|
Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
RPMcMurphy
Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 90
Location: Australia
|
 Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 5:51 am Post subject: |
 |
|
| Perilla wrote: |
| Thanks for the feedback. Re. the unis, is it possible for someone with no teaching experience to get a decent uni post - ie. is just the CELTA and postgrad-qualified status enough? (In HK, for example, experience would also be required, plus an MA TESOL at some unis). |
Short answer, Perilla: Yes, it's enough, and more than many of those presently teaching in China have. Your friend should start talking to some unis that interest her with a view to a semester 2 start. She could emphasise her post grad qualifications, and interest in teaching more mature students to avoid the "kid' aspect of many undergraduates, be they in China or inner circle countries. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
roadwalker
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 1750
Location: Ch
|
| Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 5:53 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Perilla wrote: |
| Thanks for the feedback. Re. the unis, is it possible for someone with no teaching experience to get a decent uni post - ie. is just the CELTA and postgrad-qualified status enough? (In HK, for example, experience would also be required, plus an MA TESOL at some unis). |
It depends on what you mean by decent uni post. The usual requirement is a bachelor's degree (any field) and two years teaching experience. Post-graduate degrees are rarely required and more rarely sufficiently compensated. I can't remember if a TEFL certificate is required or not, but they usually ask for a scan of mine. In an area with a fair number of foreigners to draw from, it would be difficult to land a job in a university without experience. In an area that would feel more isolating to a westerner (the "real China experience") many schools will bend the requirements. There are also schools, just outside of the perimeter of major foreign-laden cities that may not be able to draw foreign teachers as well. A good one of those would be an easy train or fairly short bus ride to the bright lights and big city.
It's certainly worth contacting a variety of universities directly to determine their interest, if universities have any appeal to you. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mike w
Joined: 26 May 2004
Posts: 1071
Location: Beijing building site
|
| Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 6:03 am Post subject: |
|
|
| For teaching adults, as opposed to university-age students, the corporate world is far better. You will almost certainly be treated better than in many universities, and the salary will be much higher as well. Only drawback is that it could be a full-time (40hrs/wk), but the actual teaching hours will very possibly be much lower. At present, out of my 40 hours, I teach 3 hours a week maximum. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Denim-Maniac
Joined: 31 Jan 2012
Posts: 1238
|
| Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 7:09 am Post subject: |
|
|
| 7969 wrote: |
Denim Maniac, I think it's a useful discussion to have
Not all university students here behave like snotty little rich kids.
On the other hand English majors in Chinese universities tend to be female, keen to learn, and very pleasant people. |
I wish I knew how to copy and paste things in little blocks so I could address each one individually  Damn technology.
Again, no suggestion that they arent nice, and no suggestion that they are snotty rich kids either. But I still think they are far from being 'adult'. This isnt exclusive to China, and I think in general, the classification of teaching adults probably refers more to responsibilities and circumstance rather than age. If someone said to me they had secured a job teaching adults, my initial guess would be things like in-company training or adults taking evening classes that they themselves are paying for in training centres or colleges. Teaching adults rarely conjures up an image of a university class.
Maybe Im biased .. I also prefer to teach adults and dont see university work as teaching adults. I teach 18/19 year old Germans sometimes and dont class them as adults either.
I do think that Chinese students are more mature than western ones in many areas ... they mostly live away from home from a young age and look after themselves / wash clothes etc at middle school. My son couldnt have done that. 'Adult' status tends to come from the responsibility that comes with work, housing and 'entering society' (as students so often mention).
I read 100s of threads here, post in many too. I honestly dont recognise the students who are often discussed in threads here. The ones who need confidence, are nervous to speak, have very closed minds and swallow the party line etc etc etc. This is absolutely not my experience in training centres where many of the students were once university students who have since entered the workplace, gotten married, had children etc etc. Just a few years out in the 'real world' is when most students become adults IMO. Not just Asian students, and the difference between teaching them is what I think of when I think of 'adult' students. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Denim-Maniac
Joined: 31 Jan 2012
Posts: 1238
|
| Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 7:16 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Perilla wrote: |
| Re. the unis, is it possible for someone with no teaching experience to get a decent uni post - ie. is just the CELTA and postgrad-qualified status enough? (In HK, for example, experience would also be required, plus an MA TESOL at some unis). |
I think teaching in a Chinese university is probably very different to teaching in a HK one Perilla. Your friend has a CELTA, which means she is probably better qualified than many (if not most) FT's in the university sector in China. Reading through some threads about working in Chinese universities will give you an idea about the nature of the job. I wouldn't confuse it with typical university work elsewhere, or with plum jobs like Nottingham NingBo university (where MA TESOL and proper experience are a must-have). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
7969
Joined: 26 Mar 2003
Posts: 5782
Location: Coastal Guangdong
|
| Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 7:36 am Post subject: |
|
|
| All of us have our preferences, and that's part of what makes this forum interesting (useful). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
doogsville
Joined: 17 Nov 2011
Posts: 924
Location: China
|
| Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 7:48 am Post subject: |
|
|
I'm curious as to what we all mean by 'adults' here. My experience so far of people who have expressed a preference for teaching adults, is that what they actually mean is they want their job to be easy. Now I'm not implying that's true of anyone here, so let's make that clear. I'm only relaying my own experience. Everyone I have talked to who has expressed a preference for teaching adults has gone on to make it clear they want to teach people who will listen, engage with them, study hard and who's English is good enough for them to have a two hour conversation with and call it 'teaching'.
My own experience of teaching adult classes in private schools in China is that such people are as rare as hens teeth. I've taught those middle aged businessmen, and they were no more willing to learn than my primary school students.
So when you all talk about 'adults', what criteria are you using to define someone as such? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Denim-Maniac
Joined: 31 Jan 2012
Posts: 1238
|
| |
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
