Job Discussion Forums

[PittsburghSound]

I wanted to create this thread for anyone who has seized a university opportunity in February/March in the past and anyone who is looking to do so right now.

The consensus is that there are far fewer positions available for February/March starts in universities than there are for September starts. If this is in fact the case, what should February/March job seekers be doing to get a leg up on this process?

When should we be sending speculative emails to schools for possible open positions? Now? A month from now? I suppose it would be better to be too early than to be too late, but early inquiries may prove fruitless.

Even though there may be less positions, I also wonder if there are less applicants who are looking to fill the positions that are available.

Your thoughts? I know some of you had to have started your experiences in China as February/March recruits. How did you go about it?

[Alien abductee]

You should try have a job in hand two months before it actually begins. Enough time for the school to get the invitation letter and work permit, allow for any delays due to the winter vacation, for you to get the visa, fly to China, get over jet lag, then begin work. March 9th is the first day of the second term so making inquiries about 3 months in advance should be about right. Anything less than that and you're going to end up panicking because the invitation letter hasn't arrived and you've got a flight booked for the following week, or some similar scenario.

[Non Sequitur]

I started my first China job in Feb 2004.
I got it after a by chance contact with a former FT at the school and is not likely to be relevant to most.
If you apply now, you will most likely be of interest to schools who still have gaps in their Sept start recruitment schedule. You should know if you can respond urgently to a 'can you come now' response to your enquiry.
The Spring Festival which fills the gap between the two semesters is hugely important to Chinese. Accordingly, FAOs will not be on deck to process your papers over that time.
The lesson is get it all fixed including Z visa by end December.
As to proportion of Sept to Feb jobs I'd hazard 80:20.

[PittsburghSound]

So in short, I'm too early for now, but that means time is on my side.

[MozartFloyd]

Don't mean to hijack this thread or change its course, but anyone interested in a Uni job right now, PM me. My Uni is looking for a foreign teacher. FYI: that means you have a university degree.

[Non Sequitur]

[PittsburghSound]

How is a late start handled? Are you able to just go and get your Z Visa after you start teaching? Or is it a situation to avoid?

[MozartFloyd]

Not sure. You might enter on a tourist visa and the school would arrange the Z visa. Are you in China, sorry if you mentioned this before.

[PittsburghSound]

I am not in China at this time. I just got my passport yesterday.

[Non Sequitur]

[PittsburghSound]

I think I will begin a diligent search for positions in October after people return to work from the National Day holiday.

[Non Sequitur]

I agree. It will be too late then for late Semester 1 start, but good timing for Semester 2.

[jm21]

I and one other teacher were hired around the same time, mid year. 3 English teachers here as far as I know. Definitely possible. I don't think it's as bad as 80-20 as far as jobs go. Every university must have had some flakes over the years and then when they hire a new teacher on a 10 month contract it gets locked in for a while until one of those teachers flakes out. I am thinking about switching schools and have been watching the job boards...did not really see a massive uptick in jobs posted compared to when I applied for mine. It seemed like the pay offered, especially at high schools, has been a bit higher the last month or two.

[Bud Powell]

"...How is a late start handled? Are you able to just go and get your Z Visa after you start teaching? Or is it a situation to avoid?..."

Whoa! Have you done ANY homework about the application process? This subject has been covered in this forum a hundred times in less than six months. Even if you can't find anything pertaining to the application process in this forum by using the search function (you can), you CAN find it at any Chinese consulate's website.

Here's your homework:

Find out what you have to do to secure a position in a Chinese school

Find out if you are LEGALLY qualified to teach in
China

Find out what a z visa is

What you must do in order to secure a Z visa

Find out what the employer must do in order to secure the Z visa.

You can find answers in the search function on this forum. I did.

Try applying for a job. That'll tell you everything you need to know, because the recruiter/school will tell you the procedure and will stop you in your tracks if you don't follow procedure.

Judging by your question, you are nowhere near ready to start looking for a job in China.

Do your homework!

[PittsburghSound]