at least in my chosen profession).

[thefuzz]

Yeah, dude, China ain't no place to progress in your teaching career. I'm not sure if any countries in Asia really take qualifications seriously these days. Most are just willing to hire a foreign looking person with a pulse to babysit a bunch of kids who pretend to get a degree at university.

Think about going to the Middle East and working at a university there. Did it for a year just for the experience (looks good on the old resume). They are more strict there about who they hire (well, most of the time) and the salaries are great as opposed to what we're making in Asia. The Gulf region is best. Try looking for positions in United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman (in that order). These are the more easy going countries where one can sip a cold beer after work (and you don't need to partake in a covert operation to acquire one...the local bar will do). If you are really looking for the the ultimate experience (but must live without booze and pork), Saudi Arabia is a good choice as well.

A great way to make your resume shine. Even for a year. Cheers.