Job Discussion Forums

[mitsui]

Hi,
I am starting to look for work at universities in China.

What websites should I look at?
What times of year are the best to apply?
Does the first semester start at the end of February?

Thank you.

[rioux]

Terms begin about March 1st and September 1st.

If applying for March 1st you could start applying now.

https://www.career-jet.cn/search/jobs?s=University+English+Teacher&l=China

[mitsui]

Thanks.
I am also certified in the US in English, but I would probably prefer university.
When do vacations tend to start and end?

[Non Sequitur]

Universities operate 18 week semesters so you can use the start dates stated above to get the outline.
The date of Chinese New Year is lunar and the actual date varies.
Here's the 2018 calendar:
https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/?year=2018&country=41

[mitsui]

Thanks.
I was reading some job posts and noticed that there were some universities that won't hire people after a certain age.
What can anyone say about that?
Is this just at public universities or is it also at private universities?

[Non Sequitur]

Age has been discussed multiple times on the Jobs forum.
Search on 'age' '65' 'contract renewal' etc

[rocket man]

school year actually started on Sept 1 OP,

Second semester will start around the end of February after Spring Festival holiday, there will be fewer jobs then

[Modernist]

China would prefer younger teachers as a rule, but as the supply of younger white foreign people willing to live in China, especially the (many) rougher parts of China, is dauntingly low, they have to take whatever they can get. That means a heck of a lot of oldies, for sure. Way more than I've seen in other parts of Asia.

If you plan to try to work in the quality cities you'll have a hard time. Henan on the other hand will hire anyone who can get a visa, basically. Chinese universities don't really care about certification, it's not terribly relevant to what is expected of you. What they want is a handsome, or pretty, white face in front of the kids, a lot of energy (not clowning, but enough to shake them up), a personality that is different enough but not TOO different, and a reliable presence in the classroom when you're supposed to be there. That's about it. They rarely get even those minimal requests, however.

They don't really care what you actually do, and they often don't even know enough to know if you are good or effective in your work. If the kids don't complain about you and you show up every day, you can probably stay as long as your visa is renewed, which in reference to age, almost certainly won't be beyond 65. You'll get about a thousand USD a month to live on, which if you are like some of the, ahem, veterans here is more than plenty since you never travel anywhere or buy anything and eat rice and noodles you cook yourself every night along with your personal preference of consciousness-drowning booze and all the cigarettes you can suck down. Don't worry, they're both as cheap as you could believe here.

Your apartment may or may not be tolerable. Don't expect anything but a roof and a floor and you won't be disappointed. The campus will almost certainly be on the edge of tomorrow, as far as possible from anything else in town you might want to see or do. In my city now, the local flagship campus is only prevented from being further from the center by a huge lake. They went as far out as land and political borders would let them.

If you're over 65 already I doubt you can get a Z visa issued now. But China being China, maybe.

Hirarchy of places:

SH, BJ, GZ, SZ: you won't be hired at unis here at an advanced age without at least an MA, I would say.

Coastal money (Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, eastern Shandong): you could get lucky here but these places are also huge and some parts are as bad as anywhere poor.

Dongbei: Pretty nice in my opinion. Have to tolerate cold in winter though.

Inland tolerable (Wuhan, Chongqing, Xi'an, etc): Big and sort of rich but the summer climate is amazingly awful. Ugly, mostly. Sprawling as anything.

Back of beyond west (Chengdu, Kunming/Yunnan, Tibet, Xinjiang): Pretty but you are very out there. Very.

Northern pollution belt (Henan, Hebei, western Shandong, Shanxi): Prepare for black lung syndrome!

Inland holes (Jiangxi, Anhui, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, etc): Not unless you're damn crazy.

[mitsui]

I am in my 40s and bald.
Got my MA in TESOL in the USA.
I could teach at a high school too, if the pay is right. I am certified in the US.
I have worked in three continents and have seen all sorts of students.
I started in north Africa and moved to Europe, and Russia.

The Japanese may be even more ageist. After 45 it gets tougher to find work.
I work at a public and a national university where experience is actually valued.

Beijing must be good for work but I don't want to deal with the pollution.
Maybe in a city outside a big city sounds good, like two hours outside of Shanghai.
Dalian sounds good too. I had many students from there.

I lived in Siberia so Chinese winters don't scare me.

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

[mitsui]

I was thinking about private or international high schools, actually.
So I assume their teachers must be certified.

[Non Sequitur]

I think there is a limit to how much you can progress your job hunt though Dave's.
Best apply for a few positions or just approach school as a general inquiry.
Once you have an offer, come back and ask for comment on school location etc

[Modernist]

[Marinx]

[Non Sequitur]

Winter vacation usually paid. Summer - only as an inducement to sign for another year.
Do please look at the Job Offer Checklist thread.