Job Discussion Forums

[SpedEd]

Hello people:

I've been considering working a stint in China, hopefully with a good school. I worked throughout Korea in most of the large cities there, so I have a good feel for Korean students. Many were amicable, but as many teachers who worked (and survived) Korea know, some Korean students, kids and adults alike, can be very trying to work with. Maybe it was just me but I sometimes came up against some very closed minded and rude Korean students. In Seoul it got a lot better, as by then I had a lot more experience as a teacher and I think the people were generally more open minded. Now to the point for you teachers working in China: What do you think about your students? Are the courteous? eager to learn? thoughtful? Thanks in advance.

[Anda]

Much the same as Korea with students but I have had less trouble working with Chinese English teachers than with South Korean teachers. I didn't think much of students in Kwangju / Gwangsu take your pick with the spelling. So you can find differences from one area to another.

There is a huge difference in wages between China and South Korea but. Forget buying a car here like you can in South Korea also. If you want to spend your money in country you can have just a good a time here as in South Korea, saving however you can forget here.

[kev7161]

I like your Electro avatar. When I first came to China, I had these pre-conceived notions of what Chinese students (or all ages) would be like: studious, militaristic, rigid, 100% respectful of their teachers, unified in everything they do, etc.

What I found were: smart kids, not-so-smart kids, lazy kids, giving kids, cute and funny kids, hard-working kids, helpful kids and their opposites, kids that had comic-book like hair and an occasional piercing (usually HS boys in their ears - - not so much the girls for some reason), smiling and laughing kids, petulant kids . . . . you know, just like other kids all over the world. Certainly classroom behavior will vary from group to group and they will almost NEVER behave the way they do when a Chinese teacher is around. At first, think of it as if you are a substitute teacher - - they get little to no respect it seems. As the school year wears on, you'll have those top-notch students and those who really try growing on you. The losers who sit at the back of the room? Usually I find out they're pretty nice but almost useless when it comes to learning English.

And grade school kids are really not a whole lot different, just less petulant and more energetic overall.

[KevinT123]

I have been in China now for four years and have taught Chinese students from kindergarten age right up to post doctoral scientists.
Chinese children are much the same as elsewhere but some general factors are as follows. Chinese children are usually very introvert and passive. The younger ones are usually extremely playful and can be a handful, many have no interest in learning English but are forced to by their over bearing parents so you can expect a level of low motivation. Most are brought up in an environment of rampant dishonesty and will lie or make excuses continually (you will never know exactly where you stand with them so don't get bowled over by a constant stream of compliments about your teaching because they would say the same to all foreign teachers). Most are friendly, helpful and kind. Expect a whole manner of cheating methods in examinations. Even in pure oral examinations they find ways to cheat. I have even had students who have written whole essays on top of desks expecting that it would not get noticed. It is all part of the culture of dishonesty that surrounds them. Corrupt behaviour is also the norm and you will often find Chinese students that believe buying a meal for you in a restaurant or giving you gifts will give them an advantage especially when it comes to grades. Try not to take advantage of the offer and avoid where possible without insulting them. A polite thanks but no thanks or I have another commitment often get you out of this predicament. Note that, by Western standards, some Chinese children will act very strangely with naive, child like emotions. They are brought up not to be independent thinking and are very over protected by their parents. This retards their natural development somewhat, makes them anxious, nervous and afraid. It is not unusual to see late teens or early twenty somethings burst into tears or have emotional breakdowns in the classroom. One last thing relates to the Chinese education system. Everything is examination orientated here and not necessarily ability based. Acquiring knowledge is not the priority for most Chinese children are only interested in scraping through exams by whatever means. They will often just do enough to get through the main exam and will not be grateful or attentive when it comes to additional, peripheral knowledge.

[jammish]

[Sonnet]

[waxwing]

If I restrict myself to the 15-18 age range, which covers most of the students I've taught here, then I'd mention these main differences to Western students of the same age:

*More respectful of elders/teachers

*Less inclined to speak out (hands up is a toughie).

*Less confident of their own opinion

*More comfortable with difficult technical tasks (you won't see it so much teaching English, unless you teach grammar)

*Prepared to work much harder (i.e. they expect to - not that they necessarily want to). But only when they see it as necessary. See below about exams.

*As someone mentioned above, more "passive/introverted" - if they want to rebel they are more likely to sleep or sneak a look at a magazine than confront you or disrupt your lesson

*Exam-focused? Yes. Remember, education is incredibly competitive here. There is no falling into a good job or a good University place, you have to fight for it, even if you have a headstart. If you aren't teaching something that leads to an important exam, don't be surprised if students don't take your classes very seriously - they have a lot on their plate.

*Cheating? Yep, sadly more common than it might be...

If you find yourself teaching at a good school, the kids can be a real joy to teach. But bring your best game, so to speak.

Anyway, good topic, nice to see what other people think.

[jeffinflorida]

I am currently working in a good university. The students pay 25,000 rmb a year to study here.

So many of them are rich lazy spoiled brats and biitches...

They don't do the work. Try to sleep in my class, and of course cheat on the exams....

It is pathetic really... They are pathetic...

[SpedEd]

Ha, I admit to being a bit disappointed to hear those things about the Chinese school system. And being what exists over there, don't you guys think it's difficult working for a fraction of the wages you'd find elsewhere?

[kev7161]

Ah, but see, there are many, MANY reasons people go abroad to teach and probably TEACHING is near the bottom of the list: escaping "something" from back home, wanting a change of scenery, finding a Chinese/Asian wife (or boyfriend if one were so inclined), experiencing a different culture, cheaper booze and or drugs, and can't forget those red-light "hair styling salons"!

Of course, there are the alturistic who DO want to teach and don't mind the absurdly low wages and then there are some who DO find a good paying job (that at least equals what one could make back home) and, due to the lower cost of living here, can save and pay off a debt or two, travel, and generally live a pretty good life here.

[jeffinflorida]

[YankeeDoodleDandy]

Dear Jeff, Go Gators ! Go Canes ! Go Seminoles ! Please PM me , I will send my resume to your school. I am making 5200 RMB for 14 classes per week in Xi'an. Today was my first day of teaching sophmore English majors Newspaper Reading. I think this semester will go well. They don;t believe everything they read in China Daily and leaders can make mistakes. Now if I can only get them to state their opinion. Their homework will be to read an article on Education and ONLINE learning. This will be a new book for me. It was published in 2004, new to my school to move forward to compliance with the new rules and regulations in Education. Bigwigs from Beijing will be here October 7 th. I have told my class that I want them to give me their opinions of the articles that they read and not to copy the answers from their textbook. Education is to acquire many KNOWLEDGEs, one of my students stated. Why do students almost say knowledges.? Inquiring minds want to know !! PS Does your Lovely Chinese girlfriend have any friends

[arioch36]

[jeffinflorida]

[arioch36]

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