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smutbagdisco
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 28
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 Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 11:04 am Post subject: |
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| hewlett77 wrote: |
Put it this way. Once I�m working full time again or getting enough privates I will undertake online study with the Hmong Kong open university, if not this year at least next year. So meanwhile I will brush up on my grammar and teaching skills.
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If you've got the cash to do distance ed uni study, why not do volunteer work?
| hewlett77 wrote: |
| China needs people people like myself to motivate them to not give up learning English. It�s the only way Chinese people can really hopefully one day fully open up and appreciate other countries peoples and cultures and learn to work along side us, not to try and be better than other people. |
You sound like Li Yang without the patriotic overtones. He got kicked out of his university, moved to Guangdong and had to sleep on a window sill until he made it. If China needs you, you will be swimming in cash soon enough. Just depends on you.
| hewlett77 wrote: |
| If I have that chance to run a school in China with help from other people, I do it to benefit other people. Not just for myself. If you don�t know me so well you should look me up on face book and get to know me a little better. |
Get a lot more organised and then take the leap. The cost of running a school legally here isn't small change. |
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ForeignTrainer
Joined: 21 Jun 2010
Posts: 8
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| Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 1:24 pm Post subject: |
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Hewlett,
Don't give up man!
Hampson won't pay you 200 RMB an hour. That figure is per 2 hour lesson. In your first month you might not get many students - their system requires you and another FT to talk to each potential student, and the student gets to choose which teacher s/he prefers.
However, after a few months you can get around 14-15 000, possibly more if you're a workaholic, if the students like you. They can also get you an RP without you having to leave China, as can many schools in Shenzhen (the properly registered ones) if you're properly qualified, unless you are a US citizen (no idea why this is - it's the same for the ultra-correct Wall Street's employees here in Shenzhen - presumably a political thing.)
If you're presentable (no t-shirts, shorts, thongs, etc,) and willing to try a rather authoritarian teaching system, I suggest you go to Sun Moon. Call the manager (Lee - nice American guy) and get an interview. Forget about the bad press they've had recently because of the boss's problems, and focus on 14000 RMB after tax, with overtime available. |
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Teatime of Soul
Joined: 12 Apr 2007
Posts: 905
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| Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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| corij wrote: |
what would stop HEWLETT just putting out ads for his new school ? and starting straight away , no registration or any formalities. surely once up and running with client base he could spend a little registering,if its necessary
long as he has a chinese friend to word his ads correctly he surely can start now
go for it fellah ,i say |
Nobody reads those ads more assiduously than competing schools and PSB officials. The PSB will probably be his first customer; collecting, not paying.
It takes a lot of money, and time, before one can even apply for a license to hire foreigners (including oneself). One first needs to fully furnish a commercial property as a school, for starters. Commercial properties frequently require six months, or one year payment in advance.
And there is no assurance that the SAFEA license will be granted. Know a school waiting six years now.
So, not sure I'd say "go for it fellah"; but to each their own.
Cheers. |
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hewlett77
Joined: 17 Dec 2009
Posts: 95
Location: all over China
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| Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 8:53 am Post subject: |
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Well I have 500rmb left and after that I will have to sell my flatscreen tv which when it was brand new was 5,000rmb plus my desktop which was a round 3,600rmb plusn a fridge and washing machine.  life is good. |
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daCabbie
Joined: 02 Sep 2007
Posts: 244
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| Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 9:44 am Post subject: |
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What do you think caused you to end up in this position?
Six years in China and you don't have any back-up offers/options?
This is either really bad planning or is there more to the story?
Would having a degree have made a difference?
500rmb and some junk is all you have to show for six years? Why? How?
Please give us some more insight so we don't end up in the same position.
Keep in mind: You will survive. You have been through worse than this and survived. We have all been there at some point in our lives, the people who haven't aren't worth knowing. Just think of the stories we will all tell at the pub when we are old and gray. You are collecting them right now; Chapter 1.... |
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Zero
Joined: 08 Sep 2004
Posts: 1402
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| Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 11:39 pm Post subject: |
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I'll throw out one more idea for earning money in Shenzhen. Two words: scrap metal. Hook a trailer up to your car, motorcycle, scooter or even to yourself (I think they call that a rickshaw.) Put an ad on Craigslist that you will pick up any type of metal junk. A lot of people will have stuff cluttering up their garages, like old window unit air conditioners that don't work anymore, old metal lawn chairs, etc. They'll be happy to have the stuff out of their way. Take it home and sort it by metal type (aluminum, copper, etc.) You will have to invest in a few tools in order to cut all the metal out of various appliances and such. The most important tool is probably a Milwaukee Sawzall. Accept no substitutes.
Once you are done cutting and sorting, haul it to a local scrapyard and sell away! |
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LanGuTou
Joined: 23 Mar 2009
Posts: 621
Location: Shandong
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| Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 3:01 am Post subject: |
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| hewlett77 wrote: |
| Well I have 500rmb left and after that I will have to sell my flatscreen tv which when it was brand new was 5,000rmb plus my desktop which was a round 3,600rmb plusn a fridge and washing machine. life is good. |
There is something about your life story that is unbelievable but I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that this is not a wind up.
Even if you sell all of your worldly possessions, you will be lucky to have a net personal worth of over 4000 rmb. You say that you have no sustainable employment, a L visa which will have an expiration date and no employment must mean you either have to pay for your own accommodation or you have nowhere to live.
I think that you can forget fanciful ideas about opening schools and further study at the present time. Your options are limited in my opinion. You can sell your goods and hope to raise enough money to buy a ticket to another country (maybe home is a good idea).
Or I would suggest that you forget Shenzhen and use your time applying for backwater, low ranked universities in remote districts that have trouble recruiting foreign teachers. Pray to God that at least one of them has sufficient guanxi and need to get you a z visa invitation letter solely on the strength of that TESOL Certificate you say that you have. The chances of such a thing are becoming less and less but you may hit lucky. You can then delve into your personal fortune to firstly go from SZ to HK for the Z visa and then head straight for the university.
You probably will not have enough money left to get you through until the first pay check at the end of September so you may have to try to get a few privates just to feed yourself. |
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The Ever-changing Cleric
Joined: 19 Feb 2009
Posts: 1523
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| Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 3:44 am Post subject: |
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a lesson here for would be esl teachers: don't let yourself get down to your last 500RMB with no future plans in place.
BTW, I find this story by hewlett77 totally believable as I have a friend in a similar situation. he's recently rectified his plight somewhat, but he's not out of the woods yet, meaning he has yet to find a job, but at least he found a way to reduce his living expenses till he does. |
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rogerwilco
Joined: 10 Jun 2010
Posts: 1549
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| Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 6:11 am Post subject: |
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| The Ever-changing Cleric wrote: |
a lesson here for would be esl teachers: don't let yourself get down to your last 500RMB with no future plans in place.
BTW, I find this story by hewlett77 totally believable as I have a friend in a similar situation. he's recently rectified his plight somewhat, but he's not out of the woods yet, meaning he has yet to find a job, but at least he found a way to reduce his living expenses till he does. |
This also reminds me of the people that accept the very low salaries and then say "I am not here for the money".
One good reason for only accepting the higher salaries is so that you can save money so that you will not find yourself in the same situation as the OP.
China can be hell without money, and savings are very important in case you find yourself in a bad situation or you need to leave the country quickly. |
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Voldermort
Joined: 14 Apr 2004
Posts: 597
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| Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 7:38 am Post subject: |
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Hewletts situation is totally believable as I myself have found myself in a similar one.
I live in a small city, much much smaller than Shenzhen, and found myself without a job. I too don't have a degree but I pride myself on being a good teacher. There are no jobs available here, when I say jobs I mean those that also provide the RP. I'm on a spousal visa and am fine up until June next year but I am going to have to find an alternate method of obtaining a visa since I will divorce in the near future.
So, without a job or legal visa, I manage to make 6000 RMB per month simply by hosting a class in my home each weekend. I have the means to make much more but I don't want to be greedy and have the PSB beating on my door. This began as a means to survive but now I find myself enjoying it much more than teaching in a school. If I could do it legaly I would jump at the chance so if anybody has an idea about that please spill.
Hewlett, the costs and hassles involved in opening a school are too much for you in your current situation. The best you can do, as a means to survive, is host a small class in your own home. Use a little of that 500 RMB you have to print some fliers and invest in a whiteboard and some books. Your visa may be rectified by making HK trips or striking a deal with a local training center (pay them to do it for you). |
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hewlett77
Joined: 17 Dec 2009
Posts: 95
Location: all over China
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| Posted: Mon Jun 28, 2010 2:16 pm Post subject: |
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| some good news, getting more work through this new gig. worked a whole 12 hours today. Tommrow 9 hours. Maybe there is a god somewhere out there |
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JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
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| Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 1:15 am Post subject: |
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Why does it sicken me?
You are not qualified to provide the service that you are offering and not in a position to do so legally. It would be a kind of scam like cowboys who have rudimentary knowledge of electrical matters and go around offering to do rewiring jobs on the cheap. At least you cannot kill somebody with your substandard service but the underlying principle is the same. |
And a university degree in subject x makes someone qualified to teach English?
Actually to be fair most native speakers learn English from people who are not trained teachers (their parents, relatives, etc.) |
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LanGuTou
Joined: 23 Mar 2009
Posts: 621
Location: Shandong
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| Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 1:33 am Post subject: |
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| JZer wrote: |
| Quote: |
Why does it sicken me?
You are not qualified to provide the service that you are offering and not in a position to do so legally. It would be a kind of scam like cowboys who have rudimentary knowledge of electrical matters and go around offering to do rewiring jobs on the cheap. At least you cannot kill somebody with your substandard service but the underlying principle is the same. |
And a university degree in subject x makes someone qualified to teach English?
Actually to be fair most native speakers learn English from people who are not trained teachers (their parents, relatives, etc.) |
The point I was trying to make relates to people setting up illicit businesses.
Imagine a scenario in which people can arrive in China without any qualifications, call themselves a teacher and go around soliciting freelance work simply because they are a native speaker?
There are rules and regulations related to immigration and establishing businesses in every country. They are there for a reason.
I don't care about Hewlett getting a job with a school without a degree. Part of that is down to supply and demand issues.
But, having experienced the stress, expense and toil of setting up a business legitimately in China, it does rile me that people get away with operating freelance businesses illegally. And they do.
Yes, my business has nothing to do with ESL but I have come to detest the whole ethos of operating illegal businesses especially when it is not even within your own country.
That said, I also have sympathy for people in Voldermort's position who are stuck here on a spousal visa unable to work legally. Marriage should give you the right to support your family regardless of nationality. |
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RonHex
Joined: 10 Nov 2009
Posts: 243
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| Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 1:34 am Post subject: |
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| good to hear... make sure to bank as much cash as you can... I never let my bank account get below 20,000RMB .. I figure thats the minimum amount needed if you find yourself in trouble. |
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The Ever-changing Cleric
Joined: 19 Feb 2009
Posts: 1523
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| Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 2:03 am Post subject: |
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| LanGuTou wrote: |
| JZer wrote: |
| Quote: |
Why does it sicken me?
You are not qualified to provide the service that you are offering and not in a position to do so legally. It would be a kind of scam like cowboys who have rudimentary knowledge of electrical matters and go around offering to do rewiring jobs on the cheap. At least you cannot kill somebody with your substandard service but the underlying principle is the same. |
And a university degree in subject x makes someone qualified to teach English?
Actually to be fair most native speakers learn English from people who are not trained teachers (their parents, relatives, etc.) |
The point I was trying to make relates to people setting up illicit businesses.
Imagine a scenario in which people can arrive in China without any qualifications, call themselves a teacher and go around soliciting freelance work simply because they are a native speaker? |
based on my experiences, in korea and china, many, perhaps the majority of private language schools - the legal ones included - are owned and run by people who have no qualifications to teach, and in a lot of cases these people can barely speak passable english themselves. people like hewlett77 are no less qualified to do the same thing, perhaps even more qualified since at least he/she is (most likely) a native speaker. |
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