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nyc2323
Joined: 22 Nov 2009 Posts: 38
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 2:54 pm Post subject: 6-month contract? |
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i'm halfway through a CELTA course and planning to leave to go abroad to start teaching in June 2010. Still deciding where I want to go and China's on the short list. Just wondering if I can get feedback on the possibility of finding a 6-month contract in China, and also have the job set before i leave the US?
I'd like to save some money if possible. any suggestions on where(in china) to go? My qualifications will be just a BA in English and the CELTA so I realize i'm a newbie.
Thanks! |
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Moon Over Parma

Joined: 20 May 2007 Posts: 819
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 6:18 pm Post subject: Re: 6-month contract? |
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nyc2323 wrote: |
i'm halfway through a CELTA course and planning to leave to go abroad to start teaching in June 2010. Still deciding where I want to go and China's on the short list. Just wondering if I can get feedback on the possibility of finding a 6-month contract in China, and also have the job set before i leave the US?
I'd like to save some money if possible. any suggestions on where(in china) to go? My qualifications will be just a BA in English and the CELTA so I realize i'm a newbie.
Thanks! |
If you want to make money to save while working for 6 months then you'll be schlepping away in a buxiban, most likely. Universities and public schools don't start their semesters until August or September. They'll be concluding their academic years in June and July.
Buxibans are usually willing to hire for six months, but they're universally the worst jobs you'll find in China, and I think you'll experience a greater chance of being ripped off in a major way working in the buxiban/ training center system. However, there are positive experiences some people have had in them. If you are 100% certain you will leave after six months, then a buxiban may be what you're looking for. Your qualifications are more than enough for buxiban work. If you want a more comfortable life and can wait, you might fare well with universities if you start applying to them in June, but you won't be able to start work until the fall. |
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nyc2323
Joined: 22 Nov 2009 Posts: 38
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 11:29 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the reply!
Question - will I be able to apply to university jobs from home (US) and have something all set, or do i need to go to china in june to find one? |
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The Ever-changing Cleric

Joined: 19 Feb 2009 Posts: 1523
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 12:33 am Post subject: Re: 6-month contract? |
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Moon Over Parma wrote: |
If you want a more comfortable life and can wait, you might fare well with universities if you start applying to them in June, but you won't be able to start work until the fall. |
our university decides who they're keeping and who they wont be keeping by the beginning of april. they start looking for any new hires at end april and early may and have all the teachers lined up for next year by june. i think other schools will be the same, so starting earlier is better.
nyc2323 wrote: |
Question - will I be able to apply to university jobs from home (US) and have something all set, or do i need to go to china in june to find one? |
Answer - you can do both. but note my above post, june may be too late. |
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Moon Over Parma

Joined: 20 May 2007 Posts: 819
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 8:17 pm Post subject: Re: 6-month contract? |
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The Ever-changing Cleric wrote: |
our university decides who they're keeping and who they wont be keeping by the beginning of april. they start looking for any new hires at end april and early may and have all the teachers lined up for next year by june. i think other schools will be the same, so starting earlier is better. |
I have worked for universities who conducted hiring in a similar fashion, but they had fairly competent people in their foreign affairs office(s). Not every university is so lucky, and some schools end up trying to find teachers well into the start of the semester because of a lack of candidates. Some also deal with last minute changes. I do agree with you though: applying early won't hurt. |
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Chris_Crossley

Joined: 26 Jun 2004 Posts: 1797 Location: Still in the centre of Furnace City, PRC, after eight years!!!
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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 4:02 am Post subject: 6-month contracts may still be possible with EF, but check |
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When I first started working with EF in China in Oct. '01, they were offering 6-month contracts, whereby FTs got their one-way fare to China paid for, yet they had to fork out for their own one-way fare back home if they then decided to go home as opposed to going to another job. One of my earliest colleagues was on such a contract.
EF recruits throughout the year, though you'd need to check to see if the company still offers 6-month contracts.
Alternatively, you could try for a summer-only contract of about 2 months. Again, when I first started, EF offered such contracts, albeit at a much lower monthly salary than the full-timers. However, the flip-side of this deal was that even these people got their return air fares paid.
During my first year with EF, two Canadian students were on such contracts and returned to Canada at the end of their time in China in order to complete their studies at university in Ontario.
Again, if you are interested, you'll need to check to see if EF still offers such contracts. |
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