Job Discussion Forums

[Jordean]

Is anyone in a long-term university position 在中国, teaching English or any other subject? I am curious about the prospects for an actual career as a member of the faculty of a 大学。 Obviously skills in putonghua/guoyu are necessary, although there seem to be a number of schools where the primary language of instruction is English (or another foreign language).

Is there something like tenure, and would that be available to a 老外?

Anyone have any experience first-, second-, or third- hand with such? (I already have a PhD and JD, so credentials would not be the major stumbling block. . .)

[eslstudies]

I worked 3 years in a uni and was offered a 2 year extension. Is that long term?
Your teaching would need to be in English, even at a Da Xue [why include the Hanzi?]. I don't know about a "career": you'd only stay on board as long as you were useful, you wouldn't get the benefits permanent Chinese teachers get, there'd be no career path and your salary would remain stagnant.
But still, a good life, especially if you want to be semi-retired.

China. The best thing short of a paid holiday.

[jeffinflorida]

Pretty much what the ESl Man said goes. As long as they have a use for you and the students like you you can stay for along time at a university. But unless you are teaching something OTHER than English - like a speciality course - and perhaps at a higher level then they usually don't offer you perks.

Long term chinese teachers / staff get perks like paid - for cars and apartments but thier salary usually isn't too high compared to what they pay the FT.

I know of some FTs staying at the same uni for over 3 years but not tenured.

Like if you are teaching astro pysics or an indemand science or medical course then you have a chance perhaps.

[nolefan]

The missus and I spent two years at a uni and even signed on for a third. We were seriously thinking about being there for a good chunck of time and then things went wrong.. We had no issues with the students or faculty but the administration just messed things up.. so we packed-up and left.

the moral of the story is that even if you want to stay somewhere long term, you might not be able to. Things change quite a bit and we are, as foreign teachers, expandable.

[Jordean]

Thanks for the feedback. Three years and a two-year extension is not too bad. The situation in China is probably no worse than trying to make ends meet as an adjunct in the States, then. I would assume that the less-prestigious institutions might be more inclined to keep a foreigner around. I suppose working in the western part of China, or at provincial institutions might fill the bill.

Basically once I quit my law job and sell the house, car and furniture, I would at least like to think I will have a couple years' not worrying about where I will be come autumn. . .

Sorry about the Han zi, I finally got an installed font to work and couldn't resist the temptation!

[Steppenwolf]

I have never met a western Professor Dr. Phil. English at any Chinese university; language instructors are employed on one-year terms, renewable until one side gets tired of the other... You don't normally get taken very seriously; FTs are regarded as softies and passing exams in their classes is seen as a given.

On the other hand, I have met academics hired by Chinese tertiary institutions: a professor in CAD, for example, from a Warsaw univerwsity was teaching his subject matter at a Guangzhou university, assisted by an interpreter (!). The point in that exercise was: the Chinese university wanted to offer a highly specialised computer subject to its polytechnic students. I guess they localised his job eventually (when they had taken a sneak view of his manuscript from which he was reading his lectures).

Another lecturer hailed from the ETH Zuerich and taught architecture for one term.

And once I was sitting next to an anglo-American whose name card read "Professor..." at a reputed Guangzhou university. He told me he had been working for the same employer for several years and he and his wife owned a house in Thailand whence they go on holiday every few months.
But as for pay, in only a few cases is the salary commensurate with your position. The Warsaw professor was making just under 5000 a month, lecturing 14 hours a week.

[eslstudies]

The title "language instructor', and the notion that any contract above one year does not exist is where Steppenwolf and I must agree to disagree.
But the reality is that while in a Western country you'd almost expect the Dean of French to actually be a native speaker, it certainly doesn't work that way in China. The head of English will always be Chinese, which will preclude you!

[Steppenwolf]

Right... there was a thread here a couple of years ago about English teaching contracts longer than one year; it so happens that some employrs go to the trouble of hiring you for longer terms, but they are a very tiny minority.

[Jordean]

I suppose you would want to have a good sense about a place before signing a multi-year deal. I was just curious whether such things happen, and whether anyone has had the experience of teaching something other than a foreign language. Thanks all!

[jeffinflorida]

[Malsol]

[Bayden]

[Malsol]

[Bayden]

[eslstudies]