Job Discussion Forums

[cranberrycranberry]

Hello Y'all
I am a recent university H.B.A graduate that wants to ask the forum about teaching in China. I am currently discussing a contract w/ AES school (aka: Aston). This is my first working experience abroad.

I'm debating whether or not to go to Xi'an or Jinan. I have visited Xi'an in the past. So, I am hesitant to return as I probably seen everything. However, Jinan does not seem very exciting. Is there cultural things there to do? Dalian is already full.

Any comments? Advice

From me, the cranberry.

[Roger]

I spent 5 weeks in Ji'nan many years back. As Chinese towns go, not a bad place to be in though a tad boring, perhaps. In this respect it is not unlike many other places, though.
The downside is that it is a relative backwater; I lived in a newly-built tenement block and learnt to my surprise that "locals never take a shower because it's too cold here..." I hope you are going to get better than me.
Another problem was the wind-borne dust.

BUt on the plus side, I would put the pleasant climate (never too humid, I reckon), and the freindly locals. Ji'nan is, like Qingdao, a beer city due to the Germans' ruling of Shandong province a century earlier. Many locals hosted me for beer sessions. It was dirt cheap, so they could afford it even though their salaries were considerably lower than elsewhere.
Another positive point is that you can explore the more traditional China from Ji'nan: Qufu is close by (the town where Kong Qu, aka Confucius, was born); Xuzhou is reputed to have some imperial tombs (it does have a large-ish museum, anyway); Qingdao has a very German heart and a very pleasant coastline; Nanjing is not too far either. Tai'an with Taishan is very near too.
When I was there I befriended a gang of German engineers working for Siemens. It seemed Ji'nan ws rather congenial for westerners at that time.

[morningthunder]

Have to disagree on the climate never being too humid - Jinan's weather is horrible in the summer (very hot and very humid) and it doesn't help that there is a lot of pollution as well. Mind you, you'll get that in Xi'an as well, so what can ya do?!

As Roger said though, it is very easy to get to a lot of interesting places from Jinan - coastal towns of Yantai and Qingdao being pleasant retreats in the summer heat, and Beijing is not much more than a stone's throw away - in Chinese terms!

[cranberrycranberry]

thanks dudes!
When you say these places are close (ie: Qingdao, Qufu)..what does that mean? Ie: 5 hrs on a train. I probably won't have that many days off working.

So, I would have to do day trips.


Roger and morning thunder...where did you teach? was it fun? any comments /advice for a newbie teaching?

Cranny

[lagerlout2006]

As for you geography question: Taian is about an hour away and Qufu 90 minutes. Beijing and Qingdao 4 hours almost exactly. You likely won't be doing these places all the time. In 10 months I went to each of these once. OH one thing people do is climb Taian at night to watch the sun come up. Apparently you will live longer if you do this.


I have Jinan rather ugly (most of it)--not nice for walking and dry and dusty. But it has something of a "scene" and you can make friends there, Also has a surprising amount of Western things and people-it is a provincial capitol after all. If it's still going there was a good website--some variation on jinan-now.com
PS -might pay attention to what NateM said.

[Roger]

I was there in SPRING, and it was DRY and cool, but I have heard from others that it does get "humid' in summer - but it must be a long shot from what we are experiencing in this regard in Guangdong...

The places I mentioned are within a very few hours by train, or in the case of Qufu, by bus. I used to spend whole weekends in each of them precisely because my flat had no decent bathroom (no showers!), so I took a hotel room with western-style bath in there and enjoyed, and I mean: enjoyed a long soak in the bathtub.

Where did I work? That's a secret of sorts... My boss in Shenzhen deployed me to Ji'nan to help his wife set up a training centre; it was illegal 9my visa covered Shenzhen, not any other town, of course), and he also failed to register me with the PSB.
It ended rather abruptly and comically: the neighbourhood cops waylaid me one evening as I trudged home past a bar; I entered to buy a drink, and the cops asked me a lot of questions, then walked me home... A couple of days later, they arrived in marked cars - you imagine the sensation... I was in for a long cross-examination, then put under house arrest in a guesthouse (not allowed to leave by the gate...).
My boss evntually had to pay a huge fine and promptly dismissed me - thee months into my new work contract (I had worked for him for one year before we signed a new one...).
But I have no bad memories of Ji'nan. In fact, I don't quite agree with lagerlout's assessment of Ji'nan's beauty; there were a good many colonial-style buildings, and no structure was taller than maybe 10 storeys. It may have changed a bit since, but I am sure the German and Japanese structures are still there in their old glory! And some neighbourhoods were pretty quaint.
Also, the police were at that time reputed throughout China for their scrupulousness; they certainly didn't treat me badly. My boss might have thought of his treatment at their hands a little differently...

[cranberrycranberry]

I've chosen Jinan b/c Xi'an I've gone to already. I'm going to be brave! Jinan, here I come!

Getting there... that's an issue too. I'll be flying into Beijing and I'll have to take a train into Jinan. I hear stories where I've got to be super duper careful in the train. I hear I have to keep an eye on EVERYTHING I bring or esle I'll be in trouble.

[rickinbeijing]

I'VE VISITED EVERY CITY OF ANY SIZE IN SHANDONG PROVINCE AND FOUND JINAN, THE PROVINCIAL CAPITAL, TO BE ONE OF THE MOST MUNDANE. AND IT DOES GET QUITE HUMID AND HOT THERE IN THE SUMMER DESPITE WHAT ROGER SAYS (ALTHOUGH, GRANTED, NOT AS UNCOMFORTABLE AS GUANGZHOU). THE PEOPLE IN SHANDONG ARE QUITE FRIENDLY AND SOME OF THE HILLY COUNTRYSIDE IS LOVELY. DID YOU KNOW IT IS NOW CHINA'S MOST POPULOUS PROVINCE, EXCEEDING EVEN SICHUAN AND HENAN?

Actually, I wouldn't decide which job to take based on location but on the reputation of the school to deliver the promised goods, if that can be reasonably ascertained. Personally, I'd recommend being a foreign teacher at a college or university over some private English academy any day. Fewer work hours, less stress, and more interesting student interaction. As for lovely Chinese cities, why not Xiamen, or Ningbo, or Huangzhou? And Nanjing has some excellent high school English programs as well as rich history, lakes, etc.

Good luck to you.

[cranberrycranberry]

btw, I think AES sounds okay. I am a nice person, so ....I think I'll get along okay.

What to bring?
- dental floss,
- bedding,
- english - english dictionary
- what ESLE?
- how do I bring cash actually?

is there a site for me to find a list of essential things to bring?

[NateM]

[lagerlout2006]

just a thought--you might think about flying Beijing - Jinan which should only cost a few hundred Y. I flew Jinan-Shanghai for 450. By the time to lug your bags into Beijing find the station---wait for the train-buy a soft class ticket--IF any are available you might end up spending more.

I agree with rickin... but Jinan is liked by a lot of FE's. Be optimistic. I don't know anything about AES though.

[cranberrycranberry]

Lagerlout2006,
Thanks for the train/flying info. I will have to look into that. The tickets seem pricey over here. I think it is about $100 -200 (Canadian) more NOT Yuan. So, should I purchase a ticket when I'm over there in Beijing on the day that I arrive??

I agree with rickin <-- you agree that it's boring? universities are better?
See, I think they probably are, but I THINK I don't have too much time left to research as March 5th (the starting date) is coming up real soon!

btw, What's a FE's? (Foreign educator?)


Thanks dudes!
Cranster

[latefordinner]

Are you a tourist, or a teacher? As a tourist, I would say "Xi'an", but that's my own opinion. As a teacher, it depends upon questions you haven't asked yet. Class size, accomodations, texts, last minute changes to schedule, etc. (Aren't the questions always so much more informative than the answers?) There are enough of us about to help you with the secondary questions, but please answer the first. While you're thinking about that, when it comes to the off-hours exploration, I have to say "Xi'an". That's my own POV, and no one else's.

[JamesD]

Once you get to the Beijing airport it's pretty easy to get a flight to almost anywhere in China, there are regular commutes to almost every major city. Check http://www.flychina.com for schedules. Getting a ticket that day should be easy as the new airport is easy to navigate. Go to the departure area and you'll see a line of ticket desks between the domestic and international gates.

[dajiang]

Hope you'll like it in Jinan.
I'd probably have gone to Xi'an though, but that's me.

Anyway, make sure you've got essentials like a sum of money (few hundred bucks, not too much) as emergency stash. Credit card is good too, or traveller's cheques. You probably won't have to use it, but it's nice to have just in case.
ATM's will work anywhere (make sure you've got enough money on there as well

There's another thread on the general forum I thought about stuff to take.
Good advice there, check it out.

Oh, and just take a train to Jinan.
It's cheaper and more fun.
Well, you've been to China before, so you know how it works.

Good luck,
Dajiang