Job Discussion Forums

[kimoh]

Hi, I am considering an offer from Shenzhen University which includes accommodation. Would really like to establish contact with those who live and work in Shenzhen, particularly any who have worked at the Uni.

I connected with the University through the parents of a Chinese student I know in Canada. I think the parents are "well connected" because the response from the Uni was almost immediate...sent the resume unsolicited...a few weeks later got an offer. (I have BA, MA and CELTA). Things are happening really fast...so anxious to get some advise.
Thanks in advance.

[time to teach]

If they offered you a positon without an interview you're very fortunate indeed...many teachers at SZU stay a long time because it's one of the best uni jobs in south China. I heard a few longtimers were leaving this year for health reasons, because the air pollution is getting worse every year. Great location, good salary, benefits, 12-month contracts...if I were you the only question I'd be asking is where do I sign?

[kimoh]

Ya I was pretty surprised by the offer ....I thought there would be several months of discussions. Timing is awkward...expecting a layoff notice in Canada along with a package in the next 12 months...so it's going to be a tough decision.....might take a quick trip over to check it out.
cheers,
Kim

[Kurochan]

Hi --

I taught there for three years. While I've been gone for about seven, I wanted to write to say I really liked the students a lot. I found them bright and interesting, plus they had a lot of interests outside of school (like playing in rock bands, drawing comics and stuff). In the past, some people looked down on it because it was a "third tier" school, meaning that the students don't have super-high gaokao scores, but in general, I'd say the students great, and actually did better work than some of the native English-speaking students I had in the US.

The down side there is that it is very, very hot. Also, I'm not sure how the accommodations are now, but the building was very old when I was there. They kept saying they were going to renovate, so maybe it is much nicer now.

For me, the only reasons I left were that the city did not have much to offer in terms of arts and culture, and at the time, the foreigners there were sort of a rough crew. I heard that had improved, though, as the guys there with multinational corporations started bringing wives and kids with them, rather than just being over there alone.

[kimoh]

Thanks so much for your reply,
How were they in terms of you teaching outside the university. I've had conflicting reports. One senior admin. told me it is not permitted, then she chuckled and said she knew of one "foreign faculty' member who was making 30,000+/month on the side.
Also is it fairly secure...are you reasonably certain of getting contract renewakl, assuming you don't screw up.

[Kurochan]

Hi there --

While teaching outside is technically not allowed, the school will actually offer you part-time jobs from time to time. I think the person who does it gets some sort of headhunter fee if you accept. As long as you do not let outside work interfere with your "real" job, you should not have any trouble. I do have a hard time believing that people could get an extra 30,000 a month, although maybe if you are doing IELTS tests or something every weekend, you could pull in around ten. I had a part time job years ago and got an extra four thousand a month.

I think whether you get renewed depends on your department. When I was in one college, the guy who worked there was sort of a jerk and wanted only two foreign teachers renewed for the next year, which meant that some good teachers got let go. One year that I was let go, I went to another college within the university where they seemed to offer almost everyone a renewal.

I think whether you get renewed has something to do with your relationship with your students, your relationship with the waiban, and whether you do anything untoward. Like, if you come on to students, are publicly drunk on campus, beat anybody up, you may find yourself out the door. It doesn't sound from your post, though, that you'd be looking to do anything of the three.

K.

[kimoh]

Good Info, thanks.

When you were there was the university providing on-campus housing? How was that? Was it acceptable...Could two people live in the 3-br apartment? (My wife will eventually join me). Does it get a little too familiar living in an apartment block with all of the other foreigh teachers?

[Kurochan]

Hi --

They didn't even HAVE three bedroom apartments when I was there!

Is the building called Chao Xi Lou? That is right on campus. Outside the side gate of the school you are not far from (or, used to be, since I have not been there in a long time) a really nice department store, an okay department store, a Ren Ren Le (which is like a Carrefour or small Wal-Mart), and further down the road, a Carrefour.

When I lived there they did have two bedroom apartments, with two bathrooms, and that would be plenty big for a family with two kids (who could share a bedroom with no problem, since the rooms were good-sized). All the apartments were furnished, with air con (although when I was there they did not have heat in the winter, so you may end up buying a radiant heater, if you feel chilly easily). They had a good TV, fridge, and gas range.

Have they given you the contact phone or e-mail for anyone there now? They could tell you more about the current conditions.

(Just writing about it makes me feel nostalgic and think I should go back there.)

[sirius black]

I was thinking of applying there when I decide to move to Shenzhen. The city is my first choice. I assume its fairly difficult to get hired there based on the previous posts in this thread? What educational requirements will they normally want? I know unis everywhere vwill always ask for a Masters or higher but many ask and often accept lower.

Is Shenzhen fairly firm in requiring a Master's? I want to work for a uni in Shenzhen if not SU then is there another uni that is decent that hires?

If someone has a BS in Education and a 120 hr TESOL for example is this enough? Also, what if your undergrad is Education but your Masters is not Eduction/English related, such as a MBA?

Other uni related questions about China in general or SU specifically are:
1) Do they have a curve or are grades based on merit?
2) Do they have student evaluations of teachers as they do in South Korean unis?
3) Are english teachers expected to teach conversation? Grammar? Both?
4) How much freedom are you granted in the classroom?

I'm aware of the lower pay for unis so that won't be an issue per se.

[time to teach]

SZU has hired teahers without MAs, but in the last couple years that seems to be a rare exception. They used to have a direct email of the department and a woman who does the hiring on one of their websites. The starting pay is higher than average, I think 9-10K a month plus overtime and free housing ((pay a nominal fee + utilities, studio apts. are OK but don't have kitchens), and have excellent benefits including paid winter and summer vacations.