Job Discussion Forums

[diegog]

Hi everybody.

I have an offer from the Jilin Huaqiao Foreign Language Institute. It is a private university in Changchun. Since it is private school, I might assume that students will not be the brightest... I also assume from the location, that it will be pretty cold... both things do not bother me.

I am an qualified experienced teacher (I hold a MSc and a PhD) but I do not teach English and so job offers for my language are not that frequent. I am very interested in going to China, not so much for a 1-year adventure but to try to stay there for a while...

I have a job already and some other offers in other countries, so it is a big decission and I would like to hear some comments from anybody who has been there... I will write down some issues...

+ Location of the school. They have told me it is a 20 min bus ride but have found out that it is really far and something like 1 hour...
+ Do they honor the 16+4 working hours?
+ Do they honor the winter and summer paid holidays?
+ Being a private school, do you get paid or they are not financially stable?
+ And then, of course, any comment you might want to add will be greatly appreciated...

Well, basically I wanna know if this is a serious school so that I make up my mind and pack... Want to be sure that I am going to be paid and that I am not going to be in some isolated place or village...

Thats all. As I said, your input will be highly appreciated.

Best.
d.

[cj750]

Jilin Huaqiao Foreign Language is located near Jing Yua tan..not close to Changchun and bus service is nil...

Qin He is the president and with party affiliations has been able to make a success out of this place....I have heard that the authenticity of her overseas degree is doubted.....but she has guided her school to the authority to grant a BA..now I am not sure it iz a university BA..understand?

they are sometimes know to hair split bout money but you will likely get paid what you are owed ..or what you and the school have agreed you are owed..

ELIC ( Christian Group) use to have afoot hold there and if so there will be two camps of teachers..the FTs and the ELIC'ers...

Hours as far as I know are ok....they do run clubs which you are expected to run ..and they have some English corners...also they do expect you to take time during holidays to join events and sportin daze..

they have party money..so they are stable..

they use to use a nice guy named Shoggie to recruit canidates..and although he worked for the school in Changchun in the winter.. he recruited frm the states in the summer..
..

[diegog]

thanks for your comments...

now i get a bit more worried about the location, you have mentioned that the place is in Jing Yua tan... i cant find a map of the city and i dont have a clue about the place you mention... so, any comments on how can i get to changchun... is it in the middle of nowhere?

sorry it the q's sound stupid, i dont have in mind buying a car and if everytime i want to go to the city is gonna be an adventure...

[cj750]

the park is built on a old dump...but is a beautiful example of what can be accomplished..I use to ride out that way..near the reservoir...but CC is cold and the school your talking bout is a long way out...with few buses and early evening endings.....few Sat classes...but with some outside obligations....

[tw]

The area is actually Jingyuetan or Jingyue Economic Development Zone (净月经济开发区)as it seems to be commonly known as. You can find out more about it at http://english.jingyue.gov.cn/about.shtml

[diegog]

thanks for the comments.

well, lets hope that this new economic center will become the hong kong of the NE... jajajajaja. the link isnt working, will check out later...

has anybody actually taught there? weird, cant seem to find anybody who has been there, its not that small the school...

[tw]

The school's web site is www.huabridge.com

[diegog]

yep, i got there too. in the section for 'map', you just get a map of the campus, no reference at all to the city...

[tw]

Go to http://changchun.8684.cn/map

Click on the map then drag the map towards southeastern corner of the city. You should see 净月街道 (hope your browser has Chinese language support) and/or 净月潭国家森林公园. Zoom in on the map and you should see two 东北师范大学 (Northeast[ern]/Dongbei Normal University's two other campuses). The one on the right is beside this yellow-colored road called 长大公路. Follow that road a bit and you will see 华侨外国语学院 on the map. Zoom out a few times and you will have an idea where the school is located. CJ is right, it is pretty well out in no man's land (like most Chinese college and university campuses are).

[cj750]

there are a few left overs in CC that have worked for this school..but most leave after one year or even less..
there are better paying and better located schools available in the north east..
I heard that the park is closed at this time..if true there is nothing out that way at all..except for some new housing...like I said a great area to take the dog or ride a motorcycle..but as for living ..and a first post in china..

Management has always been difficult ... staff division along religious lines have in the past caused tension between the two camps of teachers..ask if ELIC is going to be represented this year...
pay is low low low..but they have maintained this in the past bythe support of this christian based program..and while you would think that these programs are designed to aid in poorer communities with low income schools..this school takes advantage of this "missonary" work to cut their operating cost and these christian organization will take an opening anywhere they can to influence students, even if patronizing the wealthy instead of spreading charity work as their publish intentions declare...

CC is cold...and while not without merit..sking and such.....you wait a long time fpr spriing..and winter months are spent in households watching DvDs among firends with their "Long Johns" on...no kidding.... it is just like "Wishbone" from Rawhide said.."I wear um all winter long"....

[diegog]

i see... i have lived in the past in some cold shit holes, russia, bulgaria, north dakota... i dont teach ESL so its a bit more difficult for me to find a teaching job in china, and i really wanna go to china...

anyway, will be waiting for the contract.

[cj750]

if your a warm body with a BA..your right for a job in China..although this school does have a history of hiring non BA'd folk......good luck......if I were you and had even just a college degree I would apply at a place like Perfect English or other language schools....anyway..if you determine..perhaps you could post later with your impressions...

[tw]

[cj750]

when I first went to CC..this group had working for them an array of young non BA'd folk...
they also had a array of characters...one who ended up drunk and naked left for the guards at the front gate...
another use to go to class in his bathrobe and slippers..

they also had their share of accidents..
once while students were cleaning windows...one fell out and died..

..another student dropped dead while jogging around the track..trying to loose weight..an effort taken on due to suggestion from the staff..


and although I have not visited the campus in a few years ...I know some of the Filipino staff and in infrequent telephone calls ..they have informed me as to other problems.

as to their education goals ...ELIC provides them with college grads... but have not been sufficient in numbers to cater to all classroom needs...

In all fairness: they have had some outstanding teachers over the years..one such French couple are now in shanghai..they left due to the fact that the school would not allow the family to live off campus..
another ELIC black couple...were well known among the student body as being patience and caring..and made a mark on the impressions of the youngsters...have also moved on...

T.. there is more ...