Job Discussion Forums

[alexis]

I want to say first how much me and my family have enjoyed your message boards. We have looked at so many and keep coming back because of your frankness.
My husband and I are coming to China August 1,2004 with our three children (15,13 and 10). We are taking a tefl certification course in Suzhou at The Boland School. We will then be looking for teaching positions. We have homeschooled our children for several years and have truely read and talked to as many other teachers as possible in China but we still have so many questions. We are planning on staying for a one year contract (maybe two). I know that we have very cushion lives in our little town of Asheville, NC and have only traveled outside the U.S. a few times but we truely believe we can do anything regardless of the living conditions, culture, etc for one year. We feel like the insight we will gain for our children and ourselves will be well worth it. Atleast that is what we keep telling ourselves...
1. Has anyone heard negative feedback concerning The Boland School in Suzhou.?
2. The school offers job placement but I have also starting looking on my own. Are there any school systems on the east coast that we should definitely stay away from? Are there any you recommend? We are not big on winter so would like to try to stay South of Beijing.
3. Does anyone know of teachers that came with children? Do you have contact info?
4. We are looking at areas such as Hangzhou, Nanjing and a really neat place sounded like Xiamen an island in the Fujian province. Obviously we want to try to be in area that is generally safe, clean. hopefully less pollution and not a coal town with nothing to see for hundreds of miles. We also want to have time left over to be with our children and not have to work constantly.
Any comments or advice would be greatly appreciated.....

[kimo]

I would like to start a reply before everybody gets on here and starts saying cushy stuff like, "I applaude you for...."

Last year about this time, a thread ran on something similar to your situation. A single parent wanted to bring her family I think. If you haven't seen it, it might offer some good info.

Finding a job south of Beijing probably will not be difficult. Just make sure you get an accommodation big enough for your whole brood. Now, to the cash. Surely you're aware that five airplane tickets are a good chunk of change. Be prepared for that. As well, you have to start up with linens, cooking and eating utensils for your small army. All that is a no brainer.

The main point I would like to address is the isolation I believe your family could experience as you adjust to life in a country where you don't speak the language and have no family yourself. Although it would make sense that a family would offer more support than an individual, I often see families near my home who live in a big hotel. They look so out of place as such a large unit. I wonder what they feel in this strange land.

I think with two of you working you'll do fine. Just be prepared for that which does not live in the physical world. China can be as tough as you let it.

[august03]

[Taiping04]

Suitable housing will be a problem. Teacher's apartments are designed for one, or two at the most. You'll then be forced into the private sector, which could take a big lump of your salaries. Look for a school that offers an accommodation allowance.

[naturegirl321]

I did the Boland school and there has been lots of discussion here about it. I suggest you do a search for Boland and you will come up with some threads.
Any questions, pm me.

[Roger]

Boland School: There seems to have been a reorganisation after they fell out with their Chinese partner recently. Boland is run from Czech, by an American woman. Let's hope you are not going to experience another difficult period between their management and their local partners.

Your kids are the ones that you should think the most about since it's going to be them that will have to bear the brunt of local "curiosity". How are they going to spend their spare time? TV is boring, books are scarce, and Chinese friends have a tight school timetable. Then, there is the health issue...

As for home furnishings - you will need to make some adaptations. Chinese don't normally sleep in bed linen. In the South, they use a mat on a bed without mattress - due to the heat. It's hard, but the CHinese say it's "comfortable". You certainly perspire less, but you can't wash those mats, so they accumulate grime over time. Some schools do provide you with bed things, but I have yet to see bedsheets made of natural fibers. I have my own bedlinen.

[peterpaul]

While I don't have a family to consider, I have been in China for some time now and have also been in Ashville, NC several times over the course of many years. In other words, I know a bit, but not a lot, of what you have been in and what you are contemplating getting into. Below are some factors to consider, in no particular order:

1. The issue of money. Tickets for five will be expensive! If you expect the children to share a room, and you yourself can handle close quarters in less then pristine condition, housing will not be a problem. Food costs are nil. However, there are lots of hidden costs. School books, and books in general, are very scarce. Even with the internet you are likely to have to bring quite a bit and use a lot of cash on Amazon to get the texts you need for the children's education.
You will also need to consider what you can afford. What wages to you expect to get, and what kind of life do you plan to lead? China is fine for those with little debt and other obligations, but trying to raise three others in a style in which they are accustomed to can be hard in China.
2. Isolation. Are your children ready to be isolated from friends and other family for the next year? While their are plenty of friends to be made, what about dating for the older children? (Certainly an improtant part of socialization).
3. Ashville is a very clean town. Most towns and cities in China are filthy. Sure they all have clean areas, but there are just as many garbage dumps and open sewers to contend with, let alone pesticides on vegetables, horrible smog in all cities, and let's not even mention the water...
4. Once you get over here, exiting with such a brood will not be easy.

All of this said, good luck. I have known one family here, a couple with two elementary age children (8 and 3). The boy was fine, but the younger girl was terrified of the constant attention on the streets. Oh, they both spoke Mandarin fluently. . .