Job Discussion Forums

[GregSka]

For several months I have been anticipating my move out of town for the crowded streets of Guangzhou. Now that I am finishing school, I am anxious to be on my way. I have decided that at the start of May, I will fly to Guangzhou to visit as many schools as possible and try to find employment.

Clearly, I haven't the slightest clue as to what I'm getting into.

Can anyone tell me if this "knocking on doors" method will work to my advantage? More importantly, can any of you point me in the direction of some good job listings in Guangzhou? I've bookmarked most of the ones on this site, but I'm constantly looking for more. Any help is appreciated.

[prawn]

you've got the right idea. if youre there and ready to go, you're holding all the aces. i would guess that you'll easily find work, so don't rush into things - compare and contrast and go for the job of your choice. try the universities too (zhongshan would be a start), in fact try them first. you should be looking at 8000/mth in gz, accom visa and all the usuals supplied; any less and you're there for charity's sake alone no matter what certain ploughers of ancient furrows would have you believe. if youre there and people know youre looking for work, you'll as likely get a job by word of mouth as you would by finding it in any job listing.

[Lanza-Armonia]

IMHO, I don't think you've got a single problem. I went their in January for a little holiday. I stayed their five days and then went through to HK. In those days I mearly gave out a few business cards, I didn't ask for any jobs whatsoever!!!, and was horded <sp?> with offers.

If you are doing the door-knocking thing, you haven't got a thing to worry about!

Enjoy The smelly pit of the earth, i mean, Guangzhou

LA

[GregSka]

Well thanks for all the information! I guess that is one less thing to worry about..

I'm also curious to know: is it best to give each school I visit a full resume (cover letter, resume, letters of reference) or just a simple business card? Should I email every school before I plan to visit it?

[Roger]

Well, you maybe surprised to learn that some schools actually do care who they hire, and they will NOT take just any newbie with a Ken smile on his beardless visage. Contrary to what's been claimed by previous posters, you should be equipped with some dough to survive on your own, and possibly, be a tad bit professional, - if that's not asking for too much!
Where do you think you want to end up? Can you teach? Handle adults whose first tongue is not the same as yours? Can you deal with teenagers, or kiddies?

Should you have those docs available? Of course, matey, and much more besides.

How about giving trial lessons? That's now almost the norm, man!

[Cowboy Pete]

"Keen smile on beardless visage"
The quote of the week.
Please see The Great Wall of Weiner for your prize.

[Klamm]

8000Rmb? Just show up? I beg to differ.

Take a look on the net. I just did a search and pulled up all the Uni's in Guangzhou. Most offer around 5,000 Rmb a month. Zhongshan offers 70,000 a year to full professors who have published in the last five years. The scale goes down quickly from there.

Maybe you can negotiate a better deal but I really think its misleading to tell a guy coming to Guangzhou that people are going to run up and offer him 8,000 a month. Jobs are here and plentiful, but 8K a month base is no cynch, that's my experience.

I'd be interested to hear more about these easy 8K month Uni's. Chances the cowboys just fire their guns off an nothin' more to be heard. You who ain' so used to fixin' with the barrel better lissen herey.

K.

[Rhino]

I work just north of Guangzhou and almost every FT I know there is making 8000 and up. If you want to know where they work Greg, just PM me. I agree that you should'nt settle for less than 7 or 8000 in Guangzhou.
Cheers

[scoobydo]

I have lived and worked in Guangzhou teaching for 3 years. I don't know many people earning 8,000 Yuan and upwards, from a full time job (actually I only know one).

As Klamm said: look at the websites and tell me where the high paying jobs are. Incidently the last Zhongshan University job I saw was offering 3,000 Yuan a month (previously it had been 2,200!). Guangzhou University offers a "hefty" 2,400 - 4,000 Yuan per month. Guangzhou is expensive and those are real poverty wages.

Personally I'm very busy (part time) but as a Chinese teacher told me a couple of days ago "You must be a good teacher if you are busy, Guangzhou has many foreign teachers but few of them are busy". I am also established. When I first came to Guangzhou I was literally walking into jobs. Not any more. It's much tougher to find new part time work now.

In recent times there has been a large influx of foreign teachers into Guangzhou and if anything the wages, in the last 3 years have remained stagnant or are even falling. I'm earning less, part-time, per hour than I was 3 years ago.

I think it is misleading to give the impression that it's easy to find a high paying job in Guangzhou. The high paying jobs are rare and difficult to find and they take up so much of your time you can't do much, if any, part time work. If you have a lower paying job with less hours you can try to make your money up with part time work but be aware it is getting more and more competitive all the time in Guangzhou and the part-time rates appear to be falling.

Incidently, to Rhino, I have a pretty good idea where those well paid teachers are working. One of the schools gets roasted on the jobs journal and the other loses half of its teachers each year (they are either sacked or do a midnight run). In my experience, in Guangzhou, the best paying schools have to pay more to stop the teachers running away from either the workload or the conditions. Many still do however.

I get the impression you can make more money in Beijing and Shanghai.

[Rhino]

I kinda thought that someone would figure out what those schools were! But 2500-3500rmbs! Holy crap...you would starve in Guangzhou making that.Scooby, It surprises me that you dont know many teachers making more than 8000 in Guangzhou. All of us in Yingde(2 hours north) are making 7000-8000RMBs working about 20 hours a week. More money in Beijing? I personally dont believe that at all, at least not from what I've heard from the teachers working there. As you said it depends on how busy you are. As far as the School I'm refering too, I agree...its a bit of a mill but on the other hand I know teachers there signing on for there 5th year. I'm willing to bet Greg finds a job in Guangzhou making at least 6000RMBs if he's working full time (25 hours). Heck Greg, Maybe you can have my job in August. Yingde is a great town to work in!

[Klamm]

Yes. Let's clarify, please? Information on this board can be extremely misleading and unhelpful.

1) You CAN find high paying jobs in Guangzhou (6,000 Rmb+) but don't expect to just walk into one. Giving a newbie abroad the impression he/she can just walk into one is wrong and unfair to them. MAYBE they get lucky, maybe they don't but the average Joe should have start-up money and consider that they might not get a high-paying job right away. Looking on the net and setting up interviews and contacts BEFORE leaving is smart move in China as it would be in other country you come to unemployed. Think.

2) High-paying jobs generally involve poorer teaching conditions. There is one major company in Guangzhou that offers 8 - 10,000 Rmb a month. I would never want to work there. That particular company IS here but why not go to Taiwan and look there? Probably could find better conditions and pay there then that particular company offers.

3) Getting A JOB (any job) should not be very difficult at all. Just remember that you might need to accept what they're offering, take it or leave it. It depends. I guess what I'm saying is that teachers who come here and get offers for 4,000 Rmb a month and demand because they think they're getting undercut are often wasting their time. A lot of schools would love a foreigner but aren't in the mood to bargain. It's up to the individual. Sometimes school will bargain sometimes not. Just use your head and don't bull around. That never gets anywhere in China.

So let's keep things a little more thought oriented. I should would love to know where those high paying Uni jobs have been hiding all this time! I've searched the internet and scoured the city. Thought I was missing something. False alarm.

[Rhino]

Good post Kamm. Just out of curiosity, do you know anyone who as worked for Ai...ehhr THIS company? I'm not mocking you, but like you said, posts on this site can be missleading. I was hired by them and they granted my request to work in a smaller town and my wife and I have gotten on quite well here. Greg, whatever you decide make sure you ask for teacher refrences that work or have worked there. Cheers!

[Klamm]

No I don't know anyone whose worked there. Grapevine. Do your own research on whatever job you're looking at. Be careful, be wary and sure plenty o' rotten teachers that give schools or companies a bad shake.

Research. Follow your gut.

K.

[GregSka]

Well I'm glad that you guys are giving the heads up on both sides of the industry. I've found in the career field I am pursuing that quite often it all comes down to attitude. People with a bad attitude almost always end up missing the great jobs, so I've had to do a bit of changing in the way I approach things. I really don�t know if it�s like this for teaching ESL, but I guess I'll find out soon. Hopefully my naivety wont get me into too much trouble.

[Roger]

Aipusen often transfers its FT's outside Guangzhou, and some do make more dough out there. How many are working for them in good ol' Canton??

The longest-established training centres never advertise any more; they are busy fobbing off foreign job seekers.

A couple of years ago, going-rates seemed to be on an upward swing. These days, they candidly tell you that they are not willing to pay more than a RMB 100 an hour - that's those that do advertise in the media.
Those that pay RMB 150 - one for example regularly advertises on the website of That's Guangzhou - is an Aussie lady and her Chinese husband, and they have a high turnover of teachers. Just ask one of those departed why they left! (I nearly forgot - she doesn't advertise her name, but I will give you her first name: Yvonne).

Another factor is that you have to commute ever more, and ever longer distances! I simply don't accept jobs where I have to take a taxi for half an hour, or a bus for one hour one way, and get RMB 200.
If I arrive 5 minutes late, I can forfeit my hourly rate!

Finally, it's a fact that it's easier to earn more in the neighbourhoods of Guangzhou.
But, who wants to live there?
Oh, those who do, will soon find their places swamped with jobseekers! The market is not that large, - you will see!