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Problems recruiting teachers to teach ESL in China
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mat chen



Joined: 01 Nov 2009
Posts: 494
Location: xiangtan hunan

PostPosted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 2:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Please write us back when your survey is in and you have moved on. Don't spin your wheels for nothing. You are doing their job.
Tell me if I got this right. You bonded with your employers over a big meal in an expensive restaurant. Much baiju was consumed. You are now trying to get young good looking people to come and work there. They are not teachers but should look good.
OK the problem is this in a nutshell. The city where I met my wife in 6 years ago while I was working in a college, had two private schools for learning English. I was supposed to work in one of them but didn't like working for mafia types. Now this city has 93 small schools for learning English. People come here and find themselves in a problem. They can't teach and know nothing about Chinese culture.
In the past you came here then moved on to Taiwan or Korea with a little experience in your belt. Now you come here and there are no students you leave feeling you are worthless and get out the profession.
It ain't about money. The maket is saturated and at the same time China is getting away from English on the curriculum. Too many Chinese students have gone abroad to no name schools and came home with nothing.
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xjgirl



Joined: 02 Feb 2010
Posts: 242

PostPosted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 3:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

while I wouldn't say the market is saturated,
it's clear in recent times, many entrepreneurs have made the move
to dodgy overseas preparation programmes which earn them far more
cash than your traditional training centre or city-centre kindergarden/evening school or private college
The average FT'S salary for these programmes(very full-time btw) is a ridiculous 10-12000, ridiculous when u consider the students are each paying 30000+ per year
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xjgirl



Joined: 02 Feb 2010
Posts: 242

PostPosted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 3:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

these salaries are this low, because the whole thing is a scam in the first place
-in the end the administration of these places don't care about the
quality of teaching, they've found a way to bypass the IELTS exam to
place chinese students abroad, so there's no real test of the student's ability..

so as it's so easy to be accepted into a foreign university, there's no need
to put an emphasis on attracting both quality teachers and students to make sure the students reach an acceptable level of English...

also because of the fact that there's plenty of idiots out there who'll take these jobs the bean-counters can easily keep salaries far below what they should be
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mrwslee003



Joined: 14 Nov 2009
Posts: 190

PostPosted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:07 pm    Post subject: attracting FTs. Reply with quote

I am glad to hear finally someone is interested in what would attract
FTs to their schools.

The following conditions would do: A decent wage-8K to 15K per month
depending on the location. A clean western style accomodation. Working
hours to be around 20 per week. Class size no more than 25. Provide
help with settlement. Contract that is transparent and no hidden conditions. Provide plenty of teaching resouces.
Extra duties must be mutually agreeable. Reimburse annual return flight to home country after satisfactory service.

I think that is a good start.
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igorG



Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 1473
Location: asia

PostPosted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 6:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
while I wouldn't say the market is saturated,
it's clear in recent times, many entrepreneurs have made the move
to dodgy overseas preparation programmes which earn them far more
cash than your traditional training centre or city-centre kindergarden/evening school or private college
The average FT'S salary for these programmes(very full-time btw) is a ridiculous 10-12000, ridiculous when u consider the students are each paying 30000+ per year
I too wouldn't say the market is saturated but i'd say it's tightly controlled and that on any level in the field. The dodgy overseas prep programmes are to make big bucks to not only the local entrepreneurs that often subscribe to some filthy western companies, but also to the higher educational institutions aborad that're financially strapped or just hungry for more than they have. I can't imagine the 50,000 or 70,000 Yuan hard to refund tuition fees for such programs around, and then I find it difficult to imagine that the FTs in this biz actually have any authority to accept or pass the local students in these kind of programs. How great such opportunities really are Wink

On topic, i'd put the terms and conditions of the employment first, and then i'd look at the salary, reimbursement and accomodation terms. The terms and conditions often come with some unclear contractual clauses, as i believe someone has mentioned on here, and contracts often are one-sided too. Then, the support and/or resourses we have around are most often quite inadequate. Schools often begin and operate with little to go on with and that's the fact. FTs are at times asked to create materials that they do not hold copyrights to, and i've seen such materials pasted, copied and re-used as a request to another FT. Let's face it! local market does not offer professional academic material pertaining any level of English language education, and then the local management of the market lacks much of anything related to the English language educaiton at any level. Needless to get into the local management styles that often compromise and/or misevaluate our effort.

On the end, and into the future, the control is and will be on. The poor recruiting techniques, terms and conditions will continue and we'll have to start sucking up more and more.

PS; I agree with someone that's mentioned the teaching hours. They seem to be rising and they often aren't meant as "teaching hours" but hours of teaching. Be aware!
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Teatime of Soul



Joined: 12 Apr 2007
Posts: 905

PostPosted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 4:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd think a school would have a poor reputation to be unable find teachers from abroad.

A former colleague who works as a manager in a large school tells me they have been swamped with (often massively overqualified) candidates for at least the last year.

But, this is China so YMMV.
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xjgirl



Joined: 02 Feb 2010
Posts: 242

PostPosted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 4:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

hardly?

I can't find anyone decent for my school that's offering a pretty good salary.

Just the usual suspects- non-native speakers, suspiciously christian-looking American folk or just plain weird looking single men either too young or too old
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rogerwilco



Joined: 10 Jun 2010
Posts: 1549

PostPosted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 6:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

xjgirl wrote:
just plain weird looking single men either too young or too old


Hey !


I resemble that remark !


Could you please explain ?
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xjgirl



Joined: 02 Feb 2010
Posts: 242

PostPosted: Sun May 01, 2011 3:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

well, Chinese people resent anyone too young to be making the same money as them as in a Chinese person's eyes, these young people haven't 'served their time' i.e been exploited for their first few years of working

Also, Chinese are wary of the potential medical liability old people bring to the table.

I mentioned single guys, because, Chinese don't want them messing with the students
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A'Moo



Joined: 21 Jan 2007
Posts: 1067
Location: a supermarket that sells cheese

PostPosted: Sun May 01, 2011 1:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

xjgirl wrote:
hardly?

I can't find anyone decent for my school that's offering a pretty good salary.

Just the usual suspects- non-native speakers, suspiciously christian-looking American folk or just plain weird looking single men either too young or too old

So true, however you left out big-boned English/Cdn/American girls...
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Teatime of Soul



Joined: 12 Apr 2007
Posts: 905

PostPosted: Sun May 01, 2011 3:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

xjgirl
Quote:
I can't find anyone decent for my school that's offering a pretty good salary.

Just the usual suspects- non-native speakers, suspiciously christian-looking American folk or just plain weird looking single men either too young or too old


I think I see your problem.

Wink

China: Where price and appearance always trump value and substance.

Cheers
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xjgirl



Joined: 02 Feb 2010
Posts: 242

PostPosted: Sun May 01, 2011 4:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

aye, those too amoo, though i haven't received any, i would have mentioned em if i had!
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A'Moo



Joined: 21 Jan 2007
Posts: 1067
Location: a supermarket that sells cheese

PostPosted: Sun May 01, 2011 7:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Teatime of Soul wrote:
xjgirl
Quote:
I can't find anyone decent for my school that's offering a pretty good salary.

Just the usual suspects- non-native speakers, suspiciously christian-looking American folk or just plain weird looking single men either too young or too old


I think I see your problem.

Wink

China: Where price and appearance always trump value and substance.

Cheers

I think she means quite the opposite.
A place for teaching-not a place for proseltyzing, teaching poor english skills, or a dumping ground for the western worlds unattractive lonely old men in need of youngish female company.
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TexasHighway



Joined: 03 Dec 2005
Posts: 779

PostPosted: Mon May 02, 2011 1:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A'Moo wrote:
Quote:
A place for teaching-not a place for proseltyzing, teaching poor english skills, or a dumping ground for the western worlds unattractive lonely old men in need of youngish female company.

So the alternative is to hire a bunch of attractive, sex-crazed young guys with no teaching ability or experience and whose sole purpose is to score with as many of their female students as possible. Hmm....I can see your dilemma, xjgirl.
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