Job Discussion Forums

cfjw · Joined: 07 Jul 2007 Posts: 10

Hi all, Need some timely advice on a tricky decision.
You will need to bear with me, I'm new to this forum thing, but I am constantly impressed with the wealth of information and advice on offer here.
Here goes:
I have been married to a shanghainese girl (beautiful but very tough) for 10 years and we have a seven year old son. We have been toying with the idea of relocating from Sydney to Shanghai, mainly for the language and educational benefits for our son.
I have just started a tesol certificate course and am hoping to head to shanghai (will be staying with my wife's folks) around Dec/Jan08. The plan is to work for 6 months teaching, which will enable me to get a feel for shanghai, check out education options and schools for our son. If all goes well, I will return to Aus 6 months later, pack up house and we will all relocate to shanghai.
To throw a spanner in the works, I have been referred to a Aussie company in Shanghai that may be willing to employ me in a support role once I arrive in China.
My questions are:
I am a bit concerned about my Tesol certificate. Will it be enough to secure me a job in Shanghai? (I would prefer to stay in Shanghai, family and accommodation benefits). ( I am trade qualified only)
Do I apply for a job online here, obtain a Z visa and head off, fingers crossed.
Do I head straight for Shanghai, hit the ground running and apply locally. (would be nice to check out schools and conditions before signing up for anything)
If I start teaching and am later offered a job by the aussie company before teaching contract ends, are there any glaring problems.
Any help greatly appreciated.

tw · Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3898

cfjw · Joined: 07 Jul 2007 Posts: 10

Hi Tw,
Thanks for quick reply. You have confirmed what I suspected, given that I am not degree qualified. As much as we love Shanghai, I am wondering if places like Suzhou, Wuxi or even Hangzhou (all relatively close to Shanghai and my wife's family) might be a better option. Would qualification and experience concerns be less of a worry in these smaller towns.
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cfjw · Joined: 07 Jul 2007 Posts: 10

Hi Tw, Thanks for that link, some good advice. We have been researching my employment options extensively over the last six months after our return during spring festival in Shanghai. The decision was made back then to make a concerted effort to enable a sensible and cost effective move from Sydney. We have had family members attended several interviews with local chinese/international schools for our son, and I have had some positive feedback from other expat families that have lived in Shanghai. I have been anxiously awaiting my tesol course, and am quite excited about the prospect of teaching. Should my search for an ESL job prove too difficult in Shanghai, I am hoping that another opportunity may present itself (possibly with that aussie company as mentioned before).
One thing I wondered about; My wife has residency here in Australia as she has been reluctant to give up here chinese nationality. Our son was also born in shanghai, but has Aussie nationality through me.
Would it be possible for me to apply for chinese residency / working visa through my wife and her family, given that she is still a chinese national?
Thanks, cfjw

HunanForeignGuy · Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 989 Location: Shanghai, PRC

cfjw · Joined: 07 Jul 2007 Posts: 10

Hi HFG, Thanks for your help. I am relieved that I am getting some great responses. Was a little worried I might have rambled on a bit. I am in the process of putting a resume online and will be interested in what replies I receive. As with any life changing move, not only for myself, but my family, the overload of information available has been a little overwhelming.
I guess everything has now come to a head as I have begun the tesol course, and I was getting conflicting information regarding employment in Shanghai.
Plenty of friends and family here in Sydney still playing on the negatives of such a move though.
Regards,
CFJW

arioch36 · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 3589

The Chinese permanent residency card ... Five years married and five years continous in country ( just got married this year), or if you have done something wonderful for China, then less then five years. or if you invest, I think, 250,000 yuan or dollars. Can't remember the amount. So if you work with a company that has clout, its possible they recommend you

HunanForeignGuy · Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 989 Location: Shanghai, PRC

First to Arioch, thanks for the details, I couldn't remember them all but I knew that there was a waiting period.

Next, to the OP, do put a resume online on the more highly visited spots.

You also might want to try www.abroadchina.org and Helen's Chen's TEFL site in Hangzhou. I have always received many more job offers from Helen's site than anywhere else on the web.

Next, take one step at a time. Ignore the negative forces -- they are always in abundance. Consult much with your wife and with your heart and if all is well, then move accordingly.

Make your online resume, neat, tight, so to speak; don't ramble on-and-on. They stop reading resumes here after about the first-half of the second page. Limit the information to valuable information and above all, after your name, address, nationality and race (I am sorry to say), let your TESOL certificate figure prominently near the top in somewhat bigger letters than the other things.

You are not the first one to want to come to Shanghai without a full university degree, kind friend, and you surely will not be the last. I am sure that you will be surprised with what you receive.

All the best,

HFG

vikuk · Joined: 23 May 2007 Posts: 1842

therock · Joined: 31 Jul 2005 Posts: 1266 Location: China

therock · Joined: 31 Jul 2005 Posts: 1266 Location: China

eslstudies · Joined: 17 Dec 2006 Posts: 1061 Location: East of Aden

As an Australian with a Chinese spouse and an 8 year old son, and having lived for 3 years in Shanghai, I share some bonds with you.
A few questions:

Does your wife still hold Chinese citizenship and a Chinese passport, or has she taken Australian citizenship?

Is your son bilingual? Has he started to learn Hanzi? He could have a miserable time trying to slot into a mainstream Chinese school if the answer to these is "no", and as pointed out by Viduk, there is nothing redeeming about Chinese education. In fact, having spent at a guess 2 years in an Australian public school, he is going to suffer far more culture shock than you.
Our own son, having endured Chinese kindergarten for two years, has refused point blank to go back to China if it involves going to school there.

On the job front, and only having experienced the university circuit in Shanghai, I can only say they were strict on the degree requirement, and that supply easily exceeded demand.
Primary/secondary schools may be less rigorous, though personally [and I've been teaching for many years] I'd steer well clear. With no teaching background, this is not the place to start.
You say you have a connection with an Australian company, so milk it for all you can. With a trade background, they could possibly employ you as an advisor in trade English, thus sidestepping the degree requirement.

SnoopBot · Joined: 21 Jun 2007 Posts: 740 Location: USA

Songbird · Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 11:03 pm Post subject:

That's it, with all these posts lately of people wanting a job in Shanghai with no degree, I'm gonna push in....

I HAVE a degree, halfway through a Masters in Applied Linguistics AND have 3 years experience in CHINA.....so who's gonna offer ME a job in Shanghai for GOOD money? Huh? Huh?? I'm also an Aussie....

I'm out in the boonies at the moment....

cfjw · Joined: 07 Jul 2007 Posts: 10

Hi All,
Thankyou for the wonderful reponses. We have been talking with Shanghai Primary School (shengzhong rd) regarding our son. It is a local school with several international students and teachers. Cost is reasonable (this includes full board and lodgings if needed). I personally think it would be far to much of a culture shock for our son coming from a Sydney primary school, but my wife is confident there will only be an initial settling-in period. While I am in Shanghai for the first 6 months, her father will be coming to Sydney. Therefore our son will have six months of living in a totally chinese speaking household before the move to china. He is already bilingual, but it will be good preparation for him should we decide to move to shanghai.
Yes, I am concerned about our son,(probably my biggest concern), but that is why I need to spend a least six months there to determine whether this move is viable for all of us.
If anybody has any experience with the above mentioned school I would be interested to know.
One thought: If we were to buy a business in shanghai, eg cafe, etc, could my wife employ me, (effectively apply for a Z visa through her)It would give us a little breathing space while I searched for a teaching position.
I am imagining that this would only apply for larger companies though.