Job Discussion Forums

[Not St Louis]

After a lot of thought and debate, I have decided to take my wife and two kids and go to China to teach. Our family has experience teaching abroad so we aren't worried about the culture shock involved in making a move to a new country.

Salary isn't our biggest concern. The biggest reason why we are going to China is to have the experience of living for a year in China and learn some Chinese. My wife is part ethnic Chinese and she's always wanted to learn Chinese.

I do have several concerns that maybe someone here can help me with.

1) Universities hire teachers to start in February or March, but it looks like we will be unable to go to China until the middle to end of March. Does that present a problem? I do not want to be teaching in language institute, I would prefer a university or public school.

2) How about education for the kids? My wife would like to teach, so either we would need to be able to put our boys in school or hire someone to watch the kids while we are teaching. How hard is it to do either one? The kids are 5 and 6, btw.

3) Is there any special I should be aware about in taking a family to China?


Thanks in advance!

[Mister Al]

Op, it seems to me that you haven't really thought all this through. It's quite a big step for a single person to come over here to work so to bring a whole family is laudable but also a bit scary if you have no experience of the PRC. So really make sure you are all up for it. It could be a brilliant experience for the family or the proverbial nightmare. Generally speaking, it is a safe country to live in for foreigners.

1. It will be difficult for you to be offered a job at a university to start in mid-March, and I imagine the same with public schools. And I mean a job that can get you and your family residency permits. I suppose you'll just have to try if that's what you want although I think that language mills etc would be your best bet at that time.

2. International school students are taught in English. They are expensive, at least RMB8000 a month, payable in advance.
Local school students are of course taught in Mandarin with the odd English language class thrown in. Cost maybe RMB1000 per month but if your kids don't speak Mandarin, how will they learn? Maybe they will learn the language quickly but at least initially it might put a big strain on them just being there. Private tutors are usually available at a variety of costs.

3. Do as much research as you can about your job(s) and the city where you are going to stay. Expect the unexpected. I could go on but I'll leave that to others.

Good luck

[Hansen]

Deleted

[Kibbs]

Well, you aren't going to get much accomplished if you haven't already started processing your invitation documents. The Chinese holiday begins soon and many school admins are already on vacation.

The education for your children is important. That being said, you don't want to rush into this and if you are planning to go in March, and don't have a position. Anything you do at this time would be rushed.

Depending on your credentials, you may want to explore international schools that can offer education to your children as well. You will need at least two years teaching experience, and TEFL Certification in order to qualify for most of these types of schools.

Another option, is to explore programs located in your country that cater to family placement in China. CIEE, journeyeast.org, Marshal are three that have been doing this awhile now. They all charge fees (journeyeast doesn't if you are certified) but handle everything before, during and after you arrive and the total cost is comparable to if you went it alone, so for some people it might be worth it.

Anyway, good luck! I've got my first lil' bambino on the way!

[Not St Louis]

Mister Al, thanks for the response. We have thought this through. I'm not an idiot sitting back in the states thinking, wistfully, about going abroad. I am in Asia right now, just not teaching. I have been teaching TEFL for 10 years. I met my wife while teaching TEFL and for up until 2 years ago, we were teaching TEFL. I know the TEFL game and I know that you have to expect the unexpected. I've taught in rural Central America, rural Thailand, rural Mexico, and Korea. China will be a new country and new challenges.

1) When would be a good time to come? I thought it might be too late, so the backup plan is to head to China in August for the start of the new school year.

2) Ha! International school. My kids are currently home schooled and they will continue to be home schooled. Attending a local school would give them the experience they need in relating to other kids. My boys are trilingual and bicultural, and they've both attended schools where they didn't understand a word spoken.

Are local schools relatively easy to enroll foreign children in? There were issues in Thailand, but the school we taught at covered everything. Teaching elsewhere could have presented issues where the boys couldn't study.

What about hiring someone to watch the kids in our apartment? Is that possible or doable easily in China?

3) I know about the research, I will be running everything through what I find on TEFL School Reviews and other blacklist type sites. I am hoping this will augment that research. There is nothing like experience from people on the ground, teaching in a location.

That said, I know leaving a horrible or dangerous situation is as simple as leaving the school, getting on a plane and going to a third country.

Kibbs, thanks. Couldn't really get started on anything before now anyways, but if it is too late, then I can always wait until August. We are not in a huge rush to go to China. We are going for the experience of it and only if things feel good.

[TexasHighway]

Probably the only university jobs your will find in mid-March are the remnants of a midnight runner...not a very appealing prospect. I would advise you to regroup and aim for August/September. That way you would be starting a fresh school year, not only for yourself but also for your wife and kids.

[China.Pete]

"Are local schools relatively easy to enroll foreign children in?" -- Not St Louis

I have known parents with children who have enrolled them in local Chinese schools. I have also known parents who homeschool their kids here. Interesting that you are planning to do both.

"What about hiring someone to watch the kids in our apartment?" -- Not St Louis

A local live-in nanny should run you �1,500 a month. With the limited hours at a university, you and your wife might also be able to stagger/limit your schedules enough to avoid the need for one.

[eddy-cool]

I don't want to comment on other aspects of your plan (because my first reaction was the same as Mr A's: Not thought through enough). What I do want to respond to is your question about the schooling of your kids.

At 5 and 6 they belong to a kindergarten. You can enrol them at a kindy in China but there are two serious downsides to it:
First: Cost.
Second: The kindy enviornment here is not what you probably expect it to be. It's more like a bootcamp for kids at a more tender age. Parents pay extra for each extra subject taught (in much the same way these subjects are taught at primary school except that the kids can't read and write yet).

The best would be to enrol them for the minimum number of lessons and have them join other kids in the playpens during the remaining time.

Kindergartens here are schools. And schools are bootcamps.

[Kibbs]

Yeah alot of folks home school their children.. Frankly, its better than most schools in the USA.

[killian]

i know koreans who have their kiddies in school here. the ones in kindergarten hate it. way too long and not fun.

the elementary aged ones generally are doing OK in the chinese public school. but when the kids read middle and/or high school the parent ship them out to private schools.

why not st.louis, missouri? it is beautiful this time of year.

[Not St Louis]

thanks for all the great information on this thread. We will most likely hold off coming until August and spend 2 or 3 months on an extended vacation in Thailand. That's unless we find a great position that fits in with our schedule for going there at the end of March.

[arioch36]

I am surprised!

In my many years here in Henan (4,00 posts?) I have known a lot of parents with children. A large percentage, including "missionary" types, or perhaps particulary missionary types have enrolled their kids in Chinese public or private schools. Usually a school will go to lengths to help the foreign teacher enroll their child tuition free. I would ask your prospective school this question. They should be able to arrange it. It is culture to help the teachers' children go to school for free (including Chinese teachers)


PS .. I am not recommending nor not not recommending a Chinese school over home schooling. Most parents I know kept their child in the school, but also there is a lot of hurtful teasing that goes on. But again, .
I would work with an expectation that your future school will help you arrange tuition free schooling

[rswagner]

Which type of schools will usually go through great lengths to help the foreign teacher enroll their kids in Chinese public or private schools? Does it matter whether or not the foreign teacher teaches at the school which he/she wish to enroll his/her kids?

I am married to a Chinese national with two sons. My one son was born in China back in 2002, but he was declared a US Citizen abroad. My other son is born here in the US almost a year ago. I will be arriving in China February 11th. I plan to stay in China for the long term.

I definitely cannot afford to send my sons to an International School. I will work with the expectation that my future school will help me arrange tuition-free schooling; however, I will ask the prospective school if tuition-free schooling can be arranged whether I teach there or not.

Comments or assistance would be greatly appreciated.

[Sonnibarger]

You shouldnt have a problem enrolling your kids free... The primary school I work for offers free tuition for both Chinese and western teachers kids... primary schools that have gov't permission to hire FT's are usually the top rated schools in the city.. Having your kids in a top primary means they have a better chance of entry to a top middle/high school... There is one foreign student at my school... his father is a teacher at a different school and has to pay full tuition for his kids education... thats not a lot of cash for a FT making a decent wage.

[rswagner]

There is a primary school associated with the university where I will be teaching at in Huai'an City. I just want to make sure that I am understanding you correctly. Are you saying that I should have no problem enrolling my kids at any primary private or public Chinese school for free? Or are you saying that I can only get tuition-free schooling for my children if I teach at the school they are attending? I did get the impression that that I will pay full tuition for my child if I taught elsewhere. Is that correct? Do you by any chance know how much full tuition was for the child whose father taught elsewhere? I would like to my facts straight before I start my son in September.