Job Discussion Forums

deherald · Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 2:44 am Post subject: summer camp

does anyone know of camps? 4-6 weeks june-july? i speak English, have a BA and Ma. 2 years exp teaching in states

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

Camps in China usually take place in July and August. Students don't finish school until the end of June.

seamallowance · Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2011 12:32 am Post subject:

...which is another way of saying that it is too early for the ads to appear.

There are no shortage of Summer Camp opportunities. Whether or not just working Summer Camp would balance the expense of the air tix and visa is another matter entirely. Somebody will along in a moment to speak sooth.

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

I have a feeling that many people are not worried about balancing expenses. They want to come to China for the experience or to preview how life would be like if they moved to China for a longer period of time.

With that said, it seems that Disney is now offering paid airfare for only two months of work.

There are also some programs that will pay your airfare and give you a tour but you will not receive a salary.

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

Aston which advertises on Dave's offers 12,000RMB for six weeks. That should cover your plane ticket.

ooragnakkangaroo · Joined: 28 Jan 2011 Posts: 33

seamallowance · Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2011 4:41 am Post subject:

Daphne · Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 119

The one thing to keep in mind about any and all summer camps in the PRC is the utter lack of protection or security that a "signed contract" provides for its foreign employees.

I had one instance where I cancelled a summer trip out of China because of a camp that seemed very eager and desperate to have me, and kept upping its salary every couple of days leading up to the start of their camp. Within 24 hours of my arrival there, me and a handful of other foreign teachers were told that we were no longer needed, as the number of students that had turned up was far lower than they had anticipated.

I did have a signed contract with them, but knew that a legal battle just was not worth the time and effort (especially considering that the camp was a couple of thousand miles away from my permanent base in China). I did however try a verbal assault on them, which lead to them offering to place me immediately in another camp in a neighboring province.

So, I pack and head to the train station with their driver, and just as we are in line to buy the ticket, he gets a call from his boss...then buys a ticket for a city in a province different than the one they had mentioned upon my departure.

I head there figuring it to be worth a look---sign a contract upon arrival there, work an entire month, and then when it comes time to get paid; I get less than what was stated on the contract as they said I did not meet the reach the maximum amount of hours for the month listed.

Of course, I knew they were responsible for the entire base salary as long as I had not broken my contract, but again decided a legal battle not to be worth it.

This kind of tragicomedy is not as rare as you might think when it comes to summer work....trust me as I have spent quite a few July and Augusts in the PRC doing such temp gigs.

I saw somebody earlier in the thread mention Aston (or "Assed-on," as I prefer to call them)--take my word as far as them being a place which an experienced teacher like yourself would want to avoid like the Bubonic Plague.