Job Discussion Forums

[inmexico]

Hi folks - I am not sure if this situation is commonplace or unique in China. A company is interested in hiring me as a teacher for their workers exclusively. All in all, it sounds like a pretty good deal. I know they have obviously figured out that it will be less expensive than sending their employees to a school or contracting a school to send a teacher to them. I really don't care about how much or little $ they are spending or saving. I am just wondering if anyone out there has worked in this type of situation.
I have been in Mexico for the better part of the last two years and I have not heard of this type of thing happening here. The company is offering the standard compensation in regards to airfare and accomodations, holidays etc.
Any comments , as usual, will be greatly appreciated.

[Cobra]

Common enough to warn you to ask exactly what they expect from you.

Are you to establish the curriculum?
What text is required, if any?
Do you supply the teaching materials?

How many students per class?
What are their levels and who determined this?

This can be a really easy job or more difficult than your worst nightmare.

[bluey]

inmexico,

I'm just on my way out of one of these "company" jobs, where just I've done a 6-month stint. All in all it has been a damn good gig, and I'm pushed to find a better one to be honest. And right now I'd say they aren't easy to come by, although that may well change over the next few years, I guess. I have to keep reminding myself why I'm leaving... Watch out for those migrant Hunan girls.

Anyway here's how it was for me.

Top bananas:
- No sprogs (small people with diminished sense of responsibility).
- Hang on...
- Better money (companies have more money than parents)
- Instant social life (with diverse colleagues, not just teachers)
- Opportunities for other work (Marketing etc. Well, mostly Marketing)
- Getting looked after (They gave me a batman. Quality. Also, I don't get tourist-taxed)
- Travel (the company arranges it for me)

Bum raps:
- Location. That's it. If you're in manufacturing (which I reckon's quite likely) you're likely to be living somewhere pretty unattractive. They don't build factories downtown, and they're tearing up the countryside to get more floorspace. It's frightening. Some of the cities I've seen in China are really just vast, dull industrial sprawls with no discernible center. Everything's under construction. So if your job advert says eg "Guangzhou" ask "how far is it from downtown" - or maybe ask for a postcode or an area name and post it here with the same question. It's sensible to incorporate taxi prices into your calculations when you're weighing it up.

- Teaching & Working environment issues
Some students will come to class with mobile phones switched on, attendance can be poor in busy times, you probably will have to build your own curriculum (or use off-the-shelf options), and professionally you exist in a kind of limbo - you're not "staff" but you're not a consultant either. To be honest, it didn't really bother me, but I think others have had a bad reaction. It really depends on the company and on you.

In my experience, you have to be pretty diplomatic as well - the discipline thing doesn't disappear just because they're in the workplace. You're in a unique position to cause someone to lose face - in front of a junior (that's important here). There again, it depends how uptight they are. Almost all of mine are great, but I have one or two... And I have colleagues who have been less fortunate. Try not to shout. They don't like that.

Overall, if you're comfortable in a company environment (read collared shirt, IMHO) then you can clean up. You can also avoid the hassles of the wonderful Chinese education system, which doesn't get much praise on this forum, and stay clear of the McLanguage Schools which don't do too well either. Finger-lickin' winner.

Based on my experience, I'd say you want to be able to answer Cobra's questions like this:

Are you to establish the curriculum? Yes. On company time.
If not, why not? What are they using?

What text is required, if any? Up to you, with their input & review.

Do you supply the teaching materials? Yes, with their money and consultation.
If not, what are they using? What are the issues with supplementing it? (Some poorer PRC students may be unable / unwilling to buy new textbooks, which are expensive for them; the company may not be helping them out)

How many students per class? Less than 12, I'd say.

What are their levels and who determined this? Do your own test and shuffle when you get here! Tell 'em you'll do another one 3 months down the line!

'Course, you can say it nicer than that...

PM me or post some location details and I may be able to give you some more info.

[Roger]

I have done many in-house training jobs, but on the whole they are a pain in my ass.
As mentioned above, your students are not likely to be adult'adults. They drop in class casually, use mobile phones, and it is not easy to please them, while at the same time you can't stick to your own targets.
I had the best results when my suggestions were adopted, i.e. students had to pay at least part of the tuition. Most companies kind of reward their staff by employing an expat to teach English, but there is no professional supervision, and you have to obey the wrong people. Students tend to be overly demanding and underperforming.
Many sign up out of boredom.
And then, there are those mixed levels... How to deal with a student body of 30 "advanced learners" when the most unable English speaker in that class is the GM himself?

One question you must sort out right away: Where are you going to live? IS that company in a position to offer you a work visa and a residence permit?
Don't take that for granted!