Job Discussion Forums

[darkcity]

American
CELTA
2.5 years ESL experience
university degree
currently in Shanghai

Basically I will not consider working with children, at least not in large groups.

I only have experience working at language mills, but I'm trying to break out of that as it they seems like they are all generally the same (unprofessional and keen on promoting the stupidest people they can find).

I'm still a bit new to Shanghai, so I'm not totally sure that I'm living up to my full potential here. Any advice on if and how I can find a cushier gig?

**edited to add my uni degree

[7969]

No degree? Getting one would open a lot more doors for you in that many schools won't hire you without one.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

[edited due to the above edited]

[darkcity]

[7969]

[darkcity]

[7969]

5000-6000 is the norm but you can do better (or worse). For example, our university offers more, but others might offer you 4500. When you take the salary on an hourly basis (pay per unit of work) then a university salary works out to about the same as what a language mill pays. Your overall salary is lower but the workload is also lower. The advantage of the university job is you have more freedom - to either do whatever you enjoy or supplement your salary on the side as you see fit. As for the students, you can have good ones or bad ones. I think it'd be the same everywhere.

To repeat what's been said on this forum many times - salary is only one aspect of a job. The key is to consider the entire package. Individual needs and desires will dictate which type of job someone chooses.

Regarding materials development, I have no experience with that. Good luck anyway.

[TexasHighway]

7969 wrote:

[Miles Smiles]

If a public college or university is desperate, it might be willing to up the salary. I've seen it done.

You won't know if they're desperate until you go through the recruiting process and start haggling. (If the recruiter won't go to bat within a day or so, give up and look elsewhere).

6,000 seems to be the norm for MA level teachers in some of the eastern provinces. 5,000-5,500 is probably standard for for BA level teachers.

[Lobster]

If you can get in, corporate training can provide a good income. Students are mature and professional. Drawbacks are evening work and lots of travel time.

RED

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

This is just my opinion, based on my personal experience.

I personally consider university jobs a very easy way to make a living. You will not save any money worth mentioning nor pay off any major debts back home, but you will have an easier life than working in a private institute all cooped up in your provided on-campus dorm, eating at the university (soilant green so often on the menu)

I agree with the OP that 6000 a month is low, especially so for expensive Shanghai. University jobs in China seem to cater to those who have no family. I'd snag a uni job in a heartbeat if I could make the kind of money I make teaching kids.

There is no reason for those among us working at the post-secondary level to feel personally injured or slighted by my disdain of public school / college work. My opinions are simply my opinions based on my experiences. darkcity's concern about teachers being forced to pass unworthy students is valid. If university teachers were in fact real teachers whose grades really mattered, it might be a different story all together. But by and large, they are not.

If my grades and marks and exams actually meant something, I might consider a college job in the future.

As for educational writing jobs, these come and go. My very first job in Asia (unmentionable small country across the Bohai Sea) was writing textbooks and editing existing learning materials. But when the work dries up, so does the job. (or they farm you out to a school until they need your writing skills again)

Why would a Chinese company hire an entire writing staff and research team and purchase office space and materials and computers when they can simply copy existing books? It's not just DVD's that get copied...

Good luck.

[mnguy29]

I have worked at the language mills, high schools and now a University. The University is by far the best of these. However, as with any teaching job in China, there are good Uni's and there are bad ones. As in any job anywhere. I happen to have finally found a good one. I have been teaching in China for almost four years and this may be the first time I return for a second year to the same job. Many reasons for this. At my school, the students are very nice and a joy to work with. Of course, every teacher is different and some at my Uni complain about them. Some people will never be happy. My students can tell I am having fun, so they also have fun and usually attend and participate.

The pay is not great, but I make an extra 4-5000 a month doing private tutoring. Much of this tutoring is simply chatting to practice their English which means very little teaching or prep. It also gives you some variety.

We have also been told that if we would like to teach another subject that we should just submit a request and may be able to have it approved. Some teachers are teaching sales and marketing, or fashion design.

I am in a beautiful, clean city in the south of China after spending time in not so desirable cities near Shanghai. Cost of living here is relatively cheap, compared to Shanghai and Beijing anyway.

[Mbarbetta1]

So here is my "stats"
-Honor's B.A. in History, Certification to teach adolescents
-only teaching experience I have is what I needed to graduate plus some ESL/writing/teaching experience outside of that
-Currently working on a master's degree in International TESOL. The degree is designed for teaching English overseas. I will graduate in August 2012 and will hopefully be in China soon after that.
-does it matter what school I went to? I don't want to be cocky, forward, or pushy when I apply but my undergrad university is considered new york's public honors college and I graduated with good marks. It has a really good reputation in New York but I don't know if I can use that to my advantage to land a job outside of the country. I know I'm at a disadvantage bc I don't have the experience so I'm trying to play to my strengths

Cities I would like to teach in: (sorry, no massive, polluted ones)
-Xiamen
-Suzhou
-maybe Nantong
-maybe Rizhao

[mnguy29]

Mbarrbetta1-are you the same as darkcity? I tried to send you a pm.

[Mbarbetta1]

no I am not, I do not know who darkcity is