Job Discussion Forums

[btkong]

I'm looking for the most "scenic" (or in close proximity to the most scenic places) place to teach in.

I'm talking about wanting to traverse through windswept plains bordered by glacier-touched peaks; wander through forests of vermillion, crimson and gold revelling in the full display of autumn; trampling across effervescent brooks and clear pools; hiking through deep gorges that seem to bridge sky and earth; skirting around untouched lakes encircled by towering mountains... yada yada,you get the idea.

I can live with a reduced paycheck, as long as I�m comfortable. I don�t expect 8k-10k that you might expect in places like Shanghai, but then again, I�d prefer more than 3k RMB.

Oh yea, good food is a big plus!!

It appears a few provinces have these features:

Sichuan and Yunnan (and Tibet?).


Can you guys give some more province/city/town/village do you guys recommend for this sort of thing?

Some places that I was thinking about

Province: Yunnan
Dali (can you even find a job here?)
Lijiang (can you even find a job here?)
Kunming (very hard to find a job here, I hear)
Shangra-li (is this even a town? I don't think you can teach english here though)
Gullin?

Province: Sichuan
Chengdu (is this close to nice scenic landscapes?)

Others?

[7969]

....

[Mister Al]

btkong

You're either living in dreamland, an over the top romantic or having a laugh. The latter methinks

[btkong]

A bit of both

I hear most of China is pretty polluted. But there are some places that are still nice, I hope. People have been telling me Yunnan is pretty spectacular, but I hear there's pretty much no chance of finding a job there.

[Steppenwolf]

I think you have covered those places in your original post; Peter Hessler in "River Town" was enamoured of Sichuan, for example.

Yunnan is overrun by westerners looking for employment; Zhongdian/Shangri-La (it actually had a Tibetan name that no one seems to remember...) has no job opportunities, though. Dali does, though not Dali proper but Xiaguan city, captial of the Dali Prefecture. Xiaguan is not an alluring place but it's smallish and not worse than other Chinese towns.

Guizhou might be good for you too - try small townlets such as Kaili (there was a job advert for Kaili a while ago).

Fujian has also some stunning mountains and interesting villages away from the coastal plain!

[eslstudies]

If you've ever seen Pagoda Hill just outside of Guilin [its in "The Joy Luck Club], that was the scene from my 6th floor balcony.
Cool.

[Anda]

Um, Tibet yeah there are jobs there but the have to be able to work at heights.


From : lobsang Tenzin <[email protected]>
Sent : Wednesday, 21 June 2006 7:10:04 AM
To : "'Tenzin Lobsang'" <[email protected]>
Subject : Re: APPLICATION LETTER




Dear Sir/Madam,



After several weeks of deliberation and careful examination of the many qualified candidates for next year's English teaching positions, we regret to inform you that the Bridge Fund cannot offer you a position at this time.



An unexpectedly large number of experienced teachers applied to this year's program, making this decision especially difficult.



The Bridge Fund would like to thank very much for your interest in our program, and wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.



Sincerely,



Lobsang Tenzin
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http://www.tefljobs.cn/School_Teach_Show.asp?TeachID=1481&SchoolID=1511
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://www.china.org.cn/english/Life/117491.htm
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You better get ready huh?

English Language Instruction for Tibetans
As the most important international language, instruction in English extremely important for Tibetans. However, for most Tibetans such study comes as a third language, after having already studied Chinese, Hindi, Nepali or some other local language in addition to their own. It is an urgent need to build high quality and freely accessible materials for Tibetans to study English without economic barriers. Through reference to Tibetan language and cultural contexts, such materials are much more useful for Tibetan students than generic English study materials. The present site is dedicated to making available such materials and we welcome new contributors and partners. Please contact us with comments or submissions at [email protected]

Contents for English For Tibetan
Name - rus ming /
Home - khyim/
Age - na tshod/
Job - bya ba/
Nationality - mi rigs/
Numbers - grangs ka
Singular and Plural - mang tshig dang gcig tshig
Time - dus tshod/
Greetings - 'tshams 'dri byed stangs/
Texts - slob tshan/
Dictation - nyan 'bri/
Dictation and Exercises - nyan 'bri dang gshar sbyang /
How many? (I) - ga tshod/
How many? (II) - ga tshod/
Dongzhi's Family - don 'grub kyi khyim tshang /
Bill
Conversation - kha brda/
Possessive Pronouns - bdag don gyi tshig
Colors - kha dog
Professions - bdag
Nationalities - mi rigs/
This is, they are, these are - 'di ni/_kho tsho/_'di tsho/
Dongzhi's Home - don 'grub kyi khyim/
Introductions - ngo sprod byed pa/
Dongzhi, Jobs, and Relatives - don 'grub kyi bya ba dang kho'i gnyen nye/
Dongzhi's Home, Animals, and Relatives - don 'grub kyi khyim dang sgo zog/_gnyen mi/
The Three Singers - glu ba gsum/
A Classroom - slob khang zhig
A Kitchen - g.yos khang /
Another Kitchen - g.yos khang gzhan zhig
Comprehension Check - blor nges tshad rtogs zhib byed pa/
A Tibetan Home - bod kyi khyim tshang zhig
Mother and Daughter, Teacher and Student - ma bu dang dge slob/
Enjoy Yourself - khyod rang gis ci dgar mdzod/
Dongzhi, A Chemistry Student - don 'grub/_rdzas 'gyur tshan khag gi slob ma zhig yin/
What are they doing? - kho tsho ci zhig las bzhin you/
Dongzhi's Family - don 'grub kyi khyim/
A Fine Day - gnam gshis yag pa'i nyin zhig
What are They Doing? - kho tshos ci zhig byed byed bzhin 'dug gam/
Photographs - 'dra par/
Where are they going? Where are they? - kho tshos ci zhig byed bzhin 'dug gam/
Making a Bookcase - dpe sgam las bzhin pa/
Which... - gang zhig
Are going to do... - byed rtsis yod dam/
A Countryside Home - zhing sde'i khyim tshang zhig
A Bus Ride - spyi spyod rlangs 'khor la 'dug thengs shig
Is there? - 'dug gam/
The Singing Dog - glu dbyangs len bzhin pa'i khyi/
The Frog Child. - byis pa sbal ba/
Making Tea - ja skol ba/
Are there.... - e 'dug gam/
Can and Can't (I) - chog pa dang mi chog pa/
Can and Can't (II) - chog pa dang mi chog pa/
Review - bskyar sbyang /
Homonyms - sgra mtshungs la don tha dad pa'i tshig
Like and Want - blor 'bab pa dang dgos pa/
Look at... - ...la ltos dang /
Dorjisu and the Ball - rdo rje mtsho dang lgang li/
The Skipping-Rope - skud thag rtsed mo/
Days of the Week - gza' 'khor gcig gi nyin bdun/
Months and Seasons of the Year - lo re'i dus tshigs bzhi dang zl bcu gnyis/
The Weather - nam zla/
Directions: north / south / east / west. - phyogs bzhi ste/_byang dang lho/_shar/_nub bcas so/
Usually do... (I) - rgyun par las pa yin/
Usually do... (II) - rgyun par las pa yin/
Illness (I) - na tsha/
Illness (II) - na tsha/
Playing With Matches - 'bar zhun rtsed ba/
Going to do - las rtsis yod/
Review - bskyar sbyang /
The Big Horserace - rta rgyugs dus chen/
Dazheng Is Awful - ngo gnong mi shes pa'i rta mgrin/
Mrs. Mills Visits Rebgong - lcam mo me 'or zi reb gong du phyin pa/
Uncomfortable Shoes - gyon mi bde ba'i lham/
Bawog - sbal ba/
Shopping List - dngos bo nyo ba'i ming tho/
Conversation - kha brda/
A Donkey - bong bu zhig
The Cat Teacher - dge rgan byi la/
The Coming of the Great Zaa - rtsad chem thon byung /
The Tortoise Dies - rus sbal shi ba/

Junior English for China for Tibetan Students
English and Tibetan Editors; English Editor, Kevin Stuart. This book is an aid to Tibetan students who are learning English using the Junior English for China textbooks. It was prepared by six students in the English Training Program in the Nationalities Department of Qinghai Normal University. The book is divided into sections that correspond to the current Junior English for China textbooks. Each unit in Junior English for China is presented with subsections on useful expressions, grammar, and text explanation. Publication was made possible with generous support from the United Board for Higher Christian Education in Asia.


English Training Program for Tibetan Students
by Kevin Stuart and Shiyong Wang (Gyamtso)

Most of China�s 55 ethnic minorities still have levels of education attainment below the national average. Therefore, there is a need to develop innovative school practices that provide them with improved access to education and mainstream Chinese society. Another challenge for ethnic minorities is to learn English as a third language. This inevitably becomes important not only for the economic development of minority communities, but also to ensure equal opportunities for ethnic minorities to study at overseas universities with the increasing number of Chinese students who do so. For example, there are a limited number of Tibetans able to speak, read, and write Tibetan, Chinese, and English. As Kevin Stuart and Shiyong Wang explain, this is due to a historic lack of access Tibetan children have had to English language classes in primary and middle schools.

[jammish]

I dunno, I think Dalian is quite nice. I mean I've never lived in a city before, here or in Europe, with nature right on top of me like this. OK I've only lived in Paris or London so perhaps not very good examples, but here I am a few mins from the sea, there is loads of coastline stretching up from Jinshitan, there is the UFO mountain near me which is very nice, and Da Hei Shan mountain. OK it isn't paradise, but to be in a big city and have all that nearby is pretty excellent

[jammish]

Oh yes, living in Yangshuo, near Guilin, is a very realistic possibility. I know that the schools there pay wages pretty much the same as every other standard China TEFL job.

[Steppenwolf]

[btkong]

If I can't find any jobs in say Yunnan or Sichaun, is it feasible to work in Shanghai then travel to Yunnan for vacations.

By feasible I mean do you make enough money to afford travelling to these places (I mean, you are still making peanuts after all, when comparing you paycheck to NA standards) and do you have enough time off from working to travel the southwest (Yunnan, etc).

[jammish]

[jammish]

btkong, even places like Dali, while nice, don't compare to places like the North of India.

Why don't you consider doing a year in somewhere like Korea to save money, and then spend a year volunteering in somewhere like Manali, India, which truly is like you describe, with glittering snowfields hanging like clouds in the distance, endless apple orchards and pine trees, and the gushing Beas River. A truly beautiful place, and the gateway to loads and loads and loads of great trekking. Volunteering jobs wouldn't pay but would provide food and board...

[7969]

[jammish]

I completely concur. Even in the good places in China, you always feel like you are on a school trip or something...