Job Discussion Forums

[chengdu619]

Hi everyone. I am aiming to get a one semester contract. I am wondering if this is a good idea as I want to stay in China for a long time. The reason for the half year contract is that I don't want to be tied down to the same school for an entire year if other work prospects come up. Has anyone on this board been under contract from just August/ September until December, and then found a new job in December. Were there a lot of hassles with this?

Thanks

[Sugar Magnolia]

I thought you wanted to marry a lady you've never seen live in Chengdu.

Correct me if I'm mistaken before I help you.

[Voldermort]

[chengdu619]

OK to clarify. No, there is no lady I want to marry in Chengdu and I do not just want to come over and have fun and then leave China. I fully intend to honor my contract. However, I would feel more comfortable initially signing a semester one as opposed to a year one.

I was wondering if anyone has experience with semester contracts, and if so, were they able to find a different job mid-year and stay in China and continue working. Again, just to clarify, I have no intention other than to honor my contract.

Thanks

[Sonnibarger]

seems a bit tough to find 6month contacts... you would have better luck with a training center i would gues.... schools that are hiring for second semester usually lost a teacher over the holiday... often that means the position wont be known untill a week or 2 before classes start... if the school is looking for multiple teachers you should ask yourself why so many of the previous teachers left mid contract.... my advice would be... find a good school(through research) and complete a full year contract... other potential schools love to see at least 1 full year experience under your belt... during that first year u will make some contacts and have a good idea which schools are the best to work for

[naturegirl321]

YOu might be able to find semester long contracts towards the beginning of the next semester. Or, send out your CV and when you get a job offer, negotiate.

[chengdu619]

Hi everyone. I think what I will end up doing is trying to negotiate after a school contacts me, and if they insist on a one year contract then so be it.

[Jayray]

Actually, In Jiangsu province, the six-month contract is becoming common for public universities.

One which comes to mind is Jiangnan University. They will not sign a one-year contract, but it will renew and accord the proven teacher the usual air fare refund and a ticket back home.

My university would offer me only a one-term contract AFTER I arrived, but after a short interview, it wrote a one-year contract for me because I have experience teaching in China and at home.

Job descriptions from ESLJOBS.com frequently note the one-term renewable contract.

Those who have been in one place for awhile and have not checked out new employment sources may not have noticed the trend toward the one-term contract.

Have you looked into summer camp work?

[suanlatudousi]

Simply read the job posts page - many jobs clearly state 6 month contracts are available.

The end.

[sojourner]

Quotation: "I thought you wanted to marry a lady you've never seen live in Chengdu".

------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sugar Magnolia has confused the OP of this thread ( chengdu619) with another poster ( chengdu4me). It is the latter, in fact, who intends to marry a woman in Chengdu !

Peter

[Sugar Magnolia]

I know now and I apologize for the confusion. I did realize that later on and sent the originator of this topic a PM about a university in Jiangsu.

Dway Boo Chee

[LanGuTou]

[Katja84]

I have just been able to negotiate a six-month contract (though remember that it will last until January/February, not December) with a university despite being a non-native speaker by not asking for flights... I'm very happy with this, but if you're a native speaker it is probably possible to get six-month contracts with one-way flights if you are not looking at the big cities.

[Hansen]

Keep in mind that 6 month contracts mean more dealings with the PSB. This could result in delays that will seriously impact vacations in both winter and summer. A six month contract will also require more frequent dealings with provincial FAO, also a potential source of delay.

Bad mojo.