Job Discussion Forums

[scooby_rex]

ok, so basically Im in a situation where i cant decide.

pretty much the story is, im still doing my BA degree, externally, which will take another 12 months or so to finish, but i got 3 job offers, in russia, thailand and china, most of em are at the average/lower end of the pay scale, but thats cool, as most of my free time will be studying for my degree still, so i wont need heaps of cash to go and get smoked every weekend and so forth....
now, as i have found out after researching forums and stuff, and getting a job offer from a private college, EF i think it was, i noticed that they want 40 hours out of me per week for like 6000rmb or something. so thats pretty much a no, because i need more time as im doing 3 units for my BA

but, i got a job offer from what appears to be a government school, something called henei number 37 middle school, they offered me 4000rmb for 18 hours, my question is, is this going to be like REAL 18 hours ONLY a week? because at the end of the day that would be perfect as it allows me loads of time to study.

Both are important to me, doing well at my job and helping as much as I can, AND getting the best grades i can for my degree, its not like im going overseas to teach english just for the hell of it, i plan on doing both to the best of my ability.
i guess im just having a hard time working out my time management because these private lot want a solid 40 hours, whilst this public one only wants 18. i know that 4000rmb is pretty much peanuts, but the only thing ill be spending cash on is fresh fruit and veges, take home beer etc etc, so the money isnt a factor for me.

does anyone understand what i mean? pretty much i DONT want to do 40 hours a week simply because i have other commitments as well whereas around half that would make life easier for me.

plus russia only pays about 600 US a month, but i get free housing thrown in, and from what i can see over on tefl.com city cost guide, it aint too bad, even tho its like 15 hours from moscow. i think this job in thailand is also a government school.

Any advice would be welcome
Cheers All

[Lister]

Find out how those 18 hours are applied. It'll be 18 teaching hours but, it being a public school maybe you'll have your first class early in the morning then need to wait 3 hours until the next class, then another 2 hours waiting... you get the idea. If they insist on you being there in the office between classes your week will be a lot longer than 18 hours.

[Itsme]

wow.. I'd be off to Thailand if I were you.

[roadwalker]

Regarding the China job, yeah it might even be less than 18 full hours if they are referring to class hours which are 45-50 minutes each. Find out. Other wise they may mean 24 hours of classes x 45 minutes each = 18 full hours. If they are offering a job to someone without a BA, they are obviously having a hard time filling the position. Negotiate to make sure you have hours you can work with. If you are using the internet beyond email to finish your BA, find out what your options are as far as DSL. The internet can suck here, but some areas are apparently not bad.

Another thing to be aware of is the pressure to participate (as a guest!) in all kinds of activities, such as speech contests and meals which last for four hours. If you're not careful, and even if you are, you can find your loads of free time exhausting. Learn to nicely refuse, with an excuse if it gets to be too much. (Some of the activities can actually be fun and the meals can be great. It depends on how much socializing you care to do.) On top of that you may receive many, many offers for work as a private tutor. Beware the offers to go to someone's house to tutor for an hour and then be invited to dinner immediately afterwords. One hour paid becomes four hours with only one paid if you accept.

I'd give a good read to the Thailand forum here on Dave's before you jump at that one. Good luck.

[Adeem]

I thought restrictions in Thailand were now tighter for new teachers applying for visas, or is that old news?

The high school is prob offering you 18 45-50 min class periods per week. You should of course confirm this. Whether your classes are in blocks together or not, you have to wait to find out the day (or maybe the morning) before you start teaching.

Universities are less of a risk on this front as you often have accommodation on campus that you can scoot back to. With schools this isn't always a given.

Most people point out that Uni jobs are more flexible and give you more free time. You might have more trouble getting them without the BA, but this is only a maybe!

[scooby_rex]

fantastic replies fellas, i appreciate it BIG TIME

biggest issues like you said is if it is spread out over 10 hours or something, i shall ask em that now

at least its not 40 hours from midday to 9pm!

[scooby_rex]

oh, can someone please tell me what exactly to they mean when they say 16-18 Academic hours?

[suanlatudousi]

[scooby_rex]

[Hansen]

Scooby, Don't do guess work when negotiating a contract. Make sure the amount of actual time you are expected to work is clear.

16 hours are not 16 class periods. Two class periods comprise one class "session." 16 class periods are actually only 12 hours of teaching time based on a 45 minute class. 16 hours are 20 class periods. You should agree to no more than 16 class periods. Find out about mandatory meetings, English corners, and so forth. Find out if you must keep office hours also.

Your best bet might be to do Thailand for a year, finish your degree, and then come to China. Then you will have a degree and teaching experience. Even two years in Thailand or time in Japan might be worthwhile. No opinion on Russia. You might consider it.

Do things right. Find a school who will make sure you arrive with a "Z" visa. Without a degree, you might be limited to high school situations, which are not bad.

Your best approach would be to finish your degree, get a TESOL of some sort, and get some teaching experience in the States, if even as a volunteer.

The schools are not the ones who issue the foreign expert certificate. That comes from a government entity. They like to have things in order. Lots of schools lie, con, and cheat to get an FT here. They will do the same thing to you, once you are here. Avoid them.

[evaforsure]

[scooby_rex]

ok i asked a few questions and here are the answers

1. The 16 hours, is this 16 lessons per week? Plus what is the TOTAL time all up for a week for the job? And if it is only 16 still, does this mean that some classes are in the morning and some in afternoon? or are they blocked together and not spread out?

Yes, 16 lessons per week. That is the total work time for one week. The classes are usually spread out.

2. Is my accomodation very close to the school? or is it on school grounds? I couldn't work this part out. Plus would they be able to take some quick photos for me to see? Just so i can see what they are like?

The accomodation is on the campus. I will ask the school rep to take some pictures.

3 I cant speak Chinese at all, will this be a problem? Are there any other Australians/Americans/English etc working there or have been there?

That is not a problem as some teachers in the school can speak English, you will have assistant teachers. In the past years, the school has employed 3-4 western teachers, they all have finished their contracts and left.

4 What is the best airport to fly into from Australia? Beijing maybe?

Please fly to Guangzhou at first then from Guangzhou fly to Wuhan. You will be picked up in Wuhan airport.

5 When would they like me to be there? example, April 15th?

Mid April will be ok. After you sign the contract and provide the necessary docs, the school will start to process your work permit and visa letter, this will take about one week, then the paperwork will be posted to you, you will use them to apply for the work visa, after you get the work visa and the flight details you can come.

6 Is there a clothes guide? Like, what are the requirements? Formal Ties and Pants, Semi formal, Casual etc?

Semi formal is ok.

7 Being my first time, will there be any support network for me?

Yes, you will have an assistant teacher helping you with things relating to teaching and life.

8 What holiday are involved? are they paid? I couldnt find any info on that

You will have all the public holidays in China, that is paid. During Jan and Feb you will have one month paid holiday



so thats the story so far,

any comments or advice guys?

[Hansen]

Don't take their advice regarding travel. Try to fly directly to uhan if possible. If not, check Beijing and Shanghai for possible cheaper rates and better scheduling.

This may sound stupid; however, when I came here, I was told to fly to Beijing to be met at the airport. Two or three people made an 8 hour train trip to meet me. We spent a night in a hotel and then trained back to the place from which they had come.

Turns out there is a fine airport a 40 minute trip from the school into which I could have easily flown from Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou.

Just tell them when you will be in Wuhan and make your own arrangements getting there.

1. What about the summer holiday
2. What kind of visa are you coming in on?
2a.If not a Z visa, I would urge you to not come

[scooby_rex]

yea i made sure that its a z visa, one recruiter tried to get me there on a tourist visa, i was like.................... noooooooo

wuhan is about 2 grand to fly to, but shanghai is only 600 bucks

so i guess at the end of the day the only bad thing to come outta this is the spread of the hours dammmmmit!

[scooby_rex]

to give u better idea about airports etc the school is in
Xiangfan city, Hubei province