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Relevant
Joined: 16 Apr 2017
Posts: 39
Location: In the wind....
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 Posted: Wed May 17, 2017 6:24 am Post subject: TEFL "internship programme" |
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Job ad that came through from "Serious" teachers today:
| Quote: |
Paid TEFL internship China, China (Sichuan province)
Negotiable USD
Requisites: 120h TEFL certificate
Fields of Expertise: ESL/EFL
Details:
Spend four and a half months’ living and teaching English in one of the culture capitals of China. The Internship Programme, a government-sponsored cultural exchange programme in beautiful Sichuan province, gives you the opportunity to experience the real China. You get to explore Sichuan’s beautiful landscapes, sample its great food and develop professional and personal skills.
The programme is best for TEFL graduates to gain their first experience teaching abroad/China. As a government-backed internship, it is a safe option with 24/7 support in China.
The internship comes with a monthly allowance of RMB 2,000, free accommodation, free work meals at your school, flight reimbursement and other perks. |
It seems that the Sichuan government are a cheeky, money grubbing bunch. You could almost admire their chutzpah to offer what basically amounts to slave labour and dress it up as a "cultural exchange".
Has anyone seen worse advertisements than this? |
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rocket man
Joined: 19 Dec 2015
Posts: 110
Location: Raleigh NC USA
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| Posted: Wed May 17, 2017 7:41 am Post subject: |
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god that is bad even compared to what the "kids" (new graduates) get in a program my school runs I think through an agency, teaching oral English 25 hours/week at a campus 20-30 minutes away from where they live (they live in the same building I live on the campus I teach at), shared housing and they get (before tax) 6,000/month!!! They about crapped their pants when I told them I was making over triple teaching a history and only 16 hours/week
Whats crazier is some of them actually actually are reupping for another year. Guy who got non-renewed here actually landed a better job, less hours, private housing and double what he was making here. |
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twowheel
Joined: 03 Jul 2015
Posts: 753
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| Posted: Wed May 17, 2017 9:20 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
Paid TEFL internship China, China (Sichuan province)
Negotiable USD
Requisites: 120h TEFL certificate
Fields of Expertise: ESL/EFL
Details:
Spend four and a half months’ living and teaching English in one of the culture capitals of China. The Internship Programme, a government sponsored cultural exchange programme in beautiful Sichuan province, gives you the opportunity to experience the real China. You get to explore Sichuan’s beautiful landscapes, sample its great food and develop professional and personal skills.
The programme is best for TEFL graduates to gain their first experience teaching abroad/China. As a government-backed internship, it is a safe option with 24/7 support in China.
The internship comes with a monthly allowance of RMB 2,000, free accommodation, free work meals at your school, flight reimbursement and other perks. |
boooooooooo!
thumbs down
-1
twowheel |
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asiannationmc
Joined: 13 Aug 2014
Posts: 1342
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| Posted: Wed May 17, 2017 10:53 am Post subject: |
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| i would ask for the registration number for the a government sponsored cultural exchange program |
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Relevant
Joined: 16 Apr 2017
Posts: 39
Location: In the wind....
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| Posted: Wed May 17, 2017 12:58 pm Post subject: |
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I am coming back to China, and already have a job lined up (for more than 2000RMB a month - ka-ching!  ), but until my visa comes through, I put a brief post without a resume on Serious Teachers to see what alternatives are out there (should everything fall through.)
This is the first utterly ridiculous offer that has come through. The average salary offered is now 10,000 plus for ESL jobs, from the jobs that have been sent through to me (although the reality on the ground could certainly turn out to be different).
It is good to see some inflation in FT wages since I left in 2010.
However, it really does seem that the market is still the wild west, with schools and recruiters paying whatever they think they can get away with to recruit a white face. I would have thought some maturity and regulation may have crept into the market in my absence, but having been back on the board for a while checking things out, it seems not.
Here's to the board for being a great resource and trying to prevent innocent newbies being fleeced, and congrats to people who are still earning a living and posting. I hope that you have found the sliver of the market that needs professional teachers for respectful wages and conditions. |
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LarssonCrew
Joined: 06 Jun 2009
Posts: 1308
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| Posted: Wed May 17, 2017 1:20 pm Post subject: |
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One note above too, I find that newcomers take whatever jobs come, maybe they're in debt or want to make more than 8,000 a month, but they take jobs for 100 RMB an hour part time, ridiculous.
I finished my masters this last month and put my feeders out to some training schools in the local area I knew were desperate for teachers. I'm white, male, with lots of experiences with all ages. They failed to turn up twice and finally on wechat offered me 100. I was almost offended, but they wouldn't budge.
Strangely enough in Beijing where I am moving in the summer I've already been offered 400 an hour from recruiters for part time jobs because that's the limit. I don't want to work for 120 or something, so if they offer that I just refuse. I think in BJ SH they've gotten the message that it's minimum 200 an hour now. |
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Relevant
Joined: 16 Apr 2017
Posts: 39
Location: In the wind....
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| Posted: Wed May 17, 2017 2:03 pm Post subject: |
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| LarssonCrew wrote: |
One note above too, I find that newcomers take whatever jobs come, maybe they're in debt or want to make more than 8,000 a month, but they take jobs for 100 RMB an hour part time, ridiculous.
I finished my masters this last month and put my feeders out to some training schools in the local area I knew were desperate for teachers. I'm white, male, with lots of experiences with all ages. They failed to turn up twice and finally on wechat offered me 100. I was almost offended, but they wouldn't budge.
Strangely enough in Beijing where I am moving in the summer I've already been offered 400 an hour from recruiters for part time jobs because that's the limit. I don't want to work for 120 or something, so if they offer that I just refuse. I think in BJ SH they've gotten the message that it's minimum 200 an hour now. |
I know that some discussions on the board do revolve a little bit too strongly around money, and discussions about what we are worth, and what FTs should be earning in China if they have the guts/experience/qualifications etc. I got sucked straight into that above.....
However, my intent was more to highlight the attitude that this kind of offer shows on behalf of the potential employer above, and how they must regard their incoming teacher. My interpretation would be that the quality of candidates makes no difference whatsoever in this employer's reckoning, and the procurement of a white face at the lowest cost is the only objective.
At least the white monkey should be able to actually live off of the scraps they offer? The kids they teach do pay for some kind of educational outcome? |
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Foo_Fighters_Dave
Joined: 09 Dec 2016
Posts: 162
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| Posted: Wed May 17, 2017 5:33 pm Post subject: |
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It's a mystery to me who takes jobs like these. 2000 rmb a month? Really? It is the same in the Middle East when teachers take jobs that pay 8000 SAR a month. I just don't get it.
Can you live on 2000 rmb a month? That would be frugal living. I would spend that in a month drinking  |
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getbehindthemule
Joined: 15 Oct 2015
Posts: 712
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 7:54 am Post subject: |
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| Foo_Fighters_Dave wrote: |
It's a mystery to me who takes jobs like these. 2000 rmb a month? Really? It is the same in the Middle East when teachers take jobs that pay 8000 SAR a month. I just don't get it.
Can you live on 2000 rmb a month? That would be frugal living. I would spend that in a month drinking |
I post this with a degree of shame...but I've spent this in a weekend out drinking in SH once or twice (well, me and my girfriend, although she doesnt drink so much haha)!
....the shame....the shame  |
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MsBlackcurrant
Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 77
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| Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 5:07 pm Post subject: |
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I've considered participating in schemes of this sort in Sichuan.
The advantage is that you get orientation and support at the start of your career in China. And the simple fact that the placement is quite short makes it a good taster; if you're not sure if you'll like China then you're only committing to a few months, not to a year.
The poor salary is the clear downside, especially if you're overqualified for the job. But I suppose you could see it as five stress-free months to make contacts and get the lay of the land, so to speak. |
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Relevant
Joined: 16 Apr 2017
Posts: 39
Location: In the wind....
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| Posted: Sat May 20, 2017 8:00 am Post subject: |
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| MsBlackcurrant wrote: |
I've considered participating in schemes of this sort in Sichuan.
The advantage is that you get orientation and support at the start of your career in China. And the simple fact that the placement is quite short makes it a good taster; if you're not sure if you'll like China then you're only committing to a few months, not to a year.
The poor salary is the clear downside, especially if you're overqualified for the job. But I suppose you could see it as five stress-free months to make contacts and get the lay of the land, so to speak. |
I suppose I can see the argument that the short term contract gives some flexibility to people who want to dip their toe in the water in china TEFL teaching. However, what sticks in my craw is this idea of orientation/support/training.
I cannot know for sure, but the chances that there will be anything resembling actual instruction in teaching technique or pedagogy for a new person joining the profession is pretty small. On top of that, any regular job will help with "orientation" (where stuff is, getting mobile phones and internet set up, probably some chinese lessons thrown in of limited quality/use), and support is likely to be the provision of a textbook that is only just intelligible, and of limited usefulness. This is therefore just a crappy TEFL job with poverty level renumeration.
It is just exploitation. What always used to make me laugh/cry in Chengdu was when I met the "interns" who had come over to work in one of the Panda sanctuaries. They paid $3000 plus to come over for a month or so and spend their time shovelling Panda &%^t and doing menial tasks there. It is the same as the "volunteers" who pay larger amounts than this to do a placement in India or China teaching in a school. People are not there to make a difference, but to line the pockets of people who have learnt to exploit the (lauduably) idealistic, but also sadly naive intentions of young people in western countries. |
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twowheel
Joined: 03 Jul 2015
Posts: 753
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| Posted: Sat May 20, 2017 8:54 am Post subject: |
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| Relevant wrote: |
I suppose I can see the argument that the short term contract gives some flexibility to people who want to dip their toe in the water in china TEFL teaching. However, what sticks in my craw is this idea of orientation/support/training.
I cannot know for sure, but the chances that there will be anything resembling actual instruction in teaching technique or pedagogy for a new person joining the profession is pretty small. On top of that, any regular job will help with "orientation" (where stuff is, getting mobile phones and internet set up, probably some chinese lessons thrown in of limited quality/use), and support is likely to be the provision of a textbook that is only just intelligible, and of limited usefulness. This is therefore just a crappy TEFL job with poverty level renumeration. |
I agree with the above; my hunches are similar.
| Relevant wrote: |
| It is just exploitation. What always used to make me laugh/cry in Chengdu was when I met the "interns" who had come over to work in one of the Panda sanctuaries. They paid $3000 plus to come over for a month or so and spend their time shovelling Panda &%^t and doing menial tasks there. It is the same as the "volunteers" who pay larger amounts than this to do a placement in India or China teaching in a school. People are not there to make a difference, but to line the pockets of people who have learnt to exploit the (lauduably) idealistic, but also sadly naive intentions of young people in western countries. |
Also agreed, never EVER pay to "volunteer". Simple enough.
This very much reminds me of this thread on the General Discussion forum:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=116157
twowheel |
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MsBlackcurrant
Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 77
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| Posted: Sat May 20, 2017 11:34 am Post subject: |
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Out of interest, the company below offers a similar programme in Sichuan:
https://www.tofu-education.co.uk/internship
Does anyone think that the benefits offered make up for the low pay? |
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rogerwilco
Joined: 10 Jun 2010
Posts: 1549
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| Posted: Sat May 20, 2017 11:55 am Post subject: |
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No
"How many hours will I be teaching?-
You'll be teaching for approximately 15 hours a week, but will work for 35 hours in total at your school, preparing lessons, attending meetings and partaking in fun activities like the annual school play."
So, you are being paid about US$2 an hour. |
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Foo_Fighters_Dave
Joined: 09 Dec 2016
Posts: 162
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| Posted: Sat May 20, 2017 12:02 pm Post subject: |
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| MsBlackcurrant wrote: |
I've considered participating in schemes of this sort in Sichuan.
The advantage is that you get orientation and support at the start of your career in China. And the simple fact that the placement is quite short makes it a good taster; if you're not sure if you'll like China then you're only committing to a few months, not to a year.
The poor salary is the clear downside, especially if you're overqualified for the job. But I suppose you could see it as five stress-free months to make contacts and get the lay of the land, so to speak. |
There is absolutely no justification for receiving 2000 rmb a month to "dip your toes in". You will be in poverty. |
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