Job Discussion Forums

[Matthew H]

Hi,

for the past two years i have been working as an english teacher in japan and i am now looking to come and teach english in china.

i am looking for some advice of where to look for jobs and what my expectations should be.

i will finish in japan in March and would like to head out to china in the Summer of this year. i have few real demands for lacation, salary etc i would just like a safe job with a decent school/company (although i imagine those are probably pretty strict demands judging by the industry in japan).

i am a native speaker, have 2years teaching experience in japan and a TEFL qualification.

thank you very much

[The Ever-changing Cleric]

one suggestion: go to the thread above this one entitled "China Job Board." That can be your starting point.

[daCabbie]

Big city or small? Out of the way or close to something?

Language mill or college/uni? Lots of hours or slackers' schedule? Kindergarten or young adults?

Do you want make top dollar or just enough to live safely?

Help us help you. Give us more info.

[Matthew H]

Thank you both for your replies

@Cleric: I have been using that board to search for jobs but I don't really know what to expect from a position and from my friends who have worked and do work in China I know not to trust too heavily what these adverts are offering therefore I don't know if it is safer to just go direct via a school or find a company. Basically I am afraid of turning up in China and getting screwed over and told to go back home.

@daCabbie: your wish is my command.
I suppose for city size and everything really I want the goldilocks zone. I don't want to be in somewhere as big as Beijing or shanghai as I would like a little but more natural china where people are laidback and friendly. Again I am open to anything. I think if I go to china only wanting to work in a certain way or with a certain age group I will miss out. So really I don't mind. My work in Japan has been in public schools and I like working in these types of places but I also like being able to have more interesting discussions if I am working with adults with a higher level of English.

I realise none of this is overly helpful so here is the best fine tuning I can do.
I reasonably size city such as Hangzhou or Kunming. Not too big and polluted.
A job where I get to be creative and make lesson plans. Where I can do as much teaching as possible. I don't really want to teach kindergarten as it�s not really very conversation based and I would like to be able to talk with my students.
Money. . Well if I wanted to make money I wouldn't work in china. If I spent half of it every month with a reasonable lifestyle and then could save the other half to go travelling or whatever that would be great.

[daCabbie]

What you want is a college or uni gig. 16-20 hours of teaching a week for 4500-5500 a month, airfare, semester domestic travel and basic medical, free apartment. Depending on how you live, you can save half of that.

The money is not great, but the hours are reasonable and the atmosphere is what you describe. Minimum headaches and administration interference.

Getting a more desirable city can be tricky. Kunming, Chengdu, Yangshou, Qingdao, Hanhzhou, Wenzhou, Suzhou and a few other spots might fill your needs but are more competitive. Your qualifications will get you short-listed but good jobs get handed-down. Apply early and be picky or take anything and wait it out to get a better gig in a year or two.

Life ain't bad here.

Good luck.

[Ariadne]

I'd say look for jobs at universities. Work hours are usually 12-18 hours per week. Lots of students who are willing and able to carry on some conversations in English, especially the English majors. Class size can be a little daunting.. anywhere from 20-60, depending on the class. For example, this year I have English majors for Writing with about 30 in each class. I also teach L/S to post graduates and some of the classes have 50 students.

I have lots of flexibility in regards to lesson planning. I usually try to use the textbooks a little bit at least, since the students have to get them anyway. I also incorporate alot of other materials into my lessons. I go into a class expecting the students to participate and they do, although it can sometimes take a little extra encouragement. The post grads especially are not confident (for good reason) about their abilites, but they do try.

Many colleges and universities are located outside of the cities, so even if the ad says the school is in a particular city you might need to take a bus, taxi, or train to get there.

Some people suggest that folks who like university gigs are slackers looking for the easy hours. Maybe it's true because I, for one, certainly do not want to work 40 hours a week. I put in many more hours than just the class time but I can do the work in the comfort of my home.

Good luck to you.

.

[Matthew H]

Thanks to everyone for there replies you have given me a lot of help. I do like the idea of being able to focus as much as possible on the teaching without too many headaches from outside.

And of course additional help is always appreciated.

[Non Sequitur]

Good post Ariadne - sums it up perfectly.