Job Discussion Forums

[igorG]

[wangdaning]

Education here can be taken seriously, but it takes management and admin who can explain that it is serious. Most universities don't have that. From reading this board it seems many teachers are simply auxiliary; grades given aren't accepted and failures move on.

Foreign people here, though there are hundreds of years of interaction, are usually still seen as unknown. How serious your position will be depends on how much seriousness you can get across. The guy who walks into a class in casual clothes can never hope to regain it. Holding a bit of a q&a of standards from your country versus your students might enlighten a bit. You not only can juxtapose but also, potentially, shed light on decreasing standards in your country.

The seriousness of any group of students is varied. Some think they have paid and therefore should pass. Shoot that down as hard as you can.

There are a million ways your class can be considered serious or not, but if you take it seriously it is hard to criticise. If it is because you have done something wrong, then it is a good place to learn.

[Guerciotti]

[Zero]

I would say the schools are very serious. Serious about having you act like a big white monkey! Ha ha ha ...

The truth: You should not come to China expecting to be taken seriously as a teacher. Your class is ancillary to the main curriculum. It is not something students have to do well in in order to advance to the next stage. Also, there is no career track. There are few if any higher positions for you to move into. Higher qualifications, such as a master's degree, are generally not rewarded -- you might get 500 RMB more per month. What is that, $75? At that rate, how long would it take the investment in the degree to pay for itself? And you probably won't ever be offered more than a one-year contract, so you will always be quite disposable.

And yes, I know there are exceptions to every rule. I am painting the broad outline of what your average teaching situation is like.

[Non Sequitur]

I can't go into a classroom full of eager young men and women and say to myself I'm gonna do a crap job because the pay is crap.
It isn't that the pay is crap it's the exchange rate.

[Zero]

I never said you shouldn't take yourself seriously. I just said that no one ELSE is going to take you seriously ...

[Guerciotti]

[johntpartee]

[Non Sequitur]

[Silent Shadow]

[MisterButtkins]

I teach at a university, and I feel like my students take me seriously. I try to be professional and do a good job. I do not use powerpoint, ever, even though most of my classrooms have projectors because I think making PPTs takes too long. Anyway, I had very high scores on the student evaluations and will be receiving a raise next semester (only 300 RMB raise, but it's better than nothing), even though I didn't extend my contract or anything. To be honest I feel like I do a better job than most of the people I work with, but I feel like the main reason I got high scores on the student surveys is because I am young, somewhat good-looking, and I make jokes the students can understand. It probably also doesn't hurt I hardly ever give anyone a grade lower than 70.

To be honest I really don't feel like I'm 'making a difference' or what have you. Some of the students will improve their English, but for what end? The majority of them will leave college to work at a job their parents got them which requires them to do little work and use even less English.

[Non Sequitur]

Oh Buttkins
So young, so cynical.
My most recent gig was in a hotel college and students were very aware that having English meant the difference between 4/5 star careers or budget hotel 'existances'.
The students know the difference between bad and good teachers and if you get close enough to them they will tell you about the hopeless ones - including Chinese professors.