Job Discussion Forums

[Hoop]

Hello,

Long-time reader (well, a week or so), first time poster here.

I've done a lot of searches pertaining to the following questions I have, and in some cases I'm still not certain of the answer, or I'm missing that personal touch! I hope you don't mind answering them for me.

A little background:

I'm from the UK and have a BA in Creative Writing. No TEFL or CELTA, no teaching experience. The idea of being a teacher is one I've kicked around for a few years though, so this isn't as much of a whim as it may appear to be. In the past I've written for magazines and for the financial services, so I know my way around the language.

Since the start of 2009 I've been thinking about moving to China to teach for 6 months to a year. The reasons for this are i) the experience of another culture, specifically one I've always had an interest in ii) to see if I'm cut out for teaching and iii) to get away from the current economic climate in the west. I've nothing tying me down here so it seems like a ripe time to move away for a bit.

So my questions are:

� How big a deal is not having the teaching qualifications and experience? I keep seeing conflicting ideas and opinions on this website, but a lot of it is quite dated. Has the situation changed?

� Is there a significant ex-pat community in Xi'an? I don't want to surround myself with Westerners, but I rely on my friends and family a lot at home (part of the reason for me wanting to move is to break this trait), so I'll need ex-pats as a support group.

� A broad question, but does anybody have any experience with schools in Xi'an? I'm still not sure what type to go for, but I'm thinking the younger the better, as I can deal with chaos, but attitude might get to me.

� Is Xi'an a bad choice? The reason I'm looking at it is because of the old city walls and moats. The way it appears to exist both as an old city and new. But, of course, I may be totally wrong here.

� What are the best times to apply?

� Oh, and very quickly, just how bad is the situation in S. Korea? I was leaning towards the country for a while as it seems to be a bit 'safer', but China really does interest me more, and looking at the Korea board, it seems that everybody hates the place.

Thanks so much for reading. I really hope to do this sometime soon.

[Sonnibarger]

Xian seems like a decent city.... If you are looking for a city that has some western digs with a "real china" feel it might be a place to consider(i did).. The reason i didnt pick Xian was the fact that it is a big tourist city... I have been to a few tourist hotspots in china and for the most part they were ok... but i get the feeling the local chinese look at us as a money bag and not a whole lot else.. you will get lots of smiling faces trying to charge you 10x the cost of just about everything... once you pick up some of the local dialect it wont be so much of a problem... i would just watch out for the scams a little more... I think in cities that see a lot of foreigners come through for short periods the locals generally have a low opinion of us... example is ShenZhen... If you are there for more than 2 seconds you will be swarmed by chicken moms offering young girls.. Its a dirty feeling.. The locals see foreign 2 week warrior business men going with them and get the feeling all of us are like that...

[Hoop]

Interesting. What on earth are Chicken mums?

So what made you choose Wuhan?

[Sonnibarger]

chicken moms = old ladies that pimp... Wuhan is one the the least western 2nd tier cities in China... There are still some western places to head for a beer,/burger or just a block of cheese.. but feels like authentic China... The city is dirt cheap.. a taxi ride starts at 3rmb, food is cheap(good but spicy) but im still able to earn a good wage... Wuhan has its share of problems (more than most cities in China) traffic sucks, too hot in summer, everything is dirty, the city is huge (both population and size), the local dialect is far from standard (feels like your ears are being raped), and the people are loud/rude most of the time... On the plus there is no shortage of work, the city is getting better everyday, the women are amoung the most beautiful in China, tons of uni's, lots of friendly people, some local culture, subway line coming in 2010(i hope), an ok xpat community(many french), dead good nightlife, some nice 2day destinations close to the city..... Every other city i visit in China (with the exception of Jinan) I feel is nicer than Wuhan... for some reason tho i love this city and wont be moving in the near future.

[eddy-cool]

Xi'an certainly is one of the better - and bigger - places to be in China. It's got more of the old China preserved into the Here and Now than most other cities, and it has not quite lost out on modernity.

I like the fact it has four distinct seasons (though if you live in a socialist-era building you will hate the winter in your draughty dwelling-place).

As for your lack of suitability - well, that's certainly a liability.

[YAMARI]

Wuhan is cool but the pollution is really bad and pay tends to be quite low. Other than that I reallly like Wuhan.

[Hoop]

[El Macho]

If you're just going to China for on a lark for six months, I don't think a TESL certificate is worth it. It would probably be better for your students if you'd gone through some sort of training, but if you're planning on six-and-out and money is an issue, don't worry about it.
Jobs will be available whether or not you have a TESL cert. A BA is enough to work in China. Indeed, many people on these boards currently teach without a BA. While the better jobs may want an MA or teaching certification, they also want teachers who are going to be around for a full year.
You can "sell" your application on the strength of having trained in writing and being a published writer. Believe me, that will put you far ahead of most of the rest of the pack.

You mention the opportunity to experience another culture as your main desire for going abroad. I imagine you will get job offers from private language schools, many of which will expect you to work six days a week. This makes it difficult or impossible to do get-away day trips on the weekend.
University jobs are 4-5 days a week, require less hours of work per week than private schools, and have more generous vacations. Unlike private schools, which have contractual clauses barring you from teaching private lessons, uni instructors may augment their income by teaching privates.
The only catch to this is that unis want you to sign a one year contract. If you're on the fence between staying for six months and a year, I think it would be worth staying the year if you find a nice uni post.

I think that Xi'an would be a great city to be in because there's lots of touristy stuff to see in the city itself and on its outskirts. Also, Xian seems (to me) to have a very good central location in China. You're not extraordinarily far away from any one place.
Everyone I've known who's lived in or visited Dalian has raved about it (especially its cleanliness), but I don't think there are the number of tourist attractions there that exist in Xian. Also, it's geographic remove may make it difficult to travel to some places during the relatively short vacations you'll have at a private school.

Good luck. I went to China on a lark and ended up finding a vocation for myself. I hope you have a great experience.

A good reference (if you've not already found it) is the Middle Kingdom Life website.

[Hoop]

Thanks for the comprehensive reply!

At first I was considering uni jobs, then I read a lot of stuff about difficult situations stemming from living on campus etc., decided that maybe private language was better... but I didn't understand that they expected up to six days a week out of you.

I'm certainly not adverse to staying a year if the job is a lot better. But, and this is where your comments on Dalian are appropriate, I am very westernized. I don't even like going camping . I'm thinking that a cleaner city might be preferable at first, and if I find I like life in the East enough, I can always head further inland.

Anyway, I'm just externalising thoughts here and I'm sure you're not that interested in them.

But again, thanks. I have checked that website out. In fact, I've read the whole thing! Between that and this website I am very much looking like this:

[7969]

[El Macho]

[arioch36]

El Macho

[Hoop]

Thanks very much for the replies.

My docs are all scanned, the job search has begun! What a weird feeling. If all goes well, maybe I'll meet some of you guys out there

[IT2006]

Lots of public universities are still hiring.

[Hoop]

Any tips on where I can find details? The job section on this site doesn't seem to have a whole lot in the China section.