Job Discussion Forums

[Mysterious Mark]

I know, the common practice in China is to reimburse a one-way ticket after six months or an RT after 12, but a friend of mine with no ESL experience recently had a one-way provided up front, by an EF school near Beijing. (They seemed to be a bit desperate to get someone in December.) How frequently would you say this happens? Are there other schools (or recruiters) that are known to do this?

[Spiderman Too]

EF are the only school that I have seen advertise airfares paid upfront, which is not to say that no other schools in China do so, but I'm not aware of any.

In fact, I have seen EF ads offering return airfares for participation in their 'summer programs', which is rare in my experience.

However, all that glitters is not gold. EF require teachers to work a 40 hour week (actual hours) and teach 25 hours per week (actual hours) for a middle-of-road salary and minimal (paid) annual leave.

Indeed, most private and/or language schools offer apparently superior salary packages than government universities but the hours are much longer and more difficult (for example, evenings, weekends, unpaid traveling time between teaching sites, etc.).

If you're young, fit & healthy such a regime is manageable.

[NateM]

Mine did more than pay as soon as I got here. They bought the ticket for me and sent it via courier. It's not common, but it happens from time to time.

[deezy]

EF often pay for flights up front, or buys the ticket and posts it to the teacher. It depends on circumstances. Usually the deal is to reimburse half the return fare within a week, and the other half at the end of the contract...alternative a FT buys a single ticket and EF reimburses that and pays for the return portion at the end of the contract.

EF's employement contract states"The teacher works for 40 hours per week, to be arranged by the DOS and/or the CM, including up to 130 academic (87 real) classroom hours per calendar month. This represents an average of 30 academic hours (1 academic hour is equal to 40 minutes) per week over 4.33 weeks, or 20 real hours over 4.33 weeks. The teacher will be required to work 5 days a week in the non-peak season and up to 6 days per week during the peak seasons.

During the peak seasons (June � August and January � February), teaching hours can rise to up to 169 academic (113 real) classroom hours per calendar month. In these cases, additional remuneration will be given for teaching duties amounting to more than 130 academic classroom hours in the non-peak season and 169 academic classroom hours in the peak season per calendar month. Remuneration will be paid at an agreed per-academic-hour rate. "

Yes, compared to college and public school hours, these are a lot of hours! They are private schools, a franchise, as such each school is different in it's interpretation of what are sensible hours for a teacher. Wise Centre Managers and DoSes will recognise the value of not overloading a teacher, thus avoiding burnout. I've even read of teachers who LIKE doing those hours, and actually ask for more (thus getting overtime pay!). Crazy but true!

And teachers DO read the contract before they accept it. So who's to blame?

Yes, Spiderman, I agree...you have to be fit and healthy to work at EF! Don't agree about the 'young' though! But then I wouldn't! One of our teachers was 60 and he ran rings around the younger teachers! And I do fine, and I'm in my fifties.

And oh wouldn't I love to have the long breaks other teachers get! And not have to work until 8.30 pm (although on most days we don't go into work until the afternoon).

[Talkdoc]

At the first school I taught at in Shenyang, I did successfully negotiate reimbursement of my one-way airfare upon the signing of the contract; I also changed the wording of the return air fare allowance to a "completion bonus," for a flat sum of 1,000 US, because I was concerned that if I decided not to leave China, I would not receive the allowance.

As I was already in the country when I took my second job, I did not receive any reimbursement for the airfare but have received 2200 RMB as a winter travel allowance (which more than covers the cost of the flight from Shenyang) and will receive a travel allowance (bonus) of 12,000 RMB in July.

If they want or need you badly enough, you can negotiate these types of items.

Doc