Job Discussion Forums

[captain kirk]

some foxiness in korea (worked korea six years, taiwan one. four months coming to china). within an hour of seoul, where teachers want to be, cramschool directors implement some foxiness, like calculating teaching hours by the minute. that way they don't include the 'ten minute break' for every teaching hour, and add on another hour if there are six classes or whatever. making teachers wary and irate. korea is 'notorious' for employers hiring overseas and, when you arrive, it's not what 'they said'.
how does china compare in this vein. a poster said it's less hours. like twenty forty minute classes a week in one offer i saw; that's light. but would it be so when you arrive? would they do the 'bait and switch'. they mention 100 an hour for overtime.
i don't know diddly about china teaching, but i'll be combing this board. i know it's populous,china. does that mean overwork, more than they say it is, ushering in the overtime rate?
i know about the 'get the z visa BEFORE you arrive' thing.
another thing. i've been teaching seven years and so i just don't do a lot of 'prep'(teaching kids 8-13). if i got there and the expectation was 20 classes a week within m-f do you think they'd expect hanging around to 'look busy'. this job in korea, i'm NOT ashamed to say, i just show up 15 minutes before class. every kid has a book selected for amusement value and content (with songs and colour/cut and paste activities). everybody's happy, and so it goes. pretty informal, with a boss who has common sense/realistic attitude.

[MartinK]

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[captain kirk]

thanks martin. you say 'i had some problems, but i won't bore you with my story'. i guess it's boring for you to relate something negative that's over and done with and that shows you're a positive person who hates problems and likes to have fun in life, because i wouldn't be bored; i'm looking for info on the way things go, so maybe your story would fit into the range of a possible pattern i haven't met yet, with its good and bad.
i didn't mean to sound slick re; just arriving 15 minutes before class, but it's the truth. the book and work sheets and its activities and cracking jokes to their jokes and things go just fine. the boss would prefer i arrive a couple of hours or an hour early, and i once promised him that, but reneged. and i don't think he gives a damn, either, since no parents come in. if it was a public school then i could see it 'looking good'.
i worked a public school in taiwan and prepared one lesson to repeat, visiting a grade one or grade four class once a week. kind of feels like a stand up routine, 35 kids.
yes, over in korea long timers say to avoid agencies (middle man) but for most schools they don't know how to get a foreign teacher; there's no other way for them. and you yourself want a range of options, and maybe in a hurry. in this case i have four months to look.
sometimes the agencies in china come off as over-'sincere', like 'we help our foreign friends find superlative positions...' and i'm like, huh? one guy was named 'romeo', very chatty in his emails and i'm like, 'what?'.

[arioch36]

yeah, you get some schools who try to do the 18 hours equals 24 classes because each clas is only 40 minutes. Most schools change this tune as soon as you mention it. China= bargain, bargain, bargain. One school advertised for 8,000, when i e-mailed them, they said that position has been filled, but we have otheres for 3,500 (20 hours). No way, but they e-mailed several times

I have worked at four schools fulltime so far, some other ones as side work. Some of them make noises about being there ten minutes before class, but have always been quite satisfied as long as you get there on time.

If you go through a recruiter, you can't really believe anything they promise...BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW. None of these recruiters personally know the schools, you have to talk to them direct.

[captain kirk]

hear you arioch36; 'bargain, bargain, bargain'. and re; recruiters. i've seen stories on this board where, once teacher is arrived at a bizarre work situation, the recruiter laughs over the phone and hangs up. now that's not very nice.