Job Discussion Forums

[kona]

Hi everyone,

Was wondering what could I expect with a fresh MA TESOL in China? I don't have a great deal of experience, just 6 months ESL in Mexico, one year as an uncertified teacher in the states, one year as a counselor, and one year as a Juvenile Parole Officer (I doubt that will count for much).

What can I hope to get in China with these quals and exp? Any higher ranking university positions in the major cities (Maybe Beijing or Tianjin)?

Thanks for all your great posts everyone,

kona

[SahanRiddhi]

With the MA TESOL you can expect a salary of about 5,200 RMB a month. That's compared with 5,000 a month if you only had a BA.

Seriously, the MA TESOL is of almost no use throughout most of China and will likely never pay for itself. The exceptions might be a few joint venture university programs, which are partnerships between Chinese and western schools. These seem to be growing in number -- pretty big trend. Also, at some international schools the MA TESOL might be valued.

[time to teach]

Pay little attention to the naysayers here, China is wide open and there are many ways to you to put your MA TESOL to good use. If I were you I'd start with a uni or intl. school gig in one of the bigger cities. My advice is to pick a city and move there, also check out these websites:
www.echinacities.com
www.shenzhenparty.com

[xjgirl]

international schools i guess
salaries over 20000rmb a month

[kona]

If I did an international school route, it would probably be better to get the job from over hear in the states, right? Also, is it true that Uni Jobs only pay 5000 max? If so, then wow... thats a lot lower than I thought... Anyone out there with an MA TESOL? If so, what are you doing? Hows the work, hrs, salary, benefits, which city, etc?

[Non Sequitur]

Yeah the schools hire from offshore and you should be looking for the post-Chinese NY (Feb) semester start, although there may be a few unis plagued by no shows from last month or people who they are letting go through non performance. These will want to to start tomorrow.
As to international schools I think you really need to be a credentialed and experienced class teacher at home to score here.
Still as others have said - this is China and any and every thing is possible.
China is a big ask if you haven't lived in Asia before.
My advice is transition here in the least hassle way possible.
This usually equates to a uni or vocational college but the package is liveable.
Once here then look around to see 'where next?'
Curriculum development in a big language school chain might be an area to suit your qual. But, get the transition to China and a couple of semesters teaching on your CV first.

[SahanRiddhi]

Call me a naysayer, but I maintain that the MA TESOL is really not the appropriate credential for China. It could lead to a well-paid job. But if I were playing the numbers, I'd go for K-12 certification in my own country. That is the more normal qualification for getting into an international school. Whether some people get in with the MA TESOL, I don't really know, but I'd think a few do.

I also believe that a few people get into the university joint venture programs with the MA TESOL, but again, it's not the standard credential for them. What they are looking for is subject-matter instructors with a master's degree in their area, such as finance.

And yes, standard university pay for EFL in China is 5,000 RMB/month.

[Miajiayou]

Can an MA TESOL get you a job in an international school? I thought the real deal required teaching certification and experience in your home country.

I don't think it would matter that much in China, tbh. I'd like to get my MA TESOL, but I eventually want to teach ESL in my home country.

[igorG]

Reading your posts is becoming pretty interesting.

The OP isn't a certified teacher, which means NO to real international schools although a possible YES to the fake ones, where salaries may vary from 7,000-15,000 monthly. To my knowledge, the MA TESOL means little here, unless you are a Chinese.

But if you'd like to get MA TESOL go for it. It will make you a smarter FT with a better Resume.

[kona]

Hmm... thanks everyone for the reality check. I'm also considering getting a k-12 cert along with my MA TESOL as there is a large education department at the university I'm attending. I think across the world in general international schools tend to have the highest salaries. However, I still think I would rather teach university level students in the end, so having both credentials should do nothing but help in either field.

Also, I'm assuming that fake international schools are probably not the most FT friendly environments to work (unless they're are just looking for a face, in which case maybe it will be a ridiculously easy environment to work in). What about other forms of work? Non Sequitur you mentioned curriculum development at one of the chain schools, do you know anyone that does that? If so, what is the work like? Good pay? Good hours? Friendly environment? I'm sure that it varies depending on the company but some anecdotal feedback would be appreciated.

One thing that I've heard from all of the half dozen of friends I've known who have lived in China, and its just like non sequitur said: "anything and everything can happen in China", so maybe just having my boots on the ground and developing a little guanxi will lead me to opportunities I haven't even thought of yet...

[kona]

Oh and one other question, if I did take a uni job for 5000RMB I could still give private lessons, right? Would I be able to charge more for private lessons with a MA TESOL? Whats the going rate in places like Beijing or the other major cities?

[roadwalker]

[7969]

[SahanRiddhi]

In the U.S. I would not consider $25/hr to be "very little pay." Now, if you don't get many hours, it might not amount to much. But as an hourly wage in the U.S., not bad at all, to me.

[7969]