Job Discussion Forums

[real2104]

Hello,

I'm living in Zhuhai at the moment on a tourist visa, I worked for a year in Fuzhou during 2008 on a proper working visa.

Now I'd like to teach in Shanghai, I have no degree (I am doing my bachelor's online at the moment, but am only half way through my course.) I do have a TESOL cert and a high school grad cert.

What are my chances for teaching in Shanghai?

I decided on Shanghai as it seems to be the most modern/westernized part of China.

[askiptochina]

I don't know about others but Shanghai is not the place for me. I'll explain my reasons and be objective, yet at the same time showing my subjective viewpoints. If you agree with me, stay out of Shanghai.

1) WAY WAY OVERCROWDED. I knew this coming in, and I am not blaming anyone, but boy did I not realize it. Bicyclists generally have pedestrian status in the states. Cars have to stop for them. In Shanghai, you can't go for a walk without honks of all sort and people cutting you off. Bicyclists have a lane all to themselves, yet they insist on taking over that lane and the sidewalk area where people walk. This leaves no room. When you cross, cars don't stop. Instead they honk as if to tell you to stay off the road. I have found it useless to go out and enjoy the warmer weather.

2) European/French influence. There is a heavier European look to the city than other Asian cities like Tokyo, Seoul, or Beijing (last time I was there in 2002), which is great if that is what you are looking for. Again, any simple research would tell you this, and I am not blaming anyone for it. I am glad I have experienced it, cause now I can say I lived in Shanghai and I don't have to spend a year here. The night scene is beautiful, and yes the Chinese have put a lot of work into construction. There is not a day that goes by outside that I don't get dirt from the air in my lungs. With the Shanghai Expo, security guards are everywhere. The beggars selling necklaces at the subway stations have been kicked out.

3) Attitude. You walk around and there are a lot of upscale fashion stores, along with this comes a sense of superiority. If you are into that type of thing, this is the place. You can wear your jacket with a scarf (chuckle) in April. Some even wear shades on cloudy days to look cool. At People's Square there are advertisement posters all over with vogue style fashion. It's no surprise with the heavy European influence. If that is for you, come to Shanghai. It just ain't my scene. I have lived in parts of Korea where everything has this above average or below feel to it, and I am much more comfortable with it. I don't care to eat at fancy restaurants with 3 waiters servicing us. It's cheap though, I paid 122 kuai total for myself and my dinner date. I couldn't hear a thing though, since it was too crowded. In Korea, we had one lady usually serve us food, but then she left and we had more of a private meal. Japan and Korea seem to understand this, China (Shanghai) is more of a circus when it comes to ambiance.

4) Business before pleasure. Everything in Shanghai is business, business, business. You will get peddlers coming up to you, "Hey man, what you need....bag, watch, lady massage? Come on."

5) Forget getting a decent paying job here. I had one face to face interview with a big English school, and when I questioned them on airfare reimbursement, they finally had to admit I basically wouldn't get it since there is no way to prove I paid for the ticket. They won't accept E-ticket information, and a boarding pass wouldn't have the amount I paid. But they would pay on this broken promise.

Then today I thought I was lucky. A job teaching elementary school students using a whiteboard/smartboard interactive screen and help of a co-teacher who is Chinese. Sounds good? Then I talked to the school, they will pay for airfare and meet me at the airport, yet I am already in Shanghai and they want me to come do a demo. Why is this demo mandatory when they made a promise through their recruiter to meet me at the airport. When I questioned them on this in email, they told me they needed to terminate the interview process.

I have been looking for a job this past week, I have talked to dozens of recruiters who give 2 basic types of offers:

A) University job, 14-20 hours, 20-30 students. Today one in Beijing promised to send me book material they use tomorrow. The others simply told me to do anything I want "salon style". Whatever that means, but I think I have an idea. I worked at Nova in Japan for three months. You don't want to do these type of classes. They are very hard to get people talking and you will feel helpless when you are the only one. It's like stuffing an elevator full of strangers and expecting some great party to come out of it.

B) Private school, elementary with like 15 kids, crappy pay, pay for an apartment yourself, the list goes on. If you are lucky to find a school for adults, you will have these salon style classes.

If the Beijing gig doesn't fall through like the other ones, I am considering going back to Korea. I didn't realize it was that terrible over here. I am glad I didn't waste a year and studied some Chinese in the midst of all this.

I think you would be better off finding something outside of Shanghai but close enough you could travel to. There is nothing you need to be around here for. I am sure you can get your noodles and dumplings all over china. No need to cram yourself into an international blender. Now, who here actually enjoys Shanghai and can balance out my slant?

[real2104]

Thanks a lot for your post! It really reflects your experiences well, thanks for sharing.

1) Been in Asia too long too care.

2) Eesh =/

3) I prefer that to the poorer places I've lived in.

4) Very annoying but tolerable!'

5) Really? That's very disappointing. I was just offered a job in Shanghai at a seemingly reputable school, 9300rmb a month, no accom included. It still sounds alright too me for 70 hrs a month. What do you think?

May I ask the kind of pay you've been offered?

[askiptochina]

Sure, payscale is like this:

3-6,000 - usually university jobs with part-time hours, place to stay on campus or maybe an apartment nearby.

6-8,000 - public school (middle and I think one high school), but not in shanghai. No public school offers, so you may need to wait for September. I haven't been in China long enough to see the cycle.

8,000-10,000 - these sound good and attract attention, but you will have to pay a security deposit and possibly a few months rent in advance. What if they fire you after 2 months? Is there a year lease you contract for? If you have to leave, what do you do? I lived and worked in Korea, and it isn't that good there to do this. I don't know how they arrange things here in China. I don't want to put down more than one month's rent personally.

I found that when you work with a big school, you don't get much say so. I have been able in the past to negotiate a higher salary with the "manager". However, when that manager leaves and a new one replaces, you have to convince them of the change of pay.

So, I am looking for either a smaller school where I work directly with the owner or like with the Beijing offer I could take privates in addition to the part-time hours. I did this in Kyoto, Japan for 3.5 years. I was able to come and go basically as I pleased with the other schools. Since they didn't get my visa for me and give me a place to live, the only thing they had to negotiate with me was money.

When you sign these full-time positions and they get you an apartment where money is taken out of your salary (like Nova in Japan was), they have a lot of control over you.