Job Discussion Forums

[Domino]

Hi, I'm a relatively new poster here and I my girlfriend and I are looking for our first jobs in China. We have done a lot of research and are really interested in teaching/living in downtown Shanghai. We are used to city life and want a city we can explore all year with a good subway system.

Occasionally, I will see a Shanghai job posted on a website and I usually hear right back from the employer once I apply. Unfortunately whenever I check up on these employers I hear they are disreputable and probably trying to scam me.

I have also tried to apply with recruiters that I have heard from this site are trustworthy. Usually, they are happy to find me a job until I say the Sh-word. Then they either do not write back, act like I never asked if they could find me a job there, or try to steer me to somewhere that is outside of the city. The closest offer I have received was in Songjiang, which is still a bit of a trek for regular visits downtown.

Can anyone give me advice for finding jobs in Shanghai? Are there any websites that I should be looking on that specialize in Shanghai jobs? What can I do to get my foot in the door? Is there some protocol that I am unaware of or is my situation hopeless?

What do you think?

[clark.w.griswald]

Try www.shanghaiexpat.com if you have not already found that site. There is not a lot of teaching jobs there, but you may find a network of people who may be able to help.

[mlomker]

[Midlothian Mapleheart]

Edited to remove offensive content.

Middy

[Domino]

The expat website should definitely help us in making the adjustment, thanks for the info.

As for the suggestion to move to Shanghai a month early, I would definitely do that in a perfect world, but I need to keep saving up money. We're going to get there a couple weeks before the semester starts, so that we can acclaimate ourselves, but probably not enough time to do serious job hunting.

The other factor in all of this is that, though I would not like to trust a year of my life to a few e-mails and some photos, I am equally concerned about moving halfway around the world without a job lined up or my visas all taken care of. Neither situation is ideal, but I would feel more comfortable to err on the side of being a legal resident. Is this reasonable?

If anyone else has any more suggestions about living/working in Shanghai, we would love to hear them.

-Derek

[prof]

The market is totally saturated.

Lots of more than happy to be there foreign teachers.

+

Students rich enough and arrogant enough to want qualified teachers and *REAL* degrees anywhere in the world, and not from Sh. schools.

=

NO JOBS


...or crappy jobs that won't likely last beyong 1 year unless you look like Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie and can pull in the customers. Because that's what it's all about: looks and sales in the big S.

[Super Mario]

There's the language mill jobs refered to above by prof. Competitive and insecure, and best worked by old hands. Then there's the uni/college scene, where they are a bit fussy about who they employ, as they can afford to be. You'd normally live on campus, and that's normally not downtown. Pay is generally not great, but then hours are short.
Middle schools are increasingly taking on native speakers.....if you're brave enough.

Be aware, the lifestyle you crave is not cheap in SH. Songjiang mightn't be a bad option so you could limit your forays to weekends.

Check out this site too:
http://shanghai.asiaxpat.com/careers/view.asp?category=22&city=9

[Domino]

Wow, at first I was worried about your post. No jobs, oversaturated market... that was until I got to the last part. It's a good thing I look like Brad Pitt, I was worried there for a second. My girlfriend is more a Jennifer Aniston than an Angelina Jolie. Think they'll still take us?

Keep the HELPFUL posts coming.