Job Discussion Forums

[kateteachingenglish]

Hello, everyone

I'm graduating this month and starting in July i'm going to be in Shanghai working at the Expo. I'm hoping to find a job teaching English after the end of the Expo and stay until next summer. So I have a few questions:

1- how feasible will it be to find a job starting in November? I don't really care where - I'd rather not live in Shanghai, Beijing or Shenzhen if possible. I like Nanjing and Chengdu a lot, but am willing to try other places.

2- how to best go about doing this, besides responding to ads on this website and craigslist?

3- do most places make you sign a year long contract? I'm starting law school next fall, so will be unable to complete a 12 month contract. What happens if you sign one and don't fulfill it? (I wouldn't do this anyway, but just curious)

4- this is unrelated slightly, but I've been accepted to and will be attending a very well-known law school (deferred for the year) - will including this on my resume help me find a job?

A little about me: BA in political science, TEFL certification, over 2 years teaching experience but not totally cumulative - about a year cumulative, and the other parts spread out in summer gigs and that kind of thing. Proficient in Mandarin as well, but unclear if this makes a difference...

Thank you in advance!

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

1. a job start in november means you would probably end up working at a private language school and not a university.

2. the internet is your best friend here. keep looking and something will turn up. the archives of this forum have numerous websites you can look at.

3. yes they do. if you don't complete it not much will happen most likely except you'll make a bunch of people angry.

4. being accepted to a well known law school and putting it on your resume will mean little or nothing to any esl school in china.

[kateteachingenglish]

thank you for the quick and helpful response!!

[China.Pete]

If you're only interested in a few months work, OP, and those months don't happen to coincide with the normal school term, I'd suggest you check out a language school. They have teachers coming and going all of the time, whatever the lengths of their contracts, and are probably used to such things (all of their students are basically doing this already). But students enrolled in a four-year degree program deserve better than a teacher who is there one month and gone the next. Also, for a short-term gig, the pay at language schools should be quite a bit better.