Job Discussion Forums

[tyroleanhat]

I already made my decision which University I will go, and I am about to sign the contract. (We discussed that here http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=105304 )

There is also another Uni very near (just 1 hour) who is eager to have me, and even though I already cancelled their invitation (because their pay was a bit lower) they still said, they would be happy if I ever changed my mind and that I can work with them anytime.

Now I said to myself: why not make them happy, plus I have the chance for more income? (two flies with one swatter as we say in German)

But I don't know anything about a good (and diplomatic) strategy how to do this - how to get all parties involved to a win-win agreement.
Of course I need the allowance from my main Uni - or could I somehow get the second Uni to give me privates? or part-time? (I was thinking going there maybe one day a week to teach 6h)
mind you, my lessons are always one-on-ones.

any recommendations from what angle to milk that cow?

[muffintop]

Trying to pull off 2 full time jobs like what you have in mind is nearly impossible. They'll most likely both want you for the same hours.

If the other school is interested in employing you on a part time basis then it's possible...but...if you're willing to work as a part timer..you may as well go where the money is and it's certainly not at any Uni gig.

Your classes are all one on ones? Why? I have not known any Uni to employ a FT to only do 1on1's. Usually 1on1's are much more expensive than normal private classes and FAR more expensive than any Uni class. If a Uni is pimping you out on 1on1's...you are their cash cow. The ultimate bargain for them. Where I live 1on1's go for 200-600 an hour while Uni gigs pay about....80-100 an hour.

Frankly, without knowing your situation well...
I'd say keep the Uni that your visa is under and just find side jobs. Avoid any secondary job that will try to put a claim on your time. Find privates. With a Uni gig as your sole obligation you'll have ample time to schedule them.

Again, I don't know your situation but let's say 1 Uni wants 15 hours a week at 8k and the other wants the same. Not only will your hours conflict but even by some miracle they don't.....30 hours plus hefty travel time for 16k is mediocre at best.

To answer your questions more directly...
You have no chance at getting the 2 Unis to agree to this. One owns your time and has no reason to give it away. The 2nd school has no incentive to find you privates when they likely have FT's under contract who they could help instead.

You're looking at the public sector for a second income and you shouldn't be. Find some mills nearby. Start making contacts.

[Non Sequitur]

I know, I know..
How dare these conniving Chinese sods resist your perfectly reasonable scheme to double dip on your visa privileges.
What's more, Employer #1 should make your (yet unseen?) schedule flexible enough for you to take on classes with Employer #2 and factor in a 2-hour round trip to boot.
Employer #1 should also be happy to meet full cost of your airfare, accommodation, health check and paid holidays.

[tyroleanhat]

I see - first off, I teach piano, hence the one-on-ones.

my main Uni has 10 hours (again, one-on-ones don’t produce schedule conflicts like in class-lessons). I think they would even allow me to have those 10h just in 2 days (I prefer bulk over spread teaching)

my idea was, to ask my main employer if he is ok with me doing side work, and then travelling one time a week to the other uni to teach ~6h. with one-on-ones such a schedule is easy set. the second uni would welcome me with open arms anyway, so I thought to myself - why bother searching for privates if that second Uni wants me anyway.

Also I thought that the second Uni would pay not too bad, considering that they don't have to provide the apartment, the visa, and other costs.

But you may be right, I probably can still get much better rates if I search for normal privates in my main uni's town for myself (also this city is much bigger)

[vikeologist]

The problem is more likely to be with the second Uni / employer.

The sponsor could claim ignorance if the police find out, but the second would be employing you illegally. The fine might not be a big deal for them financially, but it would be embarrassing if they're publically funded.

Of course, it should be possible for foreigners to legitimately hold two jobs. As can be noticed on another thread, IELTS examining is being sort of legitimised. After all, the reason for the visa / permit laws is to weed out those who have no legitimate job, or aren't paying tax. Teachers aren't exactly a priority foreign expert group though.

In case you don't know, the penalties for getting caught working illegally are quite severe, and can include detention while they're getting ready to deport you.

[Non Sequitur]

I see this lot on Daves.
Individuals using the forums to explore intricate detail of offers and work conditions ahead of actually getting a job - let alone arriving.
Understandable, but my advice is get to your school and do your paid classes for a semester before looking at alternatives and add-ons.
Just coping with China can be a hurdle.
I know nothing about piano teaching but the one advantage of doing a block of hours at one other location is that you only have one set of commuting.
Unless your main school has a music room they will let you use to teach privates, the commute to/from individual student homes would be prohibitive downtime. Your effective earning rate home to home could be quite low.
Some advice based on the experience of others:
1. Get payment each lesson.
2. Confirm by phone before you leave home that student will be available for tuition and get some agreement about late cancellations.

[thechangling]

Timetable clashes seem a certain problem that'll happen between Universities along with the legal problems noted by other posters.
IMO it's much easier to work a second job at a Training Centre at the weekends to boost pay up to a decent level and have your primary job and Z visa done with a singular Uni.
If you can find a good TC to work for (good luck with that) that pays well and has reasonable hours, I'd do that too as an alternative. Starting off in China the first option seems less problematic.

[choudoufu]

[NoBillyNO]

Ask for a three day work week at the first employer who sponsored your visa and then arrange on the side the other two days....say MWF for one and TTHU for the other...

[toteach]

Since you do one-on-one, why don't you ask the second university to send their students to you? (This would make the transportation their issue, not yours!)

[tyroleanhat]

Ok I was naive, but I understand now that a foreigner's Z-Visa is linked to one job only, it answers all the questions for me. So asking the 2nd Uni to do extra-work will always be privates (and thus officially illegal)

The reason why I wanted to organize this beforehand being because I thought to prepare already now, to have my "second job" settled before I arrive.

[tyroleanhat]

[muffintop]

[Bud Powell]

"...Just coping with China can be a hurdle..."

Ain't that the truth. I believe that you should actually live in China for awhile before you attempt to do what might be difficult (if not impossible) in your own country. Consider this: that other school which is supposedly "only" an hour away, the other campus may not be entirely accessible by bus. four kilometers is a short distance, but not so short if one must walk half that distance to get to his destination. In China, an hour as the bird flies is not the same as an hour as the bus runs.

Be prepared to learn when you arrive that you'll have a freshman keyboard lab class to teach. If your school offers piano, it probably has a music department and a music major program. You'll be doing a lot more than throwing a chart in front in front of a bunch of students (or just one student) and giving criticism on their technique.

Don't be so sure that one-on-one student contact won't be fraught with schedule conflict when you try to rearrange piano tutoring to fit your schedule. The student may be scheduled for tutoring at a given hour, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't have a tight schedule. Though he may be willing to change his hours, the school might not like it.

Since you have been hired to teach piano, I assume that you have a degree in music. Do you remember how your own classes were arranged? Piano performance for an hour, then woodwind pedagogy, then another class in theory, etc.... That's pretty much how the Chinese school is run.

On a brighter note: it's not outside the realm of possibility that the two schools in question might be willing to share you, especially if your contract calls for a maximum of eighteen hours but you have been scheduled for only ten hours at your host school. Take a good look at the wording of your contract.

Don't fall prey to the Superman Syndrome. There's a lot more to teaching in China than just teaching.

China is not the Land of Milk and Honey and the Westerner's playground.

[johntpartee]