Job Discussion Forums

[deniserita]

Wow Texas! Thanks for the info. It is so hard being new to this and knowing what is a good vs. bad offer.


Thanks

[Non Sequitur]

This is a 'flat spot' in the recruiting cycle.
Deniserita, if you can hold off until the main push starts in 6w or 2 months you will have a lot more to look at.
My suggestion is start your China career at a public college or uni not at a mill.
Get a reasonably comfortable year under your belt and then decide on where you take this thing.
If you have US teaching exp why not try the international schools?
Possibly not the real China but it's another avenue.
One last thing. always think package. Hours, rate, paid holidays, airfares, utilities and accom before you even ask questions of other teachers who are working or have worked at your target employer.

[nickpellatt]

Ill chip in with an opinion that may not be warmly welcomed

Everyone DOES moan about EF, but as already mentioned, some branches might be OK. I have a friend I have known for about 4 years, since he has been teaching, and he recently went to work for an EF school in China and loves it! My old roomate from my last job has just gone to join him! So I guess it is important to find out which school you are going to. For some people, its a good fit and they like the work.

Ill also add a caveat about University teaching. They do offer great perks such as long holidays and low working hours, but they arent for everyone. I wouldnt take a University gig as I dont want to teach large classes of perhaps 40 students, I dont want classes of wildly mixed abilities, and I do want to be able to follow some kind of curriculum, have some kind of teaching support, and work in a structured environment. I prefer to teach adults too, and although Uni students may be of adult age, some may not really qualify as being adults in terms of behaviour and attitude until they have been out in the world of work for sometime.

Of course, you arent always going to get the things I want in a language centre/training school, but the odds on finding the things that I seek in terms of the teaching environment are much better.

I wouldnt say your offer, is the worst offer I have ever seen...I see far worse. An offer isnt just about the salary, you have to look at the whole package, and this includes the teaching experience too. Of course, this is different for each person .... but do consider the type of teaching involved too.

After you have considered the teaching, there are a few other things to consider too;

Housing. How important is it to you for housing to be included? Are you happy to share a place in housing of a standard that is much lower than you are used to at home? This is likely to be the case when housing is provided. By the same token, consider the fact that free housing is often 'no hassle' housing.

Location. Big sprawling cities with every convenience to small towns with zero convenience. China has them all. Climate is also a big issue too, from bitterly cold winters that last for months or a milder climate as found in the south.

Working hours. Think long and hard about these. You are going to be in a new, exciting country. Do you want to spend a lot of your time working or do you want to use the time to really explore your new surroundings, learn the language etc etc. Most people DONT come to China to work the same hours they do at home.

[cormac]

As with any school/university, you won't really know what the score is with class sizes, ability etc until you actually arrive and start working. My university gig said i would do large classes, but in fact they ended up splitting them up so that I don't have more than 30 students at a time. I don't have extra duties beyond my 18 contract hours, and while the facilities are rather basic, they're functional. I do only get 4500 (and apartment), but honestly unless you're a party animal, more isn't needed for Xi'an.

IF you're looking to break into teaching and have little experience University teaching is spot on.

As for EF, they're a language mill franchise type. Each branch will be different to each other. I've known teachers that loved the situation in their respective branch, whereas others less than three miles away hated it.

[nickpellatt]

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

[Non Sequitur]

Good comments from nickp, cleric and cormac.
These observations should be in newbieville as well.

[TexasHighway]

My first gig in China was at a language mill and I hated it. I taught a bunch of whiny, complaining businessmen and lazy, worthless mistresses of rich businessmen in Shenzhen. After landing my first university job a year or so later, it was like a breath of fresh air. But i agree that university teaching is not for everyone. At most universities, i have been at, they throw a practically useless textbook at you and you are on your own. The previous teacher for the students I am teaching now had no training or experience in teaching. He never prepared anything for class and the students told me they didn't learn a thing. All he did was sit in front of the class and chat with a few cute girls. For him or other newbies, EF or a similar organization that could give them some training and have canned lesson plans available might be just what they need. However, the poster who was doing the asking here has 12 years of teaching experience, two masters degrees in education, and TESL training. For those experienced teachers, I don't feel most of them would be happy with somone breathing down their necks and telling them what and how to teach. The university environment would probably be much more suitable. Plus who would want to work a 40 hour week when they could would 1/3 that much without a substantial difference in pay. They can always do private tutoring in their ample spare time. Personally I would go back and work as a greeter at a Walmart in the sleeziest border town in Texas before I would work for EF.

[deniserita]

Yes I can wait for a while before I need to let my current district know of my plans for next year. I have until about June before my principal will want to know. (I would like to let her know as soon as possible so she can get a good replacement for me) but waiting a bit more is fine.

I have heard from numerous people to look at International Schools and Universities. I have contacted numerous International Schools (in Western Europe) with all them saying I need a EU Passport. I can dream right?
I was hoping to take that route to get me into Europe. So I will look at International Schools everywhere now and hope to find a job that better meets my needs.

Thanks all for your input...it was very helpful

[mat chen]

1,000 jobs offered by 2000 thousand recruiters. I agree with other posters in that your work load has nothing to do with the stress of the job. When you work at a language mill, the students are there because they have poor learning stratagies. I am working the hardest in my life of 20 years of teaching English and I only teach 8 hours a week. I prep 6 hours for a two hour class. Basically I am doing the class in Chinese. The students want to know all about English and never use it. They have been thru 8 teachers (foreign and Chinese) in two years. I don't care if they want me to learn Chinese to teach them I will do it. Teaching is learning.

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

[cormac]

[peas4luck]

Does anyone have any experience or feedback on EF in Chengdu? I spoke with the DOS there last night and it sounds like it could be one of the "good" ones.

[nickpellatt]

Cormac - maybe my thoughts are based on my own experience, and its an experience that may not be typical. I taught only 15 hours in my language centre, only to motivated adults, only daytime monday to friday and had none of the nonsense there that I experienced in the public school system. By nonsense I mean cancelled meetings without notice, schedule changes without notice, poor communication etc. I do accept some of the other advantages about Uni teaching though, but it isnt for me. Im all about support and structure TBH. I was lucky as I have had that in my one training centre experience...and could attend meetings that were conducted in English where the FT staff had opinions that were listened to.

Peas4luck - I assume there is only one EF in ChengDu? If so, I think its probably OK...I mentioned a friend who works for EF earlier in this thread, and another friend who is going to join him? Thats in ChengDu!

[Guerciotti]