Job Discussion Forums

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

If you've ever been shoved aside from a restricted entry course like medicine on account of an affirmative action policy..

PYT · Joined: 28 Oct 2010 Posts: 35

Late reply, but thought I would leave my opinion since I am Chinese-American who worked in China for four years. (Back in the states now)

First off, don't worry... you will be fine. It's not as big of a deal as you think it is. Yes it is easier for other people, and yes I have lost job offers because I was Asian, but you can get the job you want if you put in literally 10% of the effort you would need to find a job back in the United States (this means cold calling, following up after you send in a resume, talking to the hiring manager, etc etc). Finding a teaching job in China is so easy, it's an absolute joke.

Don't use recruiters, they are out to make money and would use any excuse to undercut your salary. Schools might not mind that you are Asian, but a recruiter will say it anyways in the hopes you would accept a lower salary (thus a higher cut for them). Just say no to recruiters, even if you are testing out the waters.

When winter comes around, start cold calling and sending e-mails (be sure to follow up) and you will definitely find something decent. Personally, I spent two days calling around 20 schools and ended up with 8-10 offers. Not too shabby if you ask me.

As with being Chinese-American vs. Caucasian in China (and the perceived injustice of it all), I actually beg to differ and say its the opposite... you will actually get unfair advantages over non-Asians just solely based on your race. While you won't necessarily get all the full perks of being foreign (and they can be nice), you will get the benefit of being "considered Chinese." It might not seem like much, but those who lived in China for a long time understand what that means.

Anyways, try not to worry about it too much. China is one of those places where you have to go with the flow.

P.S. Not speaking Chinese might hurt you a bit though.

Markness · Joined: 30 Dec 2009 Posts: 738 Location: Chengdu

summerheaven · Joined: 30 Jun 2009 Posts: 56

Thanks everyone for your replies! I usually get email alerts from Dave's but I didn't get anything until I received an encouraging PM from PYT.

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

I think there is a hazy line and schools who don't need a teacher may refer you on to another place.
At home that would be seen as collegial and reputation enhancing.
In China:
Rule One: It's about money.
Rule Two: If you come across an instance of apparent altruism - refer Rule One.

Markness · Joined: 30 Dec 2009 Posts: 738 Location: Chengdu

"I've started avoiding recruiters after practically 98% of bad experiences with them and I've emailed some universities but most of them turned out to be recruiters anyways! I'm pretty confused... are they working as recruiters as a side job? I addressed their university but they ask if I'll be interested in working in some other city hours away"

You're smarter than most of the bunch that I've encountered! Stay away from recruiters, they are terrible people most of the time! Go to job websites such as echinacities and you'll find job postings from the school by people who usually work for the school and speak good English. Plenty of schools have these people as they don't think the recruiters are very good. Try this out and you'll do fine!

Mark

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

Stay off the job sites if approaching schools direct.
Pick your city. Get to its Wikipedia page and scroll down the sidebar until you get to the 'Education' link.
That'll give you links to all the state tertiaries at least.
Some of the info will include the school's actual home page link but many won't.
Google the name of the school and you will get a homepage with an 'Employment' or 'Foreign Affairs' link.
If the school doesn't have an English version of their website, probably avoid these in favour of ones that do.
This is a laborious process but does largely avoid dealing with recruiters.

mysterytrain · Joined: 23 Mar 2014 Posts: 366

OhBudPowellWhereArtThou · Joined: 02 Jun 2015 Posts: 1168 Location: Since 2003

summerheaven · Joined: 30 Jun 2009 Posts: 56

hdeth · Joined: 20 Jan 2015 Posts: 583

From my experience probably 99% of the ads on job boards are some sort of recruiter. My school advertises directly but it's one of the few.

Remember that the recruiters get paid by placing you. They are looking to place you somewhere, anywhere, quickly. They do not care if it's a good fit for you, or if the pay is reasonable, or anything like that. If you understand that attitude you can make it work for you, at least to some extent. Just like they want you to agree to a job quickly, they want the school to hire you quickly. So if there's a contract issue or something a recruiter can and will help resolve it so they can get paid.