Job Discussion Forums

gerard49 · Joined: 23 Oct 2003 Posts: 44 Location: Zhaoqing

Having had a very positive experience in Suzhou last year, I can thoroughly recommend our latest appointment at CAS in Zhaoqing. This private school caters to rich families all over China and unlike most Government schools, has small class sizes and good resources. It even has an olympic size pool and large gymnasium! The school is set into the mountain but only 5 minutes or 12Yuan by taxi from the city centre. The school has a heavy emphasis on English tuition so there are 8 foreign teachers here. Having so many foreigners to share one's experiences and outings has made our stay so much more enjoyable.

Zhaoqing is a small but scenic city surrounded by lakes and mountains about an hour or so from Guangzhou. The Seven Star Lakes and Dinghu Mountains are famous attractions very close to the city. The former is within easy walking distance from the school and a yearly pass is a must. The city has some good supermarkets where westeners can buy their unsweeten bread, cheese, yoghurt, pasta, cereals etc and some 4 star hotels that serve great pasta and curry meals for under 30 yuan.
The apartments are relatively small but have cable TV and internet. The pay is average but this is a cheap place to live. The school is looking for more teachers in September. If anyone is interested I can pass on your details to the FAO, email me : [email protected]

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

I can recommend Zhaoqing too. Scenic, idyllic, small town with a large park, 110 kms from Guangzhou. Air is sensibly better than in the Pearl River Delta. There are a couple of tertiary institutions plus the school mentioned above. Direct trains to Shenzhen, boats to Hong Kong.
The downside is that its inhabitants are less well-off than people elsewhere in Guangdong. That school cannot employ all would-be jobseekers...
I spent a summer there, and transport to and from Guangzhou is easy (more like one-hour and a half by bus, 2 to 3 hours by train).

august03 · Joined: 13 Oct 2003 Posts: 159 Location: Jiangsu, China

What type of school is it, Primary or Middle School?

gerard49 · Joined: 23 Oct 2003 Posts: 44 Location: Zhaoqing

Kindergarten to Senior middle and about 1000 students, 15-18 lessons. salary 4000-5000 Laughing

gerard49 · Joined: 23 Oct 2003 Posts: 44 Location: Zhaoqing

The school does hire TESOL graduates But then what young person can pay off their degree HEX debt on Chinese salaries? Obviously CAS does prefer degrees but is realistic enough to see this is not always possible. Actually Roger is probably right on one point, our school bus went like the clappers and took about 1 1/2 hours but then I wouldnt want to be any closer to Guangzhou. If DingHu Mountains are the "lungs of Guangdong", The capital Guanzhou would have to be closer to the "bowel" end. After a day or two there, I can think of a less flattering word but censorship would not permit me. The traffic and air were so thick, I'll never complain about Zhaoqing again!
One good point about CAS I forgot to mention, is that we have long weekends every second week and are able to travel freely to most cities in Guangdong via the school buses. In fact, last weekend, Zhuhai was a treat with good, cheap accommodation readily available for 120yuan /double , great attractions and ocean breezes!!