Job Discussion Forums

[rogerwilco]

A good friend of mine is having trouble finding a job due to his age.
He is 66.
He was recently turned down for a Z visa for a school in Jiangsu.
Other schools in Jiangsu have also tried and failed to get him a Z visa.
Are there any cities or provinces where he would have better luck in getting a Z visa ?

[johntpartee]

In early '09 I met a teacher in Henan Province who was 69 years old. Might be worth checking into.

[randyj]

I am in Jiangsu, and I will be 67 in November.

[sojourner]

Roger,

Are you sure that the reason why your friend was refused a job/visa was solely because of his age ? Possibly, he might have been refused a job/visa because he doesn't possess the (usual) minimum academic requirement of a Bachelor's degree. In many (all ?) provinces of China, I believe that (officially) there are two other requirements, viz, a minimum of two years teaching experience and possession of a TEFL certificate (eg CELTA). However, until quite recently, many people who didn't posses all of the aforementioned basic requirements were still able to obtain teaching jobs - but, with the onset of the GFC, many more people are looking for work, here in China; which means that employers can now be far more choosier in whom they employ.

You mentioned that your friend has been looking for work in Jangsu Province. Where, exactly ? If he was looking for jobs in Nanjing or Suzhou he would probably have encountered considerable competition for jobs, as both places are quite popular among the FT community.

Was he looking for jobs in upmarket language schools ? It would appear that many of them prefer younger applicants ("eye candy" factor).

In my own case, I recently turned 65 and have been teaching in China for about 8 years;and am hoping to continue in this line of work for another 5 or 6 years ! I have been at my current uni, in Zhejiang Province, for 3 years.There are 3 other FTs at my uni, including one other guy in his 60s. I remember in my first teaching post (in Jiangxi Province), back in 2002, there was an American FT who was in his early 70s !

Yes, I'm fully aware that most job vacancies specify a maximum age of 60. But, in light of the above, don't let that requrement discourage your friend - even if a school's age requirement happens to be based on the provincial government's official policy ! But, in China, it would appear, as illustrated by the above examples re qualifications/experience, such regulations are not always strictly abided by ! Much would appear on how desperate a particular school/uni is to get a FT, as well as on how much influence/guanxi (sp?) a particular FAO boss might have in the (provincial/prefecture-level) corridors of power !

Thus, in spite of his age, if your friend has exceptional academic qualifications , he still has a reasonable chance of getting a job provided that he focuses his search on unis located in small towns/cities that happen to be "off - the - beaten track". Also, if he has had considerable business/public admin. experience, he should mention that on his CV, as many unis want teachers who can teach Business English as well as Oral English.

Just one other thing: is your friend a Native Speaker of English ? If he isn't, there could be problems in getting a job ( but not completely impossible, depending on other factors, such as experience, qualifications, etc )

Peter

[drjtrekker]

The Province of Vietnam.

[starlight]

Try the Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in Suzhou. They are usually in desperate need of teachers and currently have teachers who are 65+ on staff.
Contact: Steve Jeaco <[email protected]>