Job Discussion Forums

[xuyun]

Hi, a little about myself, since that seems to be the number one reply to a topic of this nature.

Me: Will have a masters in linguistics, undergrad in Chinese. I lived in Beijing for about a year, and my Chinese is probably at a high intermediate, low advanced level. However I have little class teaching experience, about 3 months total. (btw I'm in the US right now, finishing my masters).

My question: Is it better to find a job (I will leave this December to China) before going to China, or can the good jobs be better found once I'm in China?

When I lived in Beijing, it was an intensive language program, so I don't really have a good feel for how the job market works. My cities of choice are Shanghai, Chengdu, and Kunming, and Nanjing. My number one determiner for cities is air pollution levels, thus you don't see Beijing on that list. Maybe Shanghai should be scratched too, though I've heard the ocean keeps the air pretty clean.

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[eslstudies]

What's your timeline? With the new term just begun, September is the obvious starting time. Six months will allow you to talk to some universities in your cities of choice, come to a considered decision, get visa issues sorted out and arrive prepared.
Looking for work in-country is going to involve a lot of travel, unless you do it on the net, which you could do from home anyway. An advantage though is that you and the schools get a chance to check one another out, as well as you breathing the air deeply to check it out!
All cities have air pollution. The smell of burning coal is being replaced by the smell of car exhausts.

Just a personal aside: having spent a lot of time and money on your MA AppLing, see if you can find a job where your learning is actually useful. Many Chinese employers want white entertainers who'll keep the students happy.
One of the more reputable places with a strong linguistics faculty could be a start: Fudan and Jiaotong in Shanghai to begin with. Pay won't be much, but with low hours you can supplement that, especially if working at a prestigious university. The linguistics professor at one of the above places moonlighted extensively, including at my nearby uni. And the students will be good.

[xuyun]

I won't be able to leave until next year (2008 Jan), probably after New Years. I figure if I decide to wait until I'm in China, I can find a place by start of the next semester, after Chunjie.

As far as the aside, I'd love to find a job where I could actually use some of the LT theory that I'm learning. My understanding is that University jobs are low paid, and I do have a loan to pay back before I kick the can. I assume that language mills and institutes aren't that keen on changing curriculum for a idealist FT? Or even universities for that matter.

[eslstudies]

[Itsme]

Get one before. That way you get airfare for free. And you can negotiate all the z-visa paperwork and take it to the embassy with you. That way there is none of that "ohh we are working on it still" garbage.

[Anda]

Have a look at the map and look at the jobs offered and the pretty pictures. Pretty pictures can however be deceiving. Have a look on www.teachcn.com I like goverment jobs but that's just me!

If you come here first then you can see where you are going to live and if it is noisy or away from everything.

The airfare thing, just keep all your paperwork and tell them it is part of employing you, that you get it paid. Usually they will pay you a one way airfare after six months and the rest after 12 months but not upfront.


This below is what I posted to another question.


Um, for a start I wouldn't be turning up here in China without a working visa in your passport. If you turn up here without a work visa then you will most likely have to fly out to another country to have your work visa processed. Being a new bloke on the block you will find all this difficult and expensive.

If you get an open return ticket to say China, South Korea then South Korea China then return to your home country things will be cheaper. Here in China you have to wait 6 to 12 months before you get any airfares back. As 7969 has stated you can do a trip to Hong Kong from China to do the work visa cheaply once here.

For a new bloke on the Block you might get as little as 3,000 RMB a month which is not a lot.

Go to http://www.teachcn.com/ and have a look at the pictures and conditions at government jobs and start applying. They will take you most likely in the sticks / bush.

Take my advise please and don't arrive here without a work visa. I'm an old hand at this game and I can tell you that China runs on paperwork and nothing happens quickly or how it should so you will probably go mad trying to do things if you have no experience here in such matters.
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[eslstudies]

[Steppenwolf]

Shanghai...Nanjing...Chengdu...Kunming...cities fairly spaced apart, man; if you want to find an IDEAL job without too much disappoointing (because you never know whether the next interview will not be for a yet better position!) you will have to pinpoint one rather than four locations!

Chengdu is one of the most polluted places because it's in a valley; Kunming sounds like the least atmospherically polluted place but it does have a serious air pollution problem too; there aren't that many positions to be filled, though. Nanjing is a good place; Shanghai?

[xuyun]

So coming from the people that have replied, (Thank you!), it seems that getting a job before coming is the best idea, due to the visa headache. When I lived in Beijing I had a student visa, so I never had to worry about it much.

The reason I mention air pollution is that I think most of the American students at my university in Beijing had chronic throat colds due to the pollution. It's like smoking a pack a day without touching a cigarette.

[DistantRelative]

[clark.w.griswald]

The suitability of public or private institutions is most likely to going to come down to your aims in being here.

As you have pointed out there are many happy teachers working for relatively low pay but also low workloads of around 16 hours a week. If you are here to take it easy, study Chinese, concentrate on teaching a few classes really well etc then this may prove suitable. But aside from taking on privates on the side, you are probably not going to make big bucks only working 16 odd hours a week.

If you want to make money then that is probably best acheived at private schools and institutes where the workloads are higher but so are the salaries. Check the hourly rate by dividing the monthly salary by your teaching and other work hours to make sure that you are not selling yourself short, but assuming that you want the money then you will probably find that these types of schools are the most suitable for you.

Contract misunderstandings are very common. Sometimes it is deliberate contract bending or even dishonesty by the employer. Fortunately in a legal position this can be relatively easy to overcome. It is the misunderstandings that can be most devastating as the effects are the same but they are much more difficult to resolve and can leave a very bitter taste in ones mouth. Do your research on what problems others have encountered and make a checklist for yourself to try to avoid the same misunderstandings.

[cj750]

[xuyun]

First off, thanks for all the great information.

cj750：

[eslstudies]

Have a look at Shanghai Dianji University, which pays more than most.
Also, the University of Technology Sydney runs an annexe at Shanghai University, both in their city campus and out in Jiading. Last I heard there were plenty of extra hours on offer to employees.

[Itsme]

Now I'll help you branch from the (Which city) tree...

If youz a gona go to Shanghai then I would definitely recommend finding out WHERE in Shanghai or anywhere else for that matter.

This will be the 3rd or 4th time I bring it up:

"A short bus trip to People's square!!!!" =

A short (3 hour)
bus ( the kind that only comes 3 times a day)
trip to peoples square (not THAT one silly. the one in the town 50 miles NW.)