Job Discussion Forums

[AdamtheJohnson]

I have it in my head that I'm going to do Yangshuo as my first gig.

A little about me. 26 years old. Bachelor's Degree in photography. Not teaching experience. No CELTA or other cert.

What can I expect from a position in Yangshuo, including pay and cost of life?

I dont expect much, nor do I need much. I plan to live a very simple, quiet, meditative life in China.

Im willing to venture outside Yangshuo as well, as long as it's a rural area.

[wangdaning]

[CJD]

never been there, but it's probably flooded with tourists 8 months of the year

i wouldn't want to live in a place like that - you'd probably be treated as a tourist everywhere you go

[nickpellatt]

You can actually live quite a quite life in Yangshuo. It can be busy with tourists, but the majority of the Chinese tourists are ferried in for a day trip and dont venture much further than the Li River and West Street. Too some degree, the same can be said for the backpacker crowd. Find a place other than Alley Bar or 98 when you want a quiet beer and you'll be OK.

One of my closest friends worked in Yangshuo in 2008, I went there in 2009 until Summer 2010, and I hope to be returning later this year for a second stint there.

Regarding teaching options, there are a number of training centres, especially considering the size of the town. The biggest ones are Omeida, Zhuo Yue, and Oral and all three focus on teaching adults in classes of less than 10 students, rather than children, although there are other schools that offer classes for youngsters if thats your thing.

Based purely on my experience, a typical monthly salary would range from around 3500 RMB for 15 hours per week to 5300 for a 22.5 hour week. All classes run from Monday - Friday and between office hours. Evening classes and working weekends do not appear to be the norm in Yangshuo training centres. Housing and utilities are provided, and free or discounted meals at school are pretty standard too. A contribution towards a return flight home is paid according to months worked. This is probably toward the lower end of the pay scale in China, but (and this is personal to me) I would prefer to be in a location I want, teaching an age group I want for a lower salary than in other, less desirable (to me) teaching locations and circumstances.

For me, the cost of living was low, but I have simple tastes. Daily staples for me were as follows:
20 cigarettes - 2.5 RMB
Steamed bread from a street vendor for breakfast - 1 RMB
Cheap noodle type lunch - 5 RMB
Very drinkable tea from a booth/shop - 4 RMB per mug
600 ml local beer in a Western type bar - 7 RMB
One meat dish / one veg dish / rice, in a reasonable restaurant for 2 - <50RMB.

Tourist things last year:
Bike hire for a day - 5 RMB
Cormorant fishing trip - 20 RMB
Entrance ticket to Moon Hill - 20 RMB
Entrance ticket to cave/other attractions - 65 RMB
San Jie Liu lightshow ticket - 135 RMB

Short term, life can be very comfortable in Yangshuo, although if you stayed long term, and had the additional expenses associated with that you may have to make some compromises.

BUT - with no experience and no recognised EFL qualifications, people arent exactly going to be 'champing at the bit' to employ you. I would guess this would be more true when applying from overseas. A number of training centres have started to ask prospective teachers to take a demo class prior to be offered a contract (to weed out the inept). I work in the UK with an experienced and qualified EFL teacher who failed a demo class in Yangshuo before finding employment there. Simply having a white face 'may' not be enough.

Two ways around this, which may or may not be of interest to you or anyone else who reads the thread; Apply in person. If you catch the right employer at the right time you may get a chance regardless of experience just because they have a desperate need for a teacher. A second option (for the inexperienced and unqualified) is to visit Yangshuo and join a volunteer program offered by a number of the schools. Proving yourself in that scenario may lead to a post in the town. These programs typically involve hosting or attending English Corner, in return you get bed and board. I met a guy in Yangshuo who followed that route and got a job at Zhuo Yue on the back of his volunteer stint.

Hope that helps.

edited to add - Also look at Buckland. They are mainly a recruiter based in Yangshuo, and they have a smallish school there too. Most people who go through Buckland have some time in Yangshuo for training before being placed elsewhere. Their placements are normally in smaller towns and cities, so might also fit your needs. Dont have any first hand knowledge of them though, so check their website, google etc.

[Dr. Dow]

" an experienced and qualified EFL teacher" wasn't offered a job in Yangshuo?

I walked down the street in Yangshou and was offered several jobs. I started my venture from Bar 98. The Oz chap was quite friendly.

I guess my walking style is better than a CELTA/Trinity piece of paper.

" would prefer to be in a location I want, teaching an age group I want for a lower salary than in other, less desirable (to me) teaching locations and circumstances. "

Agree with you there Nick.

Dow

[nickpellatt]

I work with him in UK summer schools, and will do so again this year too. He used one of his 'tried and tested' lessons from the summer school but didnt impress. I dont really know why, and TBH .... he normally does better on ratings and popularity than I do when we work together! That was a few months before I went there in 2009, and he did find work a week later in another place (again in Yangshuo). I dont know if it was a personal thing or a professional thing. The environment we work together in during UK summer schools IS markedly different to teaching in China though.

Your experience there suggests that what I think it true though...that if you are there, you WILL find work. There are plenty of schools there, and all things being equal, you should luck out with at least one of them.

Its probably a bit of a double edged sword. If you were a school owner/employer in Yangshuo, you might think the odds favour finding a teacher already in the town who might join you, as opposed to an untested/untried applicant from abroad. My employers there wouldnt be too interested in unqualifed/inexperienced applicants from abroad, based on my experience there last year, possibly for this reason.

[LongShiKong]

You can also get certification at TEFL China (in addition to Buckland). Can't tell you anything more about them other than that they offered me a training position 2 yrs ago. Anyone else?
http://www.teflchina.com.cn/Courses/index.html

[Dr. Dow]

I once chatted with a cat named Odar. R sent me. The End.

[chinaroman]

For me, the cost of living was low, but I have simple tastes. Daily staples for me were as follows:
20 cigarettes - 2.5 RMB

Nick, What the heck king of cigarettes do you smoke?

[nickpellatt]

I used to smoke Huang Shan at 5 RMB per pack, but then I tried the local smokes at 2.5. I cant remember the name, it was three syllables, but they were local ones. Actually, not sure if they were produced 'locally', but were sold as such. The pack had an oval window on the front with a picture of typical Guilin scene ... green mountains and river.

[AdamtheJohnson]

[nickpellatt]

As a tourist you probably wont get bike hire so cheaply. I dont know the normal rate, but the local rate (which is easily available when you are teaching in the town) is the rate I have posted. All the other prices are standard menu prices.

TBH, sleeping outdoors isnt something I would recommend. I would say the days of people travelling to Yangshuo, living free and wild, and sleeping under the stars probably happened in 1980, but I aint so sure its like that now...I could be wrong though.

[MisterButtkins]

Is sleeping outside even legal in China?

[nickpellatt]

Not sure if its legal or not, but I am not so sure about it being safe. I have never felt threatened or in any trouble in China, be it Yangshuo or elsewhere, but sleeping outside is asking for trouble IMO, in a country where help is not likely to be forthcoming.

[AdamtheJohnson]