Job Discussion Forums

[shenyanggerry]

If you work at a university where normally, you'll have the time off with pay between semesters, your actual pay per hour worked is quite substantial. When I count in the value of my apartment with maid service, airfare, travel allowance, etc. I'm making a western salary.

I have lots of free time to pick up part time contracts if I want to. You indicate you don't mind working a long week. If you want to you can easily get over 100 Kwai per hour. That's not bad as an extra over and above the decent living wage you get from your uni. Once you get the feel for things here, you can make a decent wage. Just beware of places that require you to stay on site outside of classroom time.

[Gregor]

OK,
If you, as the teacher, want to take responsibility for the fact that kids are expected to study long hours, then you don't want to teach in China, under any circumstances. This is expected of them. If YOU aren't the kid's teacher, and NO westerner is, either, then the kid will be forced to study with a Chinese teacher, or else study maths or what have you.
This is a cultural thing that you can benefit from, or have no part of. But the phenomenon exists whether you're here or not.

As for hourly wage - well, yes, you can get 100+ kuai an hour, if you want to hustle. You have to go out and find that, though. A language mill will give you a salary, and that salary is what you get, regardless of whether or not you have classes. Sure, they will give you as many hours as they can within their contract, but you will have that salary no matter what.
What is THAT worth to you? When I first came to China, that was worth a lot. But it's your call.

[Cdaniels]

[vikdk]

By using white skin the language mills - or a some people call them sweat shops � like EF, can extract more money from the moms and dads - maybe that guy in the chair is a parent and the dentist is an EF gold (tooth) grubber. In these situations those who come bottom of the pile are the teachers - overworked/underpaid � and those poor kids who are over exposed to yet more �pointless� education. The teachers can just pack their bags and go home - but the kids????? By boycotting the big mills like EF you are sending 2 messages out -
1. Mills clean your act up or we're not interested
2. Mummy and daddy find out these places can only attract the least qualified and interested of staff - teaching levels are low � lets spend our money on something else (hopefully less child damaging).

In the big mills like EF - you can hardly ever make a change for the better - they call themselves a franchise, just think about working a Mac'd's and trying to make a unique burger there! Also if something does go wrong and you want to break contract some of the big boys have no problems in trying to show muscle and making you know they are big.
If you do go for a mill - I would pick regular kindies/schools/unis any day -I think small is better - there you have more chance of being an individual and changing something, and not concentrating on the status quo and trying to keep things the same - but then again I would say the chance of also finding problems here are also pretty high - but that's what china is, an adventure - so make sure you have free weekends and consecutive days off (not 1 here and there) to enjoy it

[vikdk]

hey guys it was posted up in the China job related forum that you have to sighn a confedentiality clause when working for EF - some guy is trying to find out what really is going on behind the closed doors - all smells a bit fishy and explains why we don't hear too much from current employees (they have 65 schools in china, so there must be enough of them) apart from one member of the management who has a vested interest in recruiting and climbing up the corporate ladder