Job Discussion Forums

[D'yankee]

I'm looking for job leads and contact info for positions in Chengdu starting in Aug/Sept 2010. I'd also appreciate any warnings about places to avoid. I'm asking on here in hopes I can avoid recruiters. I want Chendgu specifically because that is my wifes home town and she wants to be near her family. I just turned 57 and have a BA in Mass Communications and have done a lot of training of new employees but not but not formal teaching. Also can anyone shed some light on my visa options since my wife is a Chinese national would I be better off trying to get a permanent resident visa as opposed to a Z visa.

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

[YankeeDoodleDandy]

In the spring of 2003, I applied to come to work at the height of the SARS epidemic. I wanted to work in Sichuan and an agency by the name of Ruide offered me a job for 2,500 RMB per month. I had a 300 dollar car payment, so this was out of the question. The Ruide agency informed me that this was all they could pay for someone with a Bachelor's degree. I have a teaching credential from the state of California and a teaching certificate. Ultimately, i signed on with a private training school in Hefei, Anhui for 5,000 RMB per month. I have a friend from Zimbabwe who worked for Sunny's for a few years and he had to return to England because the manager of Sunny's had not been able to obtain a new visa for him due to incompetence and the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing. He was born in England and then went to Rhodesia as a young man, ( I believe it's Zimbabwe now ) and then he emigrated to Australia when he was in his late forties. It's great to have a British passport. His sun was currently working in England, so he was OK with that. Last I heard, he was still in England.

[Adeem]

What kind of teaching job do you want? There is a lot of variation in hours/pay/institution, and a fair amount of jobs going around.

Training centres are the easiest to get, followed by the many universities here where you can try to get a low paid job, but with few weekly hours. Start with something safe, then find something better. Lists of schools on the net are fairly easy to find. Get mailing around April/May/June next year.

[D'yankee]

I'm not real fussy about what kind of teaching I want but from what I've been reading on here I'd rather stay away from the language mills, I'd like my evenings and weekends free. One place I'm considering is Golden Apple schools. 7000-8000 rmb a month for 25 hours a week doesn't sound to bad to me, I'm used to working 40+ hours a week and being on my feet most of the time.

[englishgibson]

so, you're ve trained on feet too. sorry, i don't mean to be sarcastic, but teaching, i mean actual classroom hours aren't as easy for that 40 weekly. however, i've worked that much on a job in macEF. there's one in chendu to consider, although i see that you don't wanna work at a mill.

your qualifications or experience may not matter so muh in china, but they sure open the door wider to opportunities and provide you with an easier ride in classrooms with students as you know what to do most likely by now. your knowledge comes with age too and as they say wine gets only better with age. that age, however, may put you in a disadvantage as some employers prefer the younger ones that are more marketable, if you know what i mean...don't mean to make you feel bad, but this is china and so prepare yourself for it.

7,000-8,000 offer is, in my view, quite good for the area there, although it depends on what the expectations of you there are. and, the 25 hours is something that i'd follow up on. is it real hours or "academic hours" note that 25 real hours is too much for real teaching and then the salary offer for that amount of hours is not high enough, in my opinion.

by the way, and to give another lead, there's a GAC center (international private school) that has a program for chinese high school grads to join western unis. you'd teach more subjects than just the language which might be more challenging for you probably too. the company's HQ claims they are the best in china and there're quite a few franchised GAC centers around.


cheers and beers to all of us with our chinese wives following us..or, is it the other way around

[D'yankee]

I found the GAC website and they don't list a school in Chengdu but teaching high school kids who are serious about learning english does have some appeal. I'd really enjoy teaching anyone who's serious about learning.

[D'yankee]

Does anyone have any information or feedback on PGA (Project Global Access) I've read their page on hear, looks like a lot of hours but good money.