Job Discussion Forums

[freebeacher]

I am considering teaching English in China. I want to teach adults, not children. I have a lot of audit and investment fund experience, and tutored English years ago while working around the world.

I have a B.A. and do not have any TEFL certificates.

I hate the cold. I live in Hawaii now. Where should I look for work in China?

Is it best to use a recruiter?

Will any recruiters or schools pay for my inbound flight?

Thank you.

[rel]

I wouldnt recommend using recruiters. You could apply directly to the the companies or schools. As for inbound flights, most companies or schools will reimburse you after you complete your contract.

[sojourner]

Freebeacher,

Welcome to the forum !

Rel's advice is to avoid recruiters - this approach appears to be supported by many of the posters to this forum. In my particular case, I have been in China for 6 years, and have taught in 4 universities in three provinces - and three of those jobs were found for me by a recruiter.A good recruiter, once he/she is aware of your needs - and has been dealing with you for a number of years - can be invaluable, saving you a lot of time re leg work, etc. Yes, there are a number of dodgy recruiters out there - but, if you can find a good person, you are quite fortunate. However, one you should definitely avoid is "Angelina's".

But, it's still quite possible to find a good job without going to a recruiter.eg,do some appropriate google searches, such as "China University Rankings", or "Business or Corporate Trainers China".Re unis, look out for those that happen to have departments in commerce, international trade, management, etc, take note of the FAOs' (ie the Foreign Affairs Offices) email addresses, and send them a copy of your CV, and indicate that your preference is to teach Business English.You could, of cause, submit some details to Dave's "Post Your Resume" site, but you might well be inundated with responses from recruiters - however, some, as I've indicated earlier, might be ok.

If a particular uni is interested in you, you might be asked to teach some other subjects (eg Oral English, Writing,Intercultural Communication) as well as Business English.You might even be asked to teach some subjects related to your own work expertise, eg investment strategies !

Uni salaries are not that high - for someone with just a BA and not much teaching experience, you might initially be offered around 4 K RMB. Be prepared to negotiate - ask for 5 K - you might get it, esp if you indicate your willingness to teach something as esoteric as investment fund management - but, be prepared to compromise - say, 4.5 K.If you decide to stay for another year, then ask for an increase. But apart from the salary levels, take note of how many teaching hours there are . Most likely, you'll be asked to teach something like 14 hours pw - but, note that a teaching "hour" is only 40 or 50 minutes. Also, take note as to how many months you'll be paid for. Unfortunately, most initial contracts are only for 10 months - but if you decide to stay on for another year, apart from a monthly salary increase, the uni might agree to pay you for 12 months.

Some posters have argued that one "should never accept anything below 8 K". But for those "highly paid" jobs, you need to take note as to how many hours you might be expected to teach - for 8K it might well be somethng like 20 teaching hours pw - or, free accommodation might not be provided ! With a "typical" uni job of 4-6 K, for 12-14 hours pw, a free flat is usually provided.Sometimes, there could be other perks, eg free utilities, meal vouchers, taxi allowances, etc. And , remember, teaching only 12-14 hours pw will give you plenty of time to moonlight !

Re airfare reimbursement, it is usually around 8 K. If you think that that amount is too inadequate for a round trip, you could negotiate for more, say 8.5 or 9 K. Rel said that the money is handed out at the end of the contractural period - sometimes, half is given out at the end of each term. Also, most unis will also provide a travel allowance (of 1 or 1.2 K at the end of each term.

If you contact a uni FAO, and there is a phone interview, before agreeing to anything, ask the person to provide you with the names/ph numbers/email addresses of current and past teachers - you would need to ascertain things such as: teaching resources, distance of uni from the nearest largest town, availability of shops / restarants both on campus and just outside, housing conditions, level of cooperation provided by FAOs and Chinese co-teachers, etc.

Re climate, one place that MIGHT appeal to you is Hainan island - but, I've never been there -have been told that it's a 2nd (3rd ?) rate version of Miami or Aust's Gold Coast ! Also check out southern Yunan province, as well as the provinces adjacent to Vietnam. Re Yunan, be aware that salaries can be quite low there (less than 4 K ? - quite possibly !) because of the popularity of the place with many FTs. I'm currently teaching in Zhejiang province (SE China) - winter is not too bad - at least it's bearable compared to the NE !

Re Business English, during my 6 years, here, I have taught that subject, as well as related ones such as Business Writing and Business Communication. Have also taught Intercultural Communication, Western Culture,British & American Societies, Oral English, Extensive Reading, Marketing and Management. Before coming here, bring some appropriate textbooks with you, esp those that have modern examples of business letters/reports, etc.The textbooks that are issued to Chinese students are often pretty atrocious. A couple of years ago, in a Business Writing course that I had, the students were given a textbook that was full of samples of letters that might have been appropriate for the 1920s - but definitely not today! Also, try to make your lessons interesting by bringing in simple case studies dealing with say, intercultural/ego/ethical conflicts within business settings. One good textbook is "Decisionmaker", by David Evans; however, I'm sure that there might be better books out there.

Good luck !

Peter

[freebeacher]

Thank you both for your replies.

I will make a few inquiries and see what happens.

For posting a resume on this site, how can you tailor the resume to multiple locations? For example, now I send out resumes with the goal "To obtain a position teaching English in Taiwan" (or Hong Kong, Spain, etc.) If I put a particular country in the goal, schools in other countries might not contact me. Thanks.

[sharpe88]

Get a proper certificate first.. it'll help you do your job MUCH better