Job Discussion Forums

[Rebekah1288]

Hi everyone,


I apologize if this is a silly question! I have seen many terms used to describe different types of schools in China (university, language school/mill, public school and training center), and I am wondering what they all mean.

How do these types of schools compare and what are the essential differences between them? Are certain kinds more desirable/sought after by foreign teachers? Should any of these types be avoided? Are training center something like the Hess Educational Organization? Finally, are there any types of schools I am leaving out?

A final question: Do any of you all have thoughts on teaching in Xian or Anhui? I am interested in these cities because of Xian's history and because I would LOVE to visit Mount Huang! I'm also interested in teaching in a smaller city, but one that has lots of interesting things to offer.


Thank you for any and all responses! All feedback is deeply appreciated.

[rogerwilco]

Anhui is a province, not a city.
I spent 18 months in two cities in Anhui, and I would never want to do that again.
Everyone is different, so you may or may not like Anhui.

Very few foreigners in Anhui, so it can be difficult to find Western food, and many of the people do not have any experience with foreigners. That can be good or bad, depending upon the experience you are seeking in China.

[Non Sequitur]

Vocational Colleges is another category. Students seem to be a bit more natural and unaffected, but salaries and other conditions for FTs about the same as unis.
Students headed towards non service industry occupations tend not to appreciate the benefit of English and therefore harder to motivate.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

Only based on my experience (others' experiences may differ):


Language School / Mill:

Completely profit oriented and money-driven. The bottom line is "what will attract/lose customers?" Quality of education and actual learning, comfort and safety of employees, etc. all come afterwards. If it is not financially feasible to tell the truth, do not expect the truth to be told to you; the more hours you work, the more hours the school can make. Many of these types of schools are not legally allowed to hire foreigners and cannot offer you a proper working visa. Expect to be treated better and have more support at larger language schools like Aston or EF, but also expect smaller salaries and/or higher start-up costs-- especially in larger cities.

Training Center:

Also completely profit-focused, but these schools cater to specific needs (workers going abroad, teachers upgrading their spoken English, etc.) Similar to language schools/mills in most respects. Some schools can make a lot of money with crash English courses for failed high school students seeking to study abroad who can't get into any half-decent college or university in China.

Public School:

Unknown to most foreign teachers, these are also completely money oriented as well. English schools (well, the Headmaster and his associates) make a lot of money with multiple side deals. This can range from the rental of school property like stores, to letting private schools and/or public teachers make money from using students as their customer base for after school classes. The measly foreign teacher making 5000 RMB a month teaching a class of 60 paying students while the Headmaster rakes in upwards of 20 yuan per student is a well-kept secret. Not to Chinese of course, but to foreigners certainly.

University:

Bling bling. (for everyone but you, that is)

The lowest-paid jobs in China for foreigners, hands down.

Proper university professors (not visiting foreign 'experts') make piles and piles of cash. So do the heads of departments and the other top brass, including admittance. The courtship starts right after students finish their university entrance exams. Students are desperate to go to a 'good' university-- or university at all if their grades were that bad enough. Parents often make 'private deals' to secure their kids into certain schools or certain classes. To be sure, grades are important. But that is partially because without those good grades, the cost of a 'decent' post-secondary education would be beyond the reach of most ordinary kids. The money train doesn't stop there, however. Ask yourself how the lazy rich kids pass their courses and ask yourself how the professor making 5000 RMB a month can afford that Audi or BMW SUV. Foreign 'teachers' little to no power to fail/pass the undeserving students. That power goes to the higher-ups who rake in the benefits in return for their golden red stamp. The foreigner's role is simply for the school to be able to say 'we have foreign experts'--- make the school all that more attractive.

Which is why they hardly have any classes at all-- simply an attraction and not really teaching anything of importance at all. Students are told to take what the foreign expert says with a grain of salt. There is a very good reason why other countries do not recognize Chinese university degrees.

Take your pick (or check another country) and good luck!

[Guerciotti]

Well said, GWoW.

There's one thing I would add. The university might load you up with writing classes because no one wants to teach them, at least not the Chinese teachers. Grading papers is work and, well, you know. Thus the uni experience might not equate to hours and hours of free time. I enjoy the writing classes but in my opinion I don't get paid enough for it.

I forgot to mention the "British/America/Australian/Western Culture classes they create when we don't have a full 16 hours or eight classes.

Otherwise, spot on. They do tell the students we don't know what we're talking about and, at least at my uni, describe our lavish salaries, causing anger and resentment for a few students. To be fair, one or two of our Foreign Experts are not expert nor even competent English speakers.

Uni can be great for free time but it's no guarantee.

I forgot to mention the uni staff and teachers also try to rent you out for classes and such to their benefit ($). But sometimes they are willing to pay you a little!

[Rebekah1288]

Wow, thanks for all this information!


I have to say, it is a bit disheartening, though. The cheating/moneymaking as primary focus stuff doesn't bother me too much... To be honest, it really isn't much different in the USA SAT prep industry (the industry I currently work in). However, I am disturbed by the fact that it doesn't sound like teachers do a whole lot of teaching... Is this true?

I want to teach in China not only because I'm interested in Chinese language and culture, but also because I'd like to further my teaching and classroom management skills. Ultimately, I would like to become an elementary schoolteacher in the USA.

Which leads me to my next question. All of the school types discussed above seem to focus on adult education. Are there any options for someone who is interested in teaching children? Are these positions harder to come by/get?

[Non Sequitur]

Weekend/summer work at a local language school will give you experience with the younger set.
I enjoyed my semester work at a college or uni but found the different more active teaching at a mill a nice change.

[TexasHighway]

Great Wall of Whiner wrote:

[7969]

[MisterButtkins]

GWOW you make it sound like ALL the university teachers make huge amounts of money, which isn't true. Maybe at the higher-end schools all the tenured professors make loads and loads of cash, but at most schools I think there are some teachers who are making a boatload and some who are just doing okay. I don't really have a problem with the fact that someone with a PhD who is going to work at the same university for more than 1 or 2 years makes more money than me.

The department heads do seem to really rake it in though.

[MisterButtkins]

[Guerciotti]

[Miajiayou]

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

MOD EDIT

For the record, I do not hate university jobs. In fact if I could afford to work at a university, I would! Now I am asking you to apologize for calling me 'deceptive' because quite frankly if you want to see what the true meaning of the word 'deceptive' is, read further. That's a quite slanderous statement where I come from so you had better be prepared to back it up.

Now for the true meaning of the word 'deceptive':

[Miajiayou]

Can we just agree that the majority of schools, period, don't offer good terms? There are plenty of university teachers making out better per hour than private school teachers and there are private school teachers who are barely making out. It all depends.