Job Discussion Forums

[Villain]

Are there opportunities in China to teach part-time while retaining my visa? My current contract is up in a few months and I'd like to relocate to a big city like Beijing.

[The bear]

[backtochina2017]

What I do is look for work for a language school that sends me to public schools teaching high school classes. This gives the best RMB for least hours. A university job will expect about 16-20 class hours and pay around 6,000 rmb. If you agree to 20-25 class hours through a language school you can expect 8,000-10,000.

Realize, just because you have low hours doesn't mean you have less workload. I had a job in Beijing for only 16 hours but they had me teach 1st and 2nd grade elementary, 7th and 8th grade middle school, and 1 high school class each day on the average. That's 5 different lessons. Compare that with 3 other jobs I have had in the past where I planned one lesson for 11-18 high school classes per week and simply taught the same lesson that week.

For high school, they give you first and second year. So, you can teach the same lesson usually to the second year since their studies in English dwindles due to their commitment to other subjects. The few that are still keeping up on their English studies can have independent work prepared. I have had schedules where I taught Tue. Wed. and Thu. and had 4 day weekends or Mon. Tue. with only 1 class on Wed and Thu.

I imagine something is similar with elementary school students, but if you work through a language school then you will be expected to come in Fridays and one weekend day to teach the kids. High school students are too busy, and they take tests each month which mean you have those days off. If you are lucky to get most of your classes on two days, you might have the whole week off 2 or 3 times a semester. Other times, the school will ask you to just come in to teach certain classes (which amounts to 3 or 4).

If you have a Master's though, maybe you should go the university route. You'll get more money probably. From what I have seen and just now (not many offers online), universities get ready for the September semester in May-June before they leave for summer vacation. It gives the current teacher and school to decide if they will continue working together or if the current teacher is going to leave. You won't get as many offers now.

[jimpellow]

Some of the private language centers will sponsor your work visa and allow you to work a part-time option. Wall Street comes to mind. I have a friend in Beijing who does that with them and then tests games. I negotiated three days a week during my second year at Web. I think you have options as a Chinese vet in a labor market with a severe shortage.

Best of luck.

[Non Sequitur]

The minimum hours I've seen recently on a SAFEA-type contract was 12 contact hours pw.
That was on the IELTS thread that's running concurrently.
If you can get 12 and all Oral in a uni job with accom etc then that's about the best I would hope for.
Language schools usually mean more commute time.

[jimpellow]

[Non Sequitur]

I've found English Corners are rotated among the FT contingent and at most you are scheduled 1 or 2 times per semester.
A bit off to the side, but the big hassle I found with English Corners was anticipating the number who would turn up.
Fall semester and freshers will attend anything. As the cold weather and novelty issues creep in the attendance falls off dramatically.

[Villain]

That's a great response, thanks. I'll do some digging around.

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

Wait. Are you looking for a part-time job to work after your CURRENT job ends? It isn't the visa that you'll need. It's a residence permit that you'll need to stay in China.

If you are seeking a part-time employer who will obtain a Z visa for you to enter the country to work, forget it. No school will obtain a Z visa for you to arrive in China to work part-time. Once you arrive on a Z visa to work for a school, the school will have to help you obtain a residence permit so that you can stay in China. NO SCHOOL will contract with you on a part-time basis AND secure a residence permit for you.

The alternative is to secure a job at a vocational college that has no English language major program and that requires you to work few hours.I worked for a vocational college for a few years that had me work ten hours per week for full time pay. The catch was that if there was a surge in enrollment or if a foreign teacher quit, I'd have to pull up the slack.

And that's what happened. The other FT quit and then I took over another new group of freshmen. After two years, I found myself working eighteen hours per week. That sounds like a part-time job, but it isn't.

[Villain]

Yes that's right. This is for after my current job (edit: I'm already in China, in case that wasn't clear)

Ah well, guess I'll need to stick to full-time then.

It was kind of an afterthought anyway tbh. Would be great to have extra free time as I'm trying to start an online business.

[jimpellow]

I am disagreeing with Bud. A few of the chains do in fact offer z-visa support for part-time options. Wall Street most definitely does and the only one I would recommend. Aston used to but unsure if they still do, but very mixed reviews on them. I pulled off my three day a week contract after proving my value for a year - chiefly being only half insane rather than a full blown schizophrenic or student stalker like the rest of the staff.

I am also a believer that you could persuade teacher-desperate schools to work something out which is outside their norm.

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

[jimpellow]

No Bud, I am not making the effort to share them. The poster can do his own homework. I looked at this option a couple years back and have a friend with Wall Street who works the minimum hour package.

This reminds me, as an example, of Miss Hoffman, who took the visa-on-arrival route some months back. You hopped all over it and said it couldn't be done and then started getting all snappy about it. Sure enough she did do it.

Actually, this should be even easier for the poster as I misspoke about the z-visa. The transfer of a residence permit is infinitely less expensive without the needed initial z-visa. This should increase his options even further if he approaches it from a can-do perspective rather than a can't-do one.

[Non Sequitur]

As I said there is someone on that IELTS thread who was doing 12 hours and on a Z/residence. To me that's part time and even better if you can concentrate your classes over say 3 days.
I'd offer sweetheart deals on IELTS tuition to offspring of senior school decision makers.
A agree that under 12 you are likely to get queries from PSB or other bureaucrat.

[jimpellow]