Job Discussion Forums

toraja · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 12

Hey,
What's the job market like in Guangzhou? Would it be possible for example to turn up, do a bit of door knocking and find something? I've got a certificate and a bit of experience.
Do people do this?
Any information would be great,
cheers.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

I won't encourage you at this molment to try it, but you can, and you will find some kind of work although I doubt you will get a plum job.
You failed to specify the type of school you were interested in.
Anyway, the new term begins on February 24; we have to report in by 21st.

parvati_overdrive · Joined: 09 Jan 2005 Posts: 69

roger: why wouldn't you encourage this method? i decided against it (in guangdong but all of china) based primarily on the cost of guesthouses and "hotels". but there are other issues.

although i have spent over a decade living and working in south/south east asia -china's a new twist in that no one really speaking english and the signage is all in chinese (ah, yes -2008). i can live in this environment no worries - but hustling for a job is a real hassle. i recall doing this even in korea and the addresses alone drove me to near madness.

im just curious becasue i too am thinking about this region as the weather and tech-y nature of the area are appealing to me. i could easily come up from thailand and have a look - but the internet appears to offer so much possibility.

im ok with not getting plum money first go - but i do want a good school with relatively sane administrators.

as for food and language, id maybe best be in yunnan (i hear some [tribes?] speak thai/lao. but that is another story.

thanks -

Susie · Joined: 02 Jul 2003 Posts: 390 Location: PRC

http://www.teachoffice.com/

http://www.cathayteacher.com/jobs/index.php?action=search

yaco · Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Posts: 473

Lets swap places Parvati Overdrive.

I go to Thailand and you come to GUANGZHOU.

parvati_overdrive · Joined: 09 Jan 2005 Posts: 69

yaco: all it takes is plane fare. youll make about us600 which you can live well enough on although cant save much if any. for all intents and purposes everything is out of pocket. no airfare, bonuses, rooms... the students are just as indifferent and youll have to contend with many retiree, lagerlout *beep* teacher. wages here have been depressed for years although costs are stable as well. you also have scores of backpackers looking to make a bit of cash and they are staying longer. you may have to wait weeks/months to accumulate enough hours to even break even on living expenses. lots of politics here too and the educational system an international embarassment.

one also MUST have tefl, b.a. degree + red tape for this meager low wage work.

my primary reason in going to china is i want proper work hours (not weekends, eves)

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

parvati,
Weatherwise, hmm: at this very minute a fine and icy drizzle is pummelling the concrete ground of what is the greater Pearl RIver Delta. The sky is overcast. Last night we had around 6 degrees here in Guangzhou, and a couple of degrees cooler in the distant green boonies. You still want to come here? It is going to stay this way for the next couple of months!

As for students: majority are comatose during class, and lively when their cellphone rings. Textbooks are hopeless, and it sometimes even is hopeless to get any materials. Teacher deployment is another topic that causes me to wish I had enough money RIGHT now to fly to Chiangmay... Well, next term I will be doing my job as usual, no worry; I have had already one month of paid leave, while others have been working. We have a lot of organisational issues here. Still, I get treated well. Accommodation is decent. Pay is acceptable and I am free to earn on the side.

But earning on the side has been a pain in my ass. You always end up being shanted around by go-betweens. You work for "training centres" run by morons with a keen eye on the cashflow and being blind on staff turnover, feedback on you and your personal interests. Usually, you have to commute, and commute a lot; these days a 20 km bus trip can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 3 hours! This is because the Chinese are buying cars with a vengeance, and driving with much more vengeance!

Finding a job through the Internet? You can try, and then, try some more. The job supply side looks pretty attractive, and that's what your employers figure too - they snare a lot of newbies, default on their promises, and many remain here without a valid work visa, let alone a contract that binds BOTH sides...

toraja · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 12

Cheers to all for your help.
Roger - you said that you wouldn't recommend turning up and looking at the moment and also that jobs found over the internet are likely to screw you over. If this is the case then what's the best way to go about it? Also, how much does a cheap room/dorm cost in Guangzhou.

Thanks again.

dajiang · Joined: 13 May 2004 Posts: 663 Location: Guilin!

you sure you wanna go to guangzhou??
huge grey concrete expensive smelly city?

it's in my top ten of most horrible places in the world.
all subjective of course. some people love smog and stuff.
and i heard the pay is pretty decent there.

although shamian island was nice for a day. (50 kuai for dorm there)
and the food is divine, granted.

but the food's good anywhere in guangdong.
good luck there anyway.

dajiang

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

tamil_tiger_II · Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Posts: 56

Yeah, watch out for that cold. I think it may be even more than a few degrees below guangzhou here in the boonies. Bring a good winter coat (I wish I had known that South China could get this cold. I only brought half sleeve shirts and thin cotton pants)

It is seeming rather hard to rustle up a good job right now. Everywhere I turn, they say they've got teachers for the next semester. I'm worried I may have to take a job less than ideal or move to another part of China perhaps.

Perhaps you should round up a back-up offer that you can live with before coming, just so you don't end up taking anything out of desperation.

tamil_tiger_II · Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Posts: 56

that hostel near the train station is called guangdong luyou dasha. It's on the right hand side past the ticketing area. Not a bad place really. I stayed there some time ago. It is a hostelling international one and there is a good member price. I think it's 50 for a dorm room or 90 for a private room if I remember correctly, or maybe it was 40 and 80. It's not very high considering it's guangzhou and it's got it's own kind of scenery you could say. It's crazy to see that many people thronging in one place when it gets busy (the surroundings, not the hotel of course)

toraja · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 12

You guys are very helpful.
To be honest I don't really know a hell of a lot about China - there seems to be so many cities with millions of people (I do wanna be in a city) and it's confusing working out the best place to go. I chose to start looking in Guangzhou because I'm flying in to Hong Kong in early Feb to meet a friend for a week and will be crossing over to the mainland after that. I'm not flush with cash so I thought that the closest place would be a good place to start. This is not the only reason though - I've looked into Guangzhou a bit and it seems like an interesting enough place. I like cities and as for the cold - I've been living in 30+degree heat for the last 3 years so not sweating my ass off is quite attractive at the moment.
I dunno - can anyone recommend another place? Beijing's too far away, Shanghai looks to be expensive and difficult to find work and I know almost nothing about other places.
Thanks.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

I cannot recommend other PLACES because there always materialises some sort of personal chemistry between the new arrival and his host city; some cities just don't give you good vibes while others feel perfectly happy there. I for one don't like Shenzhen, never liked it even when I lived there. I wouldn't want to be in Peking for a whole semester either although I fancy visiting it again and again... nor Urumqi for that matter.

I give you one piece of advice: give some recruiter that I can recommend a chance and take your own chance! They may post you to a hillbilly region but they will take good care of you. Maybe they place you with a school in a city - you can probably make your wishes known to them. Anyway, you should get to know the place before you make your choice. I did the same although I never had to enlist a recruiter; I knew China from before I had my first job.
I suggest you get in touch with the Buckland group. I have a little insider knowledge and believe they are deservedly reputable. I recently checked out their premises and was astonished at the great hospitality they extend to any westerner, and the excellent care they provide. IT's not just hearsay - it's a fact of life with them.
Maybe you will end up working in Zhuhai or Guangzhou.

parvati_overdrive · Joined: 09 Jan 2005 Posts: 69

some posts keep going on about the cold in guangdong. it has to be the warmest place save for hainan, so thats our lot perhaps. certainly the south (for which i will personally extend to yunnan becasue i know ill like the food at least).

it may be cold, but unlike harbin its not DAMN COLD! i mean, what ARE the options for weather puxxies like me in china? the south.