Job Discussion Forums

[happeningthang]

I'm an experienced EFLer having spent six years teaching in Korea and Taiwan - and (for some uknown reason) feel compelled to teach in China.

The only issue being I want to start work sooner rather than later and am finding it tedious in the extreme applying for work advertised online.

What are the options like for finding work on the ground? Would it be better to travel to China to look for a job and then do a visa run, or does the issuance of a Z-visa make that impossible? (ie. I HAVE to apply from overseas.

I'm looking for work in the Beijing area - doesn't have to be IN Beijing, but a reasonable sized city would be preferable, and I don't really care about the money - as long as I'm not pulling 12 hour days.

I've got a MA in Linguistics, and a BA, but no TEFL cert.

What can I expect

[tommchone]

I came to China cold and one of the first things I heard was that "my face is my resume". That's true, but it's a good idea to have a local contact; preferably a western teacher who's been through the wringer.

[Renegade_o_Funk]

Come over on a student or a tourist visa & have a look around. There is no reason not to get a job in Beijing. It may be hard to find a job at a University right now, not impossible, but definitely hard. If you have the cash, you can live in the hostels for a few weeks & hangout in sanlitun at night & try to network with some other teachers.

There are lots of training centers that are always hiring people. The problem with those places is..they probably cant help you with a Z visa, and they wont provide housing. They will probably hire you on a student/tourist visa though.

[bradley]

It would be easy for you to get a job by just showing up, but it's not easy to get a job that you would be happy with. I teach at a university and wouldn't want any other job, but unfortunately it is hard to get uni jobs at times other than February/March or August/September/October