Job Discussion Forums

PittGirl07 · Joined: 06 Jun 2011 Posts: 7

Hi guys. I am considering a position in Henan province at a university. Housing, meals, flight, all included. ~16 hours of teaching per week, about $2222/month over 9 months....salary is paid in USD to our American bank accounts. It's not in a huge city and I'm more of an urban type, but it has a lot of benefits. Does anyone have experience with Sias International U? I have been having trouble with the search function here so I figured I'd just ask. If anyone is a current teach or has taught there currently I'd love to hear from you. I am considering this and I am keeping my fingers crossed for another uni job in Korea, but unfortunately, the startup costs would be enormous for me because they don't include as much, though the pay is more.

Anyway, anyone with experience at Sias and in Henan province, please get back to me! Also, on a related note, is the flooding that has been going on anywhere near this university?

rogerwilco · Joined: 10 Jun 2010 Posts: 1549

Over 14,000 RMB per month ?
Is that correct ? Seems very high for a Uni.

wiganer · Joined: 22 Sep 2010 Posts: 189

From Wikipedia:

As of 2007, there were 90 foreign faculty from 4 different countries teaching at SIAS. The overwhelming majority of the foreign faculty are U.S. citizens, although Canadians, Filipinos, Japanese, South African, Mexicans, Argentinians etc., have also been sparsely represented. Within this block of American teachers, the trend has been to recruit college graduates with connections to religious organizations on the west coast of the United States.

Rolling Eyes

I am suprised you haven't paid them to work there.

wiganer · Joined: 22 Sep 2010 Posts: 189

As Jimmy Cricket would say - and there's more!

Most (if not all) of the foreign faculty at SIAS are temporary, as wages in Central China are a small fraction of their earning potential back home. Also, the school pays less per month than many universities around China do for foreign teachers. Many come either looking for adventure, to experience a new country, or to clandestinely conduct missionary activity.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16]

Regardless of their reasons for arriving at SIAS, all foreign teachers are held to a high standard of Academic integrity, and the overwhelming majority of them take their positions as EFL teachers seriously, attending workshops and seminars. Most foreign teachers at SIAS stay for 2 years, although some have stayed up to 7 and some have left after 4 months. After their stint at SIAS, most foreign teachers return to their home countries, although some continued their expat life in China, pursuing academic or business careers in other cities or provinces.

As the expat community in Henan Province is an extremely small, but very visible, minority (about 1,000 out of 100 million)[17], many opportunities are constantly afforded to foreign teachers outside of their regular duties. While their visas allow them only to work for SIAS, they attend government banquets, functions, or appear as guests on television shows. This is not particular to SIAS or Henan as international teachers throughout China are afforded these unique opportunities.

So, they have gone from bringing missionaries to work for next to nothing to now paying what are probably the best wages in Henan.

I live in Henan, it is a uniquely Chinese experience - epicentre of the Han culture, most densely populated part of China and it hardly rains here so you are nowhere near the floods. This place is a private university so there is plenty is scope in getting a proper headbanging experience in more ways than one, inside and outside the school gates!

rogerwilco · Joined: 10 Jun 2010 Posts: 1549

wiganer · Joined: 22 Sep 2010 Posts: 189

PittGirl07 · Joined: 06 Jun 2011 Posts: 7

They pay in USD to my US bank and it is $20k for the year split up into 9 monthly payments. Nothing was mentioned in the interview about missionaries and they didn't ask my affiliation or anything.

Thanks for all the input.

PittGirl07 · Joined: 06 Jun 2011 Posts: 7

They do provide all meals so the only time I would need money is if I wanted to buy souvenirs or go out....are ATMS not readily available?

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

You would need a masters in a teachable subject and a Western teaching registration plus several years of exp to score that kind of dough.
The employer would likely be an international school.
It may be legit - if so it marks a big step up in Chinese uni salaries - as others have mentioned.
Best

johntpartee · Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 3258

If something sounds too good to be true......

This sounds too good to be true. Let us know....

rogerwilco · Joined: 10 Jun 2010 Posts: 1549

henanman · Joined: 20 Jun 2010 Posts: 2 Location: Dao Lu

Hello,

Did you get this job offer through Fort Hays? If so, that is the deal. 20,000, free housing, free food, and few classes. That hasn't changed since 2000.

I worked there before through them. It was a nice enough set up...

As far as the religious influence, and the like, it was there. However, it was never a big deal for me. I just kind of smiled, worked well, and did my own thing without bothering others. Always got out of there on the weekends and holidays. I guess the only thing that was weird there was the curfews and that.

Mind you, this was a while ago, the place may have done a backflip since.

Cheers

Guerciotti · Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 5:33 am Post subject:

bryanjspen · Joined: 09 May 2011 Posts: 30 Location: Suzhou, China

It's 20k USD. I know someone that worked there, they only did so for one year. It's definitely in the middle of no where - doesn't really have any Western amenities that you would find in larger cities. If you don't mind standing out as a foreigner and being somewhere without a lot to do (in return you make good money for China) - it's not a bad deal.

henanman · Joined: 20 Jun 2010 Posts: 2 Location: Dao Lu

Yes, 20,000 USD was/is the pay for the Fort Hays teachers. The pay for the other foreign teachers was 5,500 RMB. Free food, free housing, electric, gas, and water...and free trips to Zhengzhou on the weekends for all foreigners.

There were things to do; there weren't so many things "Western" to do/get, off campus...There is a mountain near there that is nice to hike. The city itself is small for China, somewhere around 300,000 people. But the people there were friendly enough and tried to help out for the most part. Had to scout around somewhat for the best restaurants. Street life night life was going on there in a friendly way.

Henan is really a cool province with lots to do and see if one gets out there and does and sees.

If you get bored one weekend, pack you a GSE bag, get on the train tracks behind the school and walk to the next town. Pretty amazing what a person runs into, doing such.

Cheers