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[Shantou University review]

This is a review of Shantou University, what it's like working and living there. It will be anonymous as I'm not keen on revealing myself on the internet. Though hopefully the details provided will be proof enough.

Apologies if the review seems to dart around, I've tried to use headings to keep things in order but often things overlap or I think of something that should be mentioned but am not quite sure how to fit it in.

This will be long. Go to the bottom if you want a bullet point summary of the major pros and cons.


Teaching / work

You will teach 6 classes a week, each class being 2x50 minute periods. You see the same class twice a week. Class sizes are generally around 20-26 students.

Teaching rooms are generally large lecture rooms with desks that seat students in 2s or 3s, it's not ideal but far from the worst. There are rooms better suited to language teaching – circular tables that seat 8. All classrooms have a computer and PPT/large display screen.

All rooms also have AC, a must for the spring hotter times of the year, it's centrally controlled, meaning you often have to phone the technicians to turn it on, teachers can't control it themselves.

Most likely you will be teaching non-English majors, there are English major classes but only a few. This isn't much of an issue as all students are eager and have a good command of the language.

In addition to classroom hours, you will be expected to hold 2 office hours a week in which students can visit you to talk about the course, learning English, anything really. Also, as a foreign teacher, you are required to host 1 extra-curricular activity for 1 hour each week. There's a large remit of what's allowed and the list changes each semester depending on the teachers here. Currently examples include, Small Talk, Study Abroad, Spanish Corner, Movie Mania, Exploring Books, and more. Teachers are also encouraged to go to English Lounge and English Corner, two student run activities.

STU is different to the average Chinese university in that foreign teachers don't only teach Oral English. Meaning there's quite a bit of out of class grading to be done. The number of which depends on the level you teach, but expect to spend around 80-100 hours a semester grading writing assignments/exams (exact number depends on which level you teach). That may seem a lot, but there's a lot of writing at STU, coupled with the mid-term and final exam (the final exam consists of 2 days of solid grading in CiLL 'the Center for Independent Language Learning more on that later). Plus you have lesson planning and preparation on top of that. Speaking of planning/preparation, teachers are allowed 1,000 pages of printing per class per semester (so 3,000 pages for most teachers). The print shop is very small and students also use it, there's only 1 on campus. You will most often be waiting to use a computer to print.

Also different is that teachers are given an allowance to present at conferences. Currently this is 12,000 RMB/year. You get reimbursed after you return and submit the receipt / fapiao necessary. Be very careful, there has been instances of teachers not being fully reimbursed as they got the wrong type of fapiao/receipt. This is a very good thing STU offers, and should be commended for this. To restate, STU is professional/academic in its affairs.

There are also meetings. Every month there's a 'Faculty Meeting', followed by a 'Level Meeting', combined they last anywhere between 2-4 hours. These really, really drag. Additional level meetings may be called for things like norming or preparing for exams.

TAO should also be mentioned. TAO is the Teaching Affairs Office, they oversee every department in the uni, sort of like an internal affairs department. They can be the bane of teaching. Honestly, you will probably never interact with them, however the threat, and it is a threat, is always looming over you. Classrooms are all monitored by 2 cameras, which record what happens in the room. There's also things called 'Teaching Incidents' which have 3 levels, from minor to major. Major ones can result in firing. If you get any 'teaching incident' your name can go on the university website and you're 'shamed' in this way. You may nor may not have to write an apology. At the start of this year during a faculty meeting a teacher's letter of apology was read out, complete with name. This caused quiet murmurs among staff as this was seen as too much and did not sit well.

A small note, there's been an increasing pressure by a certain member of management to conduct research. This is not in teachers' contracts but it's really been pushed recently. It's also part of the evaluation process. Teachers are assessed on many things, student ratings, observation ratings, workload, number of extra-hours put in, research, publications, leading a level, the list is long. It has caused a problem with some teachers as you will be assessed on things outside your contract, that were never mentioned during the interview. You also have to submit a 'work report form' each year where you self-report what you did and how it contributed to the university.

Finally, the credit system. The credit system is the university's way of creating student grades. Throughout the year you will be responsible for grading students' work (writing assignments, presentations, mid-term and final exams etc.) and you keep track of this using the level provided 'gradebook'. At the end of the semester, when the grading of the final exam is finished, you will have to transfer the grades form the gradebook to the credit system. Manually, one student at a time. This is really stressful as any mistake, no matter how small, is a 'teaching incident'. You will have around 70-80 students and each student will have 2 scores, so that's around 150 numbers to enter. All names are in Chinese, and you have to enter the students' grades to credit system. They aren't easy numbers as well, things like 88.7, 85.2, 75.0, 58.3. All bunched closely together on an excel file to be converted in the credit system. You also have to manipulate the values in the credit system.


In summary, you're probably looking at, on average, around 20-30 hours of work a week in total. Some weeks you'll be pulling your hair out, others are not so bad.


Courses

Students have to pass 'level 4' in order to graduate. Upon entering STU students have an oral English exam which, in combination with their Gaokao English score, determines what level they start at. Most students go into level 1. Each course lasts 1 semester, so students usually have 4 semesters of English lessons. It is possible to go in at a higher level and complete the course sooner.

All four courses are integrated language lessons, meaning speaking, listening, reading, writing, and a little grammar are all taught. It's very much communicative focused.

Most teachers are working on levels 1-4, however there are 'specialist' courses, such as Voice and Accent, Legal English, English for Basketball Players, or IELTS, to name a few. Though again, these are the minority of courses, most teachers are in levels 1-4.

Teachers

Teaching English has a less than stellar reputation in China due to the quality of 'teachers'. This is not true at STU. STU hires teachers with experience and master's degrees. I can honestly say it's probably the most sane bunch of foreigners I've met in China. Currently there are around 50 teachers in the ELC, a 50/50 mix of local Chinese teachers and foreigners. Foreigners are mostly American with a wide range of other nationalities.

Worth noting is that STU hires quite a lot of foreign professors, so the actual number of foreign teachers on campus is around 70, depending on the time of the year and the courses offered. While I'm on the topic of foreigners, the university also has international students, mostly Irish and Canadian.

Academic Year / holidays

The teaching calendar at STU is 16 weeks of teaching + 2 weeks for the exams. So an 18 week semester. HOWEVER, STU requires teachers to be on campus outside of the 'teaching semester'. So holidays are a lot shorter than at other Chinese universities. Usually there is 1 month for the winter holiday (Spring Festival) and 5 weeks for the summer holiday. Salaries are still paid over the holiday period. Ive been told this is shorter than usual.

Salary

Salaries at STU are better than average, by quite a bit. There are 3 'ranks' of teachers at STU: Instructors, Lecturers, and Assistant Professors. The rank you get depends on your experience and qualifications.

Instructors: 0-3 years of experience post awarding of an MA.
10,000 to 13,000 RMB/month

Lecturer: 3+ years of experience post awarding of an MA
13,000 to 15,000 RMB/month

Assistant Professor: PhD awarded
Salary to be discussed

Accommodation

The university provides accommodation for teachers based on what rank they are. There's quite a difference in accommodation. Assistant Professors have a 3 bedroom apartment, with kitchen, bathroom, and living room, around 120 square meters. Located in the 'A block'. Lecturers have an apartment with 2 bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, living room, around 100 square meters. Located in the 'B block'. A and B blocks are in 'residential' quiet areas of the campus. Instructors have a 1 bedroom apartment, with living room, bathroom, and no real kitchen facilities. Around 80 square meters. Located above the Network Center. It's also worth mentioning that this is near student dormitories and teaching buildings, not yet opened but if you are offered 'instructor' you will be living next to students. Having seen these apartments I can't recommend them.

Living on Campus

I'll start by saying that for a city of 6 million people in Guangdong, Shantou is annoyingly undeveloped. That should preface anything mentioned in this section.

The STU campus is quite a way outside of the city. There's one major road into the city and traffic is often bad. Construction has recently finished on the main road, however things are still bad.

A limited number of public bus routes stop at the university, though these are unreliable. You could be waiting 1 minute or 1 hour at times, depending on the bus you want. Most buses stop at 7pm. There is one bus which continues until 11pm at night, but again, that's unreliable. Personally I have waited from 10:15 to 11:15 and no bus came. Journeys into town take anywhere from 40-90 minutes.

Obviously there are taxis, however Shantou they are somewhat notorious, refusing to go anywhere by the meter. Instead you have to set a price before the journey begins, with the price to/from STU being anywhere from 50 – 80 yuan depending on where you want to go to or come from in town. You will also have problems going back from the city at night, as drivers know they won't get a return passenger, some inflate the price, often they refuse to go.

The town itself has few attractions. Teachers often limit their trip into town to the weekly 'Walmart bus' that STU provides for its faculty. Other than the weekly walmart trip, there's a few cinemas, western restaurants, a few shopping centers that the teachers sometimes go to. The tedious journey into town makes you have to really consider if you want to go or not. A simple shopping trip could take you all morning depending on how the buses run.

If you do not want to go into town, the university has a small street just outside campus called 'East Gate' with a number of restaurants and small shops. There are probably around 30 businesses here, mainly small restaurants, but there's also a few small general shops, 2 fruit/veg stalls, hairdressers, computer/phone services, and a few print shops. Worth noting is that the prices of fruit/veg/meat is really expensive compared to the village (Tuopu), however, again, it takes time to go there.

Eating on campus is easy, there are 4 canteens. Canteen 2 and 3 are linked, in the same building and serve a wide variety of dishes, there is probably room to sit 1,000 or more people. Canteen 4 and 5 (teachers' canteen/hong tai) is in a different part of the campus and a lot smaller, though still serve a range of dishes. Prices range anywhere from 2.5 yuan to 15 yuan, it all depends on what you buy. One thing to note is that although it's called the 'teachers' canteen, a lot of non-teachers use it. These could be family members of teachers or outside visitors. You also get a 50% reimbursement on your smart card (your university ID that's used to access places/pay for things) on meals bought at this canteen.

Visitors to campus can also be a problem. Admittedly, less of a problem now as they have started to limit the visitor number to 500. These visitors often leave litter all around the campus and make leaving your apartment a 'gauntlet' as foreigners are a novelty here. Ok if you can walk past them but if you have a child they take great pleasure in trying to take pictures or touching you/them.

Final point – the internet. Teachers are allowed a 2gb/day allowance on the campus network. It's often slow. There have also been instances of students getting teachers' log in details and using their allowance. Some teachers choose to pay for a China Mobile subscription, about 600-800 yuan a year depending on the package you get. However, this is limited to A and B apartments. If you are an instructor you will not be able to get the China Mobile deal and will be limited to the campus wifi and 2gb/day limit. Sometimes the limit does not reset and you'll have no internet for a proportion of the day until it does.

It's no understatement to say Shantou University is the best thing about Shantou. The city is underwhelming. You need to be comfortable in an isolated environment. The average age of teachers is around 40, possibly married with children. It can be an isolating experience if you're a social person who likes to go out, this is one of the reasons why the university has such a high turnover, the location is not for everyone.

Weather

Shantou is on the Tropic of Cancer, there's even a monument to this somewhere near the university. It's hot and humid for most of the year. Not really a problem as all teaching rooms and apartments have AC. However, going outside is a problem as it's often too hot to do anything. Even walking to the classroom leaves you soaked in sweat. The winter does get cold, and again, humid. It feels colder than what the thermometers say, the sort of cold that gets to your bones and stays there. Apartments are not insulated or heated, so the inside temperature is the same as the outside temperature. Many teachers by small space heaters for the colder months of the year.

There is also a rainy season, usually April/May time, in which it really does pour.

Transport out of the city

Shantou doesn't have its own airport. It shares an airport with Jieyang and Chaozhou, the airport being approximately in the middle of these three cities. A taxi costs 100 yuan to the airport, though should be arranged before traveling, you won't be able to flag one down.

There's also a fast train station, though again it's shared between Shantou, Jieyang, and Chaozhou. A taxi costs around 80 yuan.


Summary

Pros:
Above average salary
Good students
Good colleagues
Professional atmosphere

Cons:
Heavy workload outside of classroom hours
Pressure to do extra e.g. clubs, research.
Can feel pressured/stressed
Location

[ghost]

I have visited Shantou University a number of times.

A few things I would like to add, to the already excellent review.

The Library - One of the best libraries in China, and open (unlike other university libraries in China) from early morning to late night, non stop (does not close for lunch). Also, the amazing CILL Center, at Shantou University, which has an excellent library, computers and learning facilities to learn just about any language on the globe. There is also an excellent Chinese language center, for those inclined to improve their Chinese language skills. If you like reading, Shantou University will not disappoint, because the library budget is generous, thanks to the benevolence of a benefactor - billionaire, in Hong Kong, who is a former resident of the area. Plenty of English reading materials, publications, books, magazines, etc. Of course, as the OP mentioned, everywhere in Shantou University has air con, so you will always feel comfortable indoors.

Food - I have visited many Chinese universities, and the faculty canteen, at STU - on the second floor, is way above all the other universities I have visited in China, in terms of quality of food, and very reasonable prices. This means, that many faculty simply eat most of their meals in that top quality restaurant. The variety is there, and the quality - excellent.

Many university canteens in China, are simply places where you put calories into your body for sustenance, but not at Shantou University. Proof of that is the large number of families and outside people who come to dine at the faculty canteen on weekends. The food is really excellent, varied, and the decor and comfort of the restaurant, in my opinion, makes it the best value dining experience in Shantou.

Keeping fit: Shantou university has many basketball courts, tennis courts, a swimming pool, a lake (where swimming may take place, but is not 'encouraged') and a mountain nearby, not very high - for hiking. There are hard core 'kettle bell' workouts on weekends, with professional trainers. Many faculty also run 'the loop' which is a pleasant circuit around the campus, measuring 5.3km. This is an ideal distance, because it can be completed in 20 - 35 minutes, depending on the fitness of the runners. There is a culture of health and fitness among many of the faculty at Shantou University.

Just wanted to add these things, to give a supplementary view of Shantou University.

As the lead poster said, if you work at Shantou University, you will be working with very professional colleagues, many of whom are academicians involved in different aspects of research in the field of ESL/EFL/SLA and other related areas. Interestingly, the faculty includes 'voice training specialists' - most of whom are from India, and also some faculty members from Cuba, most of whom have PhDs in EFL teaching and related areas. You will never be bored with the faculty here - it is heterogenous and interesting. Some really top class people. A quick scan of the Shantou University faculty page reveals the impressive credentials most of these faculty possess.

Shantou University also hosts at least a couple of top rate EFL Conferences during the year, inviting some world class academics in the field. Lastly, having observed some of the classes of 'non English majors' at STU, one comes away with a very favorable impression of the students in terms of enthusiasm and desire to improve their English. STU is a great place to do that, as there are so many English speaking activities organized by the ELC, practically on a daily basis. Many students - even non English majors, leave STU with very impressive English language skills. It certainly helps to work with students who are motivated and professional in their approach to their studies. Most of the students come from the Province of Guandong, but there are a number from all over China, as STU is well ranked.

Ghost in China

[STU ELC REVIEW]

I have worked at STU for a few years and wish to add my own review of the university. I hope that this review may be of some benefit to those who are considering working at the English Language Center at STU. I won’t go into great detail about teaching hours, responsibilities, compensation, etc., because the first review in this thread has covered that pretty well. Instead I wish to share with you some things that you will like about working at STU and some things you should be aware of before making the decision to work at STU’s ELC.

What you will like about working at STU’s ELC:
1. I share the feelings of the authors of the previous two reviews in regards to the quality of teachers in the program. As already mentioned in the first review, there is about a 50/50 ratio of Chinese to foreign teachers at the ELC. Both local and foreign teachers are friendly and professional. I would say there is more interaction and sense of community between Chinese teachers and foreign teachers at this ELC than at other universities in China.

2. The students at STU are fantastic. I can say without hesitation that the students at STU are some of the best students I’ve ever taught. I have never had to deal with improper behavior in the classroom. Students seem eager to learn and they strive to perform well. This makes your job much easier as you don’t have to be that concerned about class management.

3. Perhaps this won’t matter to some, but I like that the STU campus is sort of nested in the corner of some small mountains. The nearby mountainsides are covered with graves and there are two Buddhist temples worth hiking to. As a foreigner in China there will be times where you will feel burnt out. The mountains can be a great place to escape and recharge.
What you should be aware of before deciding to work at STU’s ELC:
1. There are somethings that you just need to accept and swallow if you want to be happy at STU.

a. First, locals are unaccustomed to seeing foreigners and will gawk. On weekends and holidays the campus has a large number of visitors from the local communities who come to STU (because as the first reviewer pointed out – STU is the gem of the entire city of Shantou). They tend to leave a lot of trash behind them. It’s not uncommon for young men from the nearby area (Tuopu) to drive recklessly on their electric and gas powered scooters around campus. Teachers have been complaining about this for years and it’s just something you will have to accept as is. Recently there have been some minor improvements in this matter because the university is now limiting the number of locals that can visit each day, and will supposedly ban scooters and motorcycles from the campus. It is nice that STU is making these changes but teachers have been complaining to admin about these issues for years.

b. Many teachers feel the method of evaluating teacher performance is unfair. You will be evaluated on a number of areas: teaching, co-curricular activities, and academic research. Foreign teachers don’t like this method of evaluation because nothing in their contract stipulates the need for them to do research. How is it fair to be evaluated on things outside of your stipulated responsibilities?

c. Some teachers suspect that the director of the ELC plagiarized in his presentation during the ELC’s 2016 spring conference. Apparently this was reported but it seems the university has turned a blind eye to it. Undoubtedly a teacher would be punished for plagiarizing but the director seems to be above any punishment to be meted out. If this sort of thing bothers you then you may reconsider working at STU. In fact, when I heard this I was curious about the academic quality of the director’s (Mao Sihui) research and publications. His bio is quite impressive and he has over 70 published articles and chapters under his belt. His PhD is from the University of Hong Kong, which is quite a good school. However, I was greatly disappointed when I took a look at his dissertation and the first paragraph I read was plagiarized. Seriously, I picked a random chapter (chapter 4) and copied the first paragraph into google scholar. Mao doesn’t attribute the source and most of the copied material is word for word the same. Most of the entire first section of chapter four is plagiarized. If you don’t believe me, you can find his dissertation here: http://hub.hku.hk/handle/10722/55432. The book he copied from can be found here. If the link isn’t working for you then just Google Scholar search Arthur Flannigan-Saint-Aubin’s chapter “The Male Body and Literary Metaphors of Masculinity” in the book Theorizing Masculinities edited by Harry Brod and Michael Kaufman (1994). Sage Publications. To be brief, it seems that STU doesn’t take incidents of plagiarism amongst faculty seriously, at least those in high positions.

To wrap up this review I’d like to say that overall I have enjoyed working at STU and do recommend it to other ESL/EFL professionals who are considering working here. For me the good outweighs the bad. That being said you should be aware of some of the things that you just need to swallow and accept if you wish to remain happy here. Whatever your choice may be I hope this review will be helpful in making an informed decision.

[Mr. Kalgukshi]

Above contributions are too lengthy and violate board rules. Future comments containing more than 300 words will be removed from the public board.

[thechangling]

I just applied to this place via email (and got a response) saying that an MA is the requirement for being hired despite me having a Master of Social science degree and about 7 years esl experience. Seems a spurious answer to me. Must be my age (49), nationality (New Zealand) or major (Labour studies/History) that they don't like or fear and couldn't bring themselves to tell me the real answer.

[theoriginalprankster]

Excellent posts, full of all the right knowledge a potential teacher/professor needs to know.

More posts like these about universities and institutions would be good.

MOD EDIT