Job Discussion Forums

[arioch36]

Omeida College Wuhan and Gulin, offers 40 yuan per hour for the summer?

"5. 4 hours� teaching a day from Monday to Friday.
Benefits: 1. Pocket money RMB150 to 200 a day"

I guess that is better then the schools who will allow you to fly to China and stay at their place for free while you teach at their summer school.

Chinese college teachers get more per hour teaching at these classes. So Omeida has you teaching two 10 hour classes. Two weeks, 40 hours. They will get 10,000 RMB, and delightfully cut you in for 1,500 or 2,000, just enought to pay for a plane trip from Beijing to Guilin.

They really find takers? Even here in Zhengzhou Henan, the schools will give a qualified teacher at least 100/hr

[Minhang Oz]

A rip off to be sure, but they'll find people. Not teachers, but warm, vertical whites who speak some kind of English [What do you mean by "kind"? Is this in the sense that Halliday et al use to....GO AWAY!]
Sorry Arioch, some kind of seizure.
I'm surprised they advertised on Dave's. A few photocopies stuck in Yangshuo cafes should fill the vacancies. And they'll get exactly what they pay for.
I pity the gullible students and parents who think they're getting a quality native speaker experience.
By the way, I've got a lot of time for my Chinese teacher colleagues. They work hard for very little, and do a much better job than many give them credit for. Just a general comment Arioch, not directed at you in any way at all.

[arioch36]

Oh, I wasn't ripping Chinese teachers, just statingthat the ones I know with experience who teach at colleges make about 50 per hour teaching on the side.

[Roger]

Whazz up? I find nothing wrong with this offer - if they hire competent Chinese English teachers who instruct their students on English grammar (students taking notes in English, no translation provided!). Then the expats are but ornamentation - as usual, but paid what they are worth! Just to speak one's one language one should not expect to be paid, really! OK, the English Corner is for CHinese English speakers - you only man it as a piece of decoration! 40 RMB an hour is a princely sum!

[Minhang Oz]

Pardon my naivety Roger. I had visions of these people actually working! In that case, a few hundred a day, three hots and a cot sounds fine for those who want it.
Still can't see why they spent money advertising though.

[woza17]

A topic very close to my heart at the moment, competition is hotting up with various training centres. Just got back from a short meeting at the Romance cafe with Mr Ma and his 2 partners, finalizing the lesson plan for the summer camp. God I hope my boss doesn't find out the noodles will hit the fan big time. What's on offer, 14000Rmb for 1 month acccommodation, 6 hours a day, 6 days a week. With my boss I will make,maybe 90RMB an hour Mr. Ma, 150 an hour, less hours less stress. A gentle low hype program. Minghang, I agree, "vertical white face", I am putting a lot of time and thought into the lessons, usually the imported teachers show up a day before the summer camp is about to start (no fault of their own) not knowing what is expected of them, I know, I did it last year. After reading that post I have really got into punctuation marks, Yes they are important.
Again, Minghang the Chinese teachers do a great job and are certainly not recognized enough for it. Two of my fellow Chinese teachers and I are going to have a workshop next week, my shout, lunch at the 5 star hotel, Brazillian buffet, nice and then retire to the beautiful park near the lake and mountain and laze away the afternoon, drinking beer and workshop ideas, its so important to talk to the Chinese teachers and get their slant on things.
When I worked in the senior middle school in Hubei, I loved hanging out in the office with the other teachers (Chinese) singing, laughing making fun of each other> I really miss the community of teaching. Thats probably why I find this forum a godsend.
Cheers carol

[Count_Fathom]

An indirect comment in response to this thread has revived a thought I've had buried in my closet of a mind - expectations.

Plenty of (often deserved) criticism towards the fresh cadets is casually tossed about in this tiny space. Profit oriented language schools go to exhaustive efforts to find the lowest common denominator, and regularly recieve the easily manipulated, "adventure" seeking, white cardboard cutout into their midst quite happily (atleast from the profiteer's point of view, as the FAO usually differs in opinion). Peace be on this subject.

Please put the veteran professional aside; a number of habitual posters seem to feel that every position in China can be adequately filled by career teachers willing to sacrifice comfort, culture and climate for pennies towards a retirement gutter-spout. The closest concievable compromise (hopefully satisfactory to the majority) is a wo/man eager to adapt, generous in spirit, and willing to undergo some reasonable minimum training in preparation. Given this compromise....

With the exception of the needle, our haystack generally offers a lack of resources (chalk and board), a lack of support and consideration for alternative methods ("alternative" covering most of the horizon), and not the slightest concern for laying out clear expectations...

A laissez-faire "follow the students' book if you like", "keep the students happy and interested. Motivate them to speak English", "English Corner will be three times a week - (English What?)" are the common introductory guidelines to assist the amateur. Perhaps a "this is how we do things in China", sit in on a few English lessons, prepare a strucure for Engilsh Corner, "here's a list of topics that the students have compiled in which they show some interest" approach could be effective.

I can't place blame entirely on the frustrated, confused souls who struggle to anticipate the needs of children nurtured under different social habits, expecting an omniscient, perfectly delivered package of information. Of those who make the effort, 95% will fail (more or less), seek diversion - thus neglecting their apparently hopeless situation - and return bitter reproach for cultural misunderstanding. It's a two way street, a large country, and it will take time. Take it easy on your fellow humans; if you're the best garbage collector in town then help the others in, not out.

(I've left out personal, witness, and first-hand related experience for the sake of brevity, I'm afraid not successfully)