Job Discussion Forums

[PeterGriffin]

My Flight leaves December 3rd and I'm a little worried from some of the postings on my last question, which I apologize for telling people to lick my bag if they thought I was ruining the job market in china. Seriously though am I walking into a dead end job at Xian Tao Vocational College which is 2 hours northeast of Wuhan or is this a good opportunity to start my teaching career?

[lagerlout2006]

Go for it,,,I recall the post and it seemed like a decent offer.

I don't know the area though it's safe to say there won't be an "expat scene" and you will be the center of attention in many ways. Students that age are very pleasant (or lovely as they say here) and you should make friends quickly and won't be lonely. Try learning some Chinese---buy a litlle camera and go see stuff. Keep busy and let us know what it's like...

[Newbs]

Seems like my last post disappeared. Funny, that's never happened before. (Joke) What I said was:

Go for it because you are committed now. At times "it" will hit the fan, and then you could repeat the mantra that I do, "In the end, this will be good for me, professionally and personally."

Rather general advice, I'll admit, but it is meant to be positive and helpful. Keep monitoring this, and other sites, for other, more specific advice. All the best, mate.

Newbs

[Guest]

How long is your contract for? I usually advise newbies to start off with a 5 or 6 month contract - you can always extend if you are happy there.

If you have a 12 month contract, it can seem like an eternity if you are not happy at the School.

[tom selleck]

No need to apologize! Peter, I never laughed so hard in all of my life! All the lick my bag jokes...I actually woke up the next day laughing. Anyone who can provide mirth and merriment like that deserves a hand shake.

The 18 and 19 year olds I had to work with did drive me absolutely batty.
Fricking NUTS. Whether you succeed depends on the guy you see in the mirror. I am actually laughing right now just thinking about it

[Spiderman Too]

Peter

By all means have a go at teaching in China BUT stay away from the small cities and the towns. In my experience, the people in the small cities and towns are very friendly. Small cities and towns are good if you want to interact with 'real' Chinese people, if you are very sociable and enjoy going to the homes of students and Chinese colleagues for lunch or dinner.

BUT;
1. You'll be stared at like nothing you could ever imagine.
1. You'll draw crowds wherever you go.
2. Crowds will gather at the front of the restaurant where you're dining just to stare at you eating.
3. The 'country' people are very uncouth (spitting, pushing & shoving, getting on buses with their chickens/ ducks/eels) and they have a distinct body odour.
4. There will be virtually no entertainment. In many of the smaller cities, you won't even be able to get CCTV9 English language TV channel and DVDs are very limited in selection. You'll be arriving at the start of winter so the weather won't be suitable for getting out and about for the first 3 months (December, January & February - even March is quite cold in some places).

I'm in a city of 1/2 million people, which is 1 1/4 hour bus ride from the provincial capital city of around 5 mill. people. The 1 1/4 hour bus ride takes me to a different world; a world where I can buy deodorant, cheese, butter, bacon, latest release DVDs, and more, people don't stare at me, no-one shoves animals in my face on the buses .....

My next contract is definitely going to be in one of the big cities.

[cujobytes]

Peter. Just go for it. Take heed of Spidey and Tom's advice and be aware it's ANOTHER PLANET here, or at least feels like it at times.
Nothing is the same as where you come from. Sometimes it can seem like it on the surface but everything you see, smell, hear, taste is different, especially if you're in one of the less cosmopolitan places.
Keep an open mind and remember a common Chinese saying "Mei yo wei shen ma" ( No why). So when you wonder why such and such, the answer is, as often as not, "no why", that's just the way it is.
Pay no heed to the sanctimonious a'holes who'll critisize you because you don't come up to 'their' idea of what a teacher is. You're qualified enough to get a Visa and a job.
I admire your gumption, it's a move you'll never regret and will change your life and you forever.
And when the going gets tough (and it will in the begining) remember you're not alone, come here for support.
Roll with the punches and don't get stressed or angry, whatever it is will pass.
Good luck.
And I just realized you'll be out getting pissed now 'cause you leave tomorrow. Post as soon as you get to an internet cafe and let us know how it's all going.

[Tao Burp]

Listen to the Spiderman, he's telling the straight truth. If you're thinking in a National Geographic mindset, you're setting yourself up for a year's worth of misery after the 45 day pink cloud phase of "Wow, I really am in China." Go for the big cities.

[Mark Beckman]

Peter our close friends (a couple) were an assistant manager and a special orders clerk at a large hardware chain store here in Brisbane.

They made a decision to do a TESOL course and go to Spain but were encouraged in regards to their inexperience to do a year in China first.

It was simply the best thing they have ever done, they love it and are having a blast (we speak to them at least once a week) and have signed up for a second year.

They have come from day to day lower middle class average workers stuck in a rut with the same bills week to week to having the greatest adventure of their lives.

Convincing enough for us to do it ourselves.

It is what you make of it.

[arodeorowdy]

Personally, my first two weeks in China I kept asking myself, "what the heck was I thinking coming here?". But now, after more than 3 months in-country...I really like it.

Originally I wanted to work in a small city in the NE because I don't like the noise and crowds of the big city. Last year I had 5 job offers thru the internet, but couldn't make a commitment sight unseen. So this year, at the end of my "Round the World" journey I left Russia and decided to pass thru China and have a look-see. I'm glad I did because I was actually planning on taking a job in "small-town" China, that is until I actually saw "Small-Town" China! I back-peddled outa there and traveled around a bit more to find where I really wanted to be. After visiting six cities I landed me a job in big city down south and now I believe I'll be here for a while and even start learning the language. It was a surprise to me when I actually started liking it here so I'd say GO FOR IT! COME ON DOWN, ur over and experience life in a new land!
Cheers to all, Rowdy4bush

[beck's]

Do it! Come over. It will be the most interesting, if not the greatest, experience of your life. There are thousands of us here teaching English. If we can do it, so can you. Even if it is a bad experience, so what? At this point in your life you will be able to handle it and will return home with a thousand great stories.

[opentin]

Hi,

I've been teaching in China for 3 months now - and I'm loving it. I'm in a smaller city - ie, about 1 million-2million people and yes people stare at you and yes people slag all over the ground all the time but that's life and it's no big deal. There are things, and days, that irritate the frig out of you - for me especially its the meandering traffic that always somehow manages to almost run you over. But these are only really painful on the bad days.

As far as entertainment goes, there are like 4 bars in the city - not much, but all the other teachers in my school are great, so we don't mind, we just sit anywhere and chat. There is no expat scene, and it's a mistake to think just because you meet another foreigner you'll be best mates - just like back home...There are however, tonnes of DVDs - no limit to the selection - i've been able to get tonnes of rare and interesting foreign films and classics here no worries.

Teaching is OK, it's better than flipping burgers. Sometimes it's painful, sometimes it's interesting and fun, but it's never better than not teaching. That said the hours are usually fine and it's easy to do, at least satisfactorally. I think I'll be crucified for that one.

The best thing about it is the travel, which you can do easily on weekends, days off etc. For me it's a real battle finding interesting places around my town, not because there are none, but because the Chinese people just dont think about them or talk about them. Anyway, the best thing is to use your town or city as a springboard, a home base i guess.

Finally - this is my own experience. I'm a 21 year old guy from Australia. Another young guy from Australia at my school hates it and is leaving in a month or so. He cant accept the difference, and he cannot adapt even superficially to the culture. I'm loving it though, so I don't know. I guess it really depends on who you are, and how much you can tolerate almost being spat on and people laughing at you and touching you for no reason.
And if you're an old-hand sitting there saying i'm still on the pink i'm-in-china cloud you can lick my bag, basically
Anthony

[Mark Beckman]

Ahh thats more like it, great posts with great spirit Guys !!

How many times does one sit down with a drink and laugh at previous 'bad' times in one's life, thats called experience and I'm glad I've had those experiences even if they werent enjoyable at the time.

[ChinaMovieMagic]

China-as-a-CharacterTrainingCamp

Spiderman Too wrote:
2. Crowds will gather at the front of the restaurant where you're dining just to stare at you eating.

A few summers ago at a ChinaTEFL Summer Camp in small town Zhejiang, I was having dinner in a restaurant w/a fellow foreign teacher, an African-American. By this time, we were accustomed to the stares.

As we ate by the window...yes, folks would stare. But we were seasoned China Vets. But...out of the corner of my eye, as we continued to eat/chat, I sensed someone S-T-A-R-I-N-G at us, right up against the window. After a few minutes of sensing Full Frontal staring-without-moving, I casually glanced to my side. Confronting my eyeballs was a non-Sadhu-from-India. Long-haired. Bearded. Dirty. Stoned Naked...

A split-second of visual input was enough. Practicing our Yoga of Mind Non-Attachment, we both returned to our Teacher Talk, without missing a beat.

[TEAM_PAPUA]

Take my word for it "The first few weeks will shock your socks off!!!"

You will begin a rollercoaster ride as you try to come to terms with "what the F am I doing here & why the F did I get on the plane in the first place" you'll be up & down like a yo-yo. But, you can rest assured that most people here have been through the same experiences - so you are not alone & they'll always be Wise Sages* on this forum to offer you continued Pearls of Wisdom**.

If all else fails, know now that a good bag licking in rural China is almost free compared to what they're charging here in Shanghai



T_P


*Been there done that
** BS