Job Discussion Forums

[caniffis]

Hi there, well the qu. is can anyone offer any insite into this problem? I am about to go to teach English abroad after doing my CELTA training for the first time. I have 2 offers, one from American educational Services in Dalian, China or another with Chungmoon Language Institute in Soeul Korea. i was wondering if anyone has any experiance of either of these schools or of just the countries and could offer some advice or guidance?
Any help would be greatly welcomed!
if you don't wont to post openly my email is [email protected] and i am on messanger as well if you want to speak! for time difference i am in the UK at the moment.
Thanks again hope to hear from someone soon!

[davis]

Depends on what you're seeking really. You can make more money in Korea but from what I gather the conditions rather suck. More hours, more racism. China has it's share of racism(just check out this board) but you will have more free time and really the skies the limit as far as possibilities. It's not always easy but then again it's not all that bad here. Like I said...it depends on what exactly it is that you seek.

[MyTurnNow]

Hi!
I'm a veteran of one of the schools you mention. Posting negative comments about them openly about them tends to be....inconvenient....so I'll send you an e-mail.

Both countries have pluses and minuses. Both countries seem to share the potential for having either a wonderful, affirming, adventurous experience, or a 'Twilight Zone'-ish Oh-God-I'm-caught-in-a-Hell-dimension Wish-I'd-never-been-born type experience. Which one you will have really depends largely upon you, and a little upon luck.

MT

[NumberOneSon]

I've also sent e-mail. My experiences with AES in Dalian weren't
that bad, but I still wish to remain anonymous. I thought it was a
good place to start. One thing to keep in mind is that they have
several schools and management at each could be a little different.

They also have schools in other cities that might be worth a try,
especially if Dalian starts getting a little old. Schools outside
Dalian tend to get less "input" from central management in
Dalian and could be more accomodating.

My best advice for AES is to avoid getting caught up in the
inevitable rabble-rousing that will occur among some of the
teachers once their visions of a dream vacation in China
have been dashed.

AES in Dalian has around 6 schools and about 50 teachers
altogether, so teacher complaints seem to take on a special
life of their own. Some seem surprised to find that they are
actually expected to WORK for a BUSINESS with concerns
beyond keeping teachers happy.

As a result, you can expect to find some fairly jaded
management that feels that they have heard it all before.
So don't go there thinking you can change things overnight,
no matter how much you know about education or China.

Trying to do so will only make you a very unhappy camper
and add to the overall level of noise.

Can't tell you about Korea.

[MyTurnNow]

Yes, I can go for this, sort of, for whichever school you're talking about.
Distance from central management can be a wonderful, wonderful thing.

And a lot of people who come here for teaching jobs ARE loons who whine about everything.

But do not be fooled into thinking that ALL complaints are the unjustified prattlings of a bunch of lazy, immature, misfits...and you WILL be told this by the schools. Many complaints about certain schools are entirely justified reactions to the management practices in those places.

MT

[ChinaLady]

I started in the ROK. easy to travel, bright students, people with cars who willingly take you around town or on short trips, the native food easy to eat and identify. stayed 4 years. both hogwon-s and universities. paid on time. with a few private lessons made about 4,000 USD a month. could fly to Japan for a weekend or Thailand for a longer R & R.
been in China for 3 years. difficult to travel. must have a native buy tickest and make reservations. no one has cars that you will know. if, if you are offered 100 yuan an hour to teach private - that is high! universities pay about 400 USD a month, and will try to have you pay utilities even if your contract says the university will pay. I lost my phone and Internet for a week because the school "forgot" to pay the bill. I made do with my cell phone but finally with help found the phone compnay and paid the bill. mistake! now, the school just expects me to pay it. I do - I like comunication with the outside world.
China is exciting - no doubt! but the peace and stability in Korea is a strong pull to return. believe me - nothing is apt to get your heart going than to be walking down a street with 2 million Chinese (I was in shanghai) and see the PLA roll up in large trucks, jump out with rifles and form formations with a lot of chanting. we did NOT stick around to see if they were going to pass out holiday candy - we made it to a subway station and caught the next train back to campus.
what are you looking for? money? go to the ROK. excitement on a daily basis? the PRC is for you. one day - no running water, the next - no electricity. you go!