Job Discussion Forums

[inezeli91]

Hello Dave's ESL Cafe community,

I've been applying to adult English teaching positions, high school positions, and university positions in China for the past few weeks, and I've been a bit surprised at the lack of responses I've received and would appreciate any input you have regarding the application and hiring process/situation in China.
I have 3 years of ESL teaching experience, mainly with adult learners (some of that part-time, some full-time), and I'm currently completing my MA in TESL at a reputable large state university in the U.S, where I also teach ESL composition classes. I assume this makes me a competitive candidate? But I'm clearly new to applying for positions in China, so I could be naive.

I've worked hard to ensure that my resume, cover letters, and other materials are extremely professional and well-written. But is it considered too early for me to be applying for Spring positions? Is the fact that I won't be finished with my graduate program until December an issue? Does the fact that I'm residing in the U.S. put me at a disadvantage compared to those applicants in China? Do recruiters just take longer to get back with applicants? Any input would be appreciated.

[earl]

Usually recruiters get back to you straight away if they think they can use you, that is my experience at least. If you have only worked in the US, then EVERYTHING about the hiring process and work life in China will be different. It may come as quite a culture shock.

[talentedcrayon]

OP,

Post your resume on Daves. I find that you are guaranteed to get 50+ responses from different recruiters within 12 hours.

[wangdaning]

Wrong time of year to be looking.

[Hermosillo]

My experience has been that if they really need you, they want you to start yesterday. If they don't; they won't even send you a "no thank you" email. One of the biggest annoyances of the education sector is how non-businesslike many people are. I'm amazed at how often there are sensationalized news stories in the media about local teacher shortages, and their inability to find anyone, so therefore they need a much bigger budget. Yet, these same school districts won't even respond to someone who filled out a 26 page application, and had proper licensing/paperwork. I recently wrote a letter to the editor of a small town newspaper explaining my experiences in applying to its school district. A resume on "SeriousTeachers" will usually bring some rats out of their cages.

[jimpellow]

I do find this odd personally. Although there is a definite hiring season for areas like universities, tens of thousands of positions go unfilled each year and the shortage is reported to be getting worse.

I would say that your MA in TESL is rarely going to impress anyone in the PRC. That is more eye catching for schools in the Middle East, etc...

May well be as others have stated that you have a couple months to go until graduation. Still, if these recruiters had any brain they would realize best to contact you now as you will most likely need an FBI CRB, which will take about 4 months.

Because of visa regulations and often having to return home to obtain the necessary requirements, you should be at an advantage. At least compared to applicants in third countries.

[Brunouno]

Look for EAP/GE positions with international schools. You don't need to be a licensed teacher in many cases, and you will still get a very handsome salary. Any decent employer will recognise and be impressed with your MA. As others have stated, though, you're too late. I'd much rather wait for that 20K plus housing job next September than have some crummy 10k plus housing job now.

[inezeli91]

Thanks for the perspective everyone. I think it might be a mix of the factors some of you mentioned--timing and who happens to be looking for teachers. I've responded to some postings for international schools and have been receiving pretty consistent and positive replies. I'll continue keeping up with postings and see if things change as it gets closer to the spring term/new year.

[jimpellow]

Hello,

You should start your FBI clearance now as you are intent on China and a fair amount of the provinces require it, especially in jurisdictions where most of the international schools are. It is not very expensive but the entire process will take close to 4 months.

BTW, if you have anything on it, no matter how old and trivial, your z-visa must be rejected per current policy.

All the best.

[inezeli91]

I already have a copy of my Federal Criminal Background Check (received in August). I started the process early because I was initially considering South Korea. Does it need to be apostilled for China?

[weigookin74]

[Brunouno]

I just used google. I spent about 4 days scouring through many job sites and applied for jobs that I was interested in. Don't just rely on this website as the source for jobs. A lot of the better employers will avoid advertising here, because they'll get so many more applications from unqualified people.

It goes without saying that these kind of jobs are quite competitive. It seems as though the OP is well prepared, though. The only thing I can recommend to improve your chances is to complete the DELTA. You don't have to complete all 3 modules. Even completing 1 module is going to make your resume stand out. The principal of my school told me after my interview that this was a big reason why he hired me (I have only completed 1 module). Modules 1 and 3 only cost about 800 bucks each; it's well worth it.

[CNexpatesl]

Depends on the cities you're applying in. The big cities like Beijing and Shanghai are already saturated. Anyone who is even remotely qualified wants to break (more like run) away from teaching kids in kindergartens and training centers ASAP and take these jobs as soon as they're offered to them. So, they get snatched up.

Also, good pictures matter in resumes in China. Also the wrong time of the year to be applying, like previously stated. You can start applying again in December/early January for a Spring term position.

[inezeli91]

I'm curious now--what are the specific qualities of a "good photo"? I have one that I use as my standard professional photo, though it could have some issues with it.

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]