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SunnyKat
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Posts: 10
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 Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 7:19 pm Post subject: Guangdong Univ. of Foreign Studies English School (Guangwai) |
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I have been considering taking a job here and was wondering if any of you had taught there. I found a few posts that mentioned it after doing a search, but very little specific info from teachers.
Thanks in advance! |
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Steppenwolf
Joined: 30 Jul 2006
Posts: 1769
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| Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 5:36 am Post subject: |
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I once worked for a middle schol affiliated with this university out in Dalang; pay was substandard but I could survive well because my timetable was chocka-block full and transportation was paid for from Guangzhou and back by taxi.
As for the uni itself - good campus, nice location on the foot of the Baiyun mountain range (ideal for bikers and joggers). Not too far from the main train station and the main action in town.
They seem to have a fairly good reputation in China and personally I meet a lot of their graduates with excellent language skills. I have heard that pay is not exactly attractive, though. |
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HunanForeignGuy
Joined: 05 Jan 2006
Posts: 989
Location: Shanghai, PRC
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| Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 12:31 pm Post subject: See Below |
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Academically, it is considered one of the best universities in Guangdong and I am in Guangzhou.
That being said, there is an exceptionally high element of turnover out there. Roger is correct -- the pay is abysmally below par for Guangzhou, way below par. Everyone on this board trashes Alcanta College, which is next door, but they pay much better and you have a better choice of apartments -- theirs or your own, etc. And Guangzhou is full of FT refugees from that school. The apartments are nothing to write home about at all.
Great school for the locals, D+ for employment for foreign teachers. And that is my opinion from someone in GZ .
Try a middle school in GZ -- they pay better than anything else and you can easily find one that will pay you RMB 10,000 - RMB 12,000 per month with a really decent apartment thrown in. Primary schools pay a bit less but many GZ universities are truly parsimonious. |
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SunnyKat
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 1:18 am Post subject: |
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Thank you for your posts, they were very helpful.
Do either of you know anybody who has had any difficulties with this school aside from the lousy pay? I've researched other schools in Guangzhou and have not found very many that offer more than what this one does (8000 RMB but without airfare or health insurance). Is this at least what the average person (Chinese or otherwise) in Guangzhou needs to survive on? As long as I can afford the basic necessities, I'd rather be at a school where I'm happy than one the pays a lot (because I'm definitely not going to China for the money!). |
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Steppenwolf
Joined: 30 Jul 2006
Posts: 1769
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| Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 9:33 am Post subject: |
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8000 kuai is good pay for a university though you must put this in context: how many contact hours? At a university you should not have to labour more than 16, maybe 20 periods a week. 8000 seems to be the pay for considerably more hours...
What I find interesting is they do not offer airfare; I gather they will not sponsor you for a legal job because airfare is mandatory part of your package! |
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cj750
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
Posts: 3081
Location: Beijing
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| Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2007 12:56 pm Post subject: |
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| What I find interesting is they do not offer airfare; I gather they will not sponsor you for a legal job because airfare is mandatory part of your package! |
a lot of the universities will not offer airfare now and instead offer a fincial package that is suspose to acct for the animies...
why do youthink that anything is mandatory...SAFEA regs state that airfare is offer to worker and dependendts..but I dont think it is mandatory....SAFEA that is....
but with out the airfare..I would ask for 12000 |
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TravellingAround
Joined: 12 Nov 2006
Posts: 423
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| Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:44 am Post subject: |
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You need to be careful that they don't send you off to live on the White Elephant - aka University Mega City - which is a good hour out of town and which all of the GZ unis have a campus on.
The term 'ghost town' comes to mind...
Don't let them send you there...it's crap! They send the newer/most desperate teachers out there if they can.
The main campus near Bai Yun is far better but the accomodation is rather basic to say the least. You will most likely be in the Foreign Experts Building which is a bit like a cheap holiday camp with chalets. The reception desk and infrequently open local store etc gives it appearance of a crap hotel resort.
Good school but not necessarily so great for the teachers. The money is crap too. On the other hand the teaching schedule is unlikely to be heavy so outside work should be easy to fit in. In the last few years there have been mostly decent teachers there as well a few usual jerks/pervs that seem to proliferate in China to make the rest look bad! On the whole...good bunch. |
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HunanForeignGuy
Joined: 05 Jan 2006
Posts: 989
Location: Shanghai, PRC
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| Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 11:18 am Post subject: See Below |
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| TravellingAround wrote: |
You need to be careful that they don't send you off to live on the White Elephant - aka University Mega City - which is a good hour out of town and which all of the GZ unis have a campus on.
The term 'ghost town' comes to mind...
Don't let them send you there...it's crap! They send the newer/most desperate teachers out there if they can.
The main campus near Bai Yun is far better but the accomodation is rather basic to say the least. You will most likely be in the Foreign Experts Building which is a bit like a cheap holiday camp with chalets. The reception desk and infrequently open local store etc gives it appearance of a crap hotel resort.
Good school but not necessarily so great for the teachers. The money is crap too. On the other hand the teaching schedule is unlikely to be heavy so outside work should be easy to fit in. In the last few years there have been mostly decent teachers there as well a few usual jerks/pervs that seem to proliferate in China to make the rest look bad! On the whole...good bunch. |
Now, here we go with the correct information.
1. This is NOT the University per se.
2. This is the primary school and middle school directly affiliated with the university.
3. The campus of this primary and middle school is located approximately 45 minutes by taxi from any point on Beijing Lu.
4. It is a separate campus and NOT the campus of the university -- which possesses both a new campus and an old campus. It is a separate campus unto itself.
5. This is a very, very private primary and middle school and it attracts the sons and daughters of the Guangzhou elite. It is exceptionally expensive even by Guangzhou standards.
6. The campus is "to die for". It is a beautifully-tended, well-manicured campus, absolutely gorgeous, resembling any fees-paying (for the Brits among you), private (for the Yanks among us) private high school in our English-speaking countries. There is a full-concert hall, a gorgeously-huge swimming pool, two gorgeous fountains, and trees and lawns, well, the nicest that I have ever seen in China. If you want private-school chic, here it is.
7. The apartments are very, very nicely maintained. I visited one. The furniture is absolutely new, well-tended, repairs appear to be done promptly and there is a lovely roof-top garden / terrazzo in the main FT's building.
8. They are very selective in whom they hire and generally tend to favor the Commonwealth countries over North America. There will be an interview, a second screening, a demonstration lesson and then a follow-up talk.
I hope that answers the questions of all concerned. It is NOT the University but the high school and primary school affiliated with the university. |
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Areut
Joined: 17 May 2006
Posts: 48
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| Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 3:50 pm Post subject: |
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Great post HunanForeignGuy that will help the op out a lot! |
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TravellingAround
Joined: 12 Nov 2006
Posts: 423
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| Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:05 am Post subject: Re: See Below |
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| HunanForeignGuy wrote: |
1. This is NOT the University per se.
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Sorry - having read back I now see that it isn't the uni itself the OP meant. Was going by the other replies which were talking about the university...
Oh well...my advice does ring true for that if anyone needs it.  |
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SunnyKat
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 1:05 am Post subject: |
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Thanks again for the replies!
HunanForeignGuy, that was very helpful. As nice as the school sounds, I want to secure a job before I leave the States (rather than reaching China and still having to go through the interview process). I was hoping for something where I only needed a phone interview.
Hopefully this thread will help others in the Guangzhou area who are job-hunting. |
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HunanForeignGuy
Joined: 05 Jan 2006
Posts: 989
Location: Shanghai, PRC
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| Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 7:22 am Post subject: Andover |
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| SunnyKat wrote: |
Thanks again for the replies!
HunanForeignGuy, that was very helpful. As nice as the school sounds, I want to secure a job before I leave the States (rather than reaching China and still having to go through the interview process). I was hoping for something where I only needed a phone interview.
Hopefully this thread will help others in the Guangzhou area who are job-hunting. |
Dear SunnyKat,
Who knows -- maybe they will do a telephone interview for you. But generally they seem to ask for a demonstration teaching lesson for a full period.
Next, would you expect either Andover Academy or Phillipos Exeter to offer you a job via telephone interview? The school-in-question is quite that chic and certainly the surroundings are some of the best that I have ever, ever seen in China.
As soon as one arrives on the campus, one can almost "smell" old money, so to speak.
You didn't mention your credentials (Harvard, Northeastern, Tufts, etc.), so I can only wonder.
There are lots and lots of RMB 4,000 per month jobs here in China that require no interview and only a warm body.
All the best,
HFG |
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