Job Discussion Forums

tirelesstravelerasia · Joined: 14 Mar 2006 Posts: 50 Location: Dalian, China

Have a look at www.thatsbj.com for local job postings, and also at www.thatsbeijing.com (2 competing websites for the magazine of the same name - the latter re-directs to asia expat).

Check out Berlitz in Beijing -- they do corporate/business English and are ALWAYS looking for help - I think the main website is www.careers.berlitz.com, then find local contact by going to the China page.

Best of luck!

Super Mario · Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 8:01 am Post subject:

William, I thought you'd be totally in control after all these years. This site has contact, but not job, details for places all over China.

http://www.findaschool.org/index.php?Country=China

A good LINKS page would be useful here. Dave? Can you hear me?

ich bin ein laowai · Joined: 08 Jan 2005 Posts: 66 Location: Beijing

www.abroadchina.org

What kind of schools are you looking for?

Berlitz in Beijing is ok.I worked there a while but you have to work your b*tt off for making some yuan...

ich bin ein laowai · Joined: 08 Jan 2005 Posts: 66 Location: Beijing

WW,with all respect for your choice of career,why don't you try something else in China?

ich bin ein laowai · Joined: 08 Jan 2005 Posts: 66 Location: Beijing

or do something besides teaching for making some extra cash.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

The really GOOD schools certainly won't advertise in www.thatsbj.com - the THAT'S mags have gone way down the drain even if they still survive!

WW, knock on the doors of embassies and chambers of commerce - to ask them whether they know of an international school that is run by their compatriots: the Indians, French, Koreans, Germans, Singaporeans, Japanese, English all run their own national schools in Peking!

Brian Caulfield · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 1247 Location: China

WW try getting out of Beijing . I make much less now in Henan province . The cost of living is three times higher in Beijing . I can't spend my money here but it passed like water in Beijing
Beijing is a cold city. Everyone wants to get their hand in your pocket . I think the time to go back to Beijing is after the Olympics
I get up every morning looking forward to seeing my students . I have been teaching farmers kids for the last 8 months and they are a world of difference from the students I ran into in Beijing . They work really hard for me . Of the 500 plus kids who have passed through my hands I can honestly say there wasn't one problem .
I think there will be an opening at my school soon . One of the teachers is an alcoholic and probably with be put out soon .
I will keep you posted . But this place I am working,the people are so gentle ,they will probably will let him stay for months before they release him . The other teachers have tried to talk to him but we have kind of accepted the fact that we will be teaching more classes soon . My feeling about getting a job is to find a job on your own . It is not that I don't like recruiters it is just that schools that do their own recruiting tend to care more about your well being .
Make a one page resume and hit the streets in Beijing . It is what I did when I left New Bridge . I didn't get anything but I learned a lot about the different operations .
Good luck to you friend

william wallace · Joined: 14 May 2003 Posts: 2869 Location: in between

thepreferrednomenclature · Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 80 Location: Beijing, Chaoyang

I disagree with Roger, some sweet gigs can be found on the thats websites. You do have to weed through the useless ads, but you can strike gold.

William, I teach children here in Beijing. In my opinion, the key to my success in Beijing as a teacher has come from knowing people, knowing the market, being able to teach a kick-ass demo class for children, and then backing it up with results.

If you have the skills and a flair for fun and creative teaching, you can find a decent gig and then build on it.

The new, young, upper and middle upper class of well-educated parents in Beijing care deeply about the quality of their child's English teacher. They have ideas about Western education: ie, low pressure, high fun, happy, active children speaking with the teacher. They hope to see that type of environment, and see it produce results.

If you know how to teach this way and can get real results (not as easy, perhaps, as other methods, but I've gotten good at it), and if you can teach a kick ass demo class in front of these types of parents, your employer will definately be willing to pay you more, a lot more, and you'll bring in the customers. Once you start meeting people and get a feel for the market, you'll be able to upgrade salary, conditions, hours, etc.

At least thats what I've done.

Before your conditions were great: low competition, high demand. You cleaned up. We can all be jealous of that income level.

But now things are different. Everyone knows that. You have to consider where money can be made, and how you can personally create value for yourself and your teaching. Who is looking for real quality teachers? Young parents with money and education.

I think you're right to look at Beijing. In the end, it's the quality that you can bring, the business you can produce at one demo class pop, that will likely help you increase your salary and keep it high.

thepreferrednomenclature · Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 80 Location: Beijing, Chaoyang

That being said, I can't give you a good list of schools. Sorry. I do have a weekend gig I could easily give someone to get their foot in the door. 1000 a week for four hours. Thats 4000 a month for 8 hours for all you math majors. It's the quality kind of environment I'm taking about though, seriously good, well to do parents, good boss intent on quality and results, sweet kids, etc. Wangjing area. Need to have some serious skills though.

Spiderman Too · Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 1:36 pm Post subject:

Brian Caulfield · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 1247 Location: China

Du bu qi . Ni meyou quanxi . That is the trouble with hangin with Johns and Peter types . When you shoot for the good life they can't help you . Education works like this William . When the economy is good , teaching is bad . When the economy is bad teaching is good . You upgrade when you have no job and and nothing to do .
Everyone is chasing money in Beijing now . They don't have time to study. I saw this and got out quick. In 1970 I was on the Olympic team in Canada . They moved me back to Montreal for the Olympics . I was training and living in America where I could make a living and do my sport .
I watched that city for four years as everyone tried to get the free ride . Inflation went rampant . Drapeaux dream turned into a nightmare . Every union went on strike once a week .
Every one couldn't get enough . I saw and know very few educators while I was in Beijing . All John types with the big smile and nice clothes . They made money and spent it on the working ladies .
. John put the show on and Peter put the show on but they were in it for the quick buck . I saw all the people with nothing other than good threads pulling in their 300 rmb for the look of being a teacher .
I met women there who put me in touch with Wall Street and that school of Communication . But like you said you get the pork chops and the duck but for some reason you feel empty . There is no satisfaction because no one is satisfied in Beijing now . You're right You need more than 6g you need 20g to live like I live on 4g here in Henan . And here they smile at me for no reason just because they are happy to see me again . In Beijing I got the smile because they wanted to trick me . Sell me something I didn't want . Cheat me on the bill , give me a ride to know where . Sell me clothes where the bottons all came off .
Man it is time you moved into business . You are not a teacher just someone who plays the friendship game . You suck up to the Chinese who think you learn English through osmosis . " I really want to study with William he is really a friendly guy . I pay him his money and we sit and drink coffee together and he smiles at me when I talk ". Sorry this is the zxit that is happening there with your friends and the rest of the people I met there . I think people become like the people they live with and Beijingers are the laziest people on earth . So used to having people bring them the money .
Berlitz pays little because the program is established and any monkey can teach it . But they pay and stand behind their employees .
If you don't want to travel get them to come to your house . The person making the most money teaching in Korea never leaves his house. I know him and keep in touch . In Beijing terms he makes about 150,000 rmb a month . But that entails working thirteen hours a day . And you better have a Chinese lady at the door and on the phone . And you better have a product that gets results .

william wallace · Joined: 14 May 2003 Posts: 2869 Location: in between