Job Discussion Forums

[brittbing116]

Hello,
I have two new job offers and am torn between the two.

The first is in Guangzhou at the Phoenix City International School. I would be teaching Kindergarten (crazy kids I know- but I am fine with it) for 30 hrs a week for 8500RMB. They provide free accommodation, roundtrip ticket, partial utilities paid, and three meals during the work week. They also provide sat and sunday off.

Then there is a position at the Accolade English Institutes. I would be teaching middle schoolers, 15 hours per week, evenings and weekends. The pay is 5500 RMB per month. They provide two days off during the work week (not necessarily consecutively), free accommodation (utilities not included), and flight reimbursement. I have heard Wanzhou (chongqing) is sort of an uncomfortable place to live, but maybe it has changed?

Either way- I am torn between the two positions. Any insight on these schools/locations?

[Riviello]

I'd go with the Phoenix City job. Besides no nights or weekends, you'll definitely have the regular holidays = Basically January & February and then July & August.

Phoenix City is technically in GZ, but not really in the city. It is perhaps 1 hour by bus to Tianhe = downtown GZ.

30 hours a week seems like a lot. but, they may just want you there as opposed to actually conducting classes. Kindergarten kids can be tough, but if you like singing songs and exercising with the kids, which are probably part of the hours, it seems better than the Chongqing job.

[Steve_McQueen]

To the OP:

Google Map Wanzhou and you'll be surprised at the distance between Chongqing DOWNTOWN and the city itself. I love how recruiters (just FYI, not saying you're using a recruiter) pitch these jobs in "Chongqing" when they're really out in the sticks.

I think the distance from Wanzhou to downtown Chongqing is something like 6 hours, or at least it looks like that on the map. Plus, take into consideration the hilly terrain of the Chongqing municipality, few direct highways.

If Chongqing is what you want (big city), then Wanzhou is pretty far away and a much smaller town to say the least.

I was doing some research on Wanzhou myself, seems half of the old town is now underwater (3 G Dam) with a lot of displaced residents in government housing. I didn't find anything special about the city, but perhaps another poster has been there and can shed some light on it.

P.S. Three Gorges University? is located in Wanzhou and they may still be hiring. PM me for their contact info.

[dog backwards]

Location aside, I'd turn down both offers. Kindergarten for 30 hours for only 8500 rmb? You'll be exhausted.

5500 rmb for 15 hours with middle schoolers? Must you submit lesson plans? Middle schoolers can be more than a handful too.

I wouldn't accept any job with only partial reimbursement for anything.

There are better jobs out there. Keep looking.

[Mister Al]

Six hours a day five days a week in a kindy? Knackered you will be and all for RMB8.5 pm and they will likely tax you. The money won't go that far. Also kindies don't usually have all the long holidays someone mentioned unless they are attched to a school/uni, at least not in my experience. But if you have the strength then nights and weekends off are quite attractive but that's about it.

The other one sounds better...........just........expecially if it's a 'China experience' you're after.

[xjgirl]

plenty of better offers out there, the wanzhou offer sucks because of it's unsocial hours
if that salary is ok with you though there are thousands of positions all around the country that'll pay you 5000 for about 14 45 minutes periods in the morning and mid-afternoon, with 4 months off a year

phoenix are taking the mick by offering that kind of salary, ask for 12, accept no less than 10,000 net, and even 12 is low for that kind of job.

5 years ago such a job would be paying 25,000

[time to teach]

[xjgirl]

25k? Any school that puts international in front of their name
should be paying you 25, and most people i know working in such schools up till about 4-5 years ago would have been making 25, now it seems schools try to get away paying less than half that, despite rampant inflation!

as for 5000 for 14 hours a week with 4 months of a year, well sign up for angelina's or bucklands or some agency like that and u'll soon be inundaed with such offers

[time to teach]

There's a big difference between what international schools should be paying and what people would have been making.

Few, if any, international schools in China have ever paid 25K salaries.

Many run-of-the-mill, 5K jobs offer low teaching hours, generally 14-18, but they do NOT provide 4 paid months off a year.

Maybe 4 weeks, but not 4 months.

[Mister Al]

There are simply NO jobs in China that offer 4 MONTHS off a year.

Sorry to disappoint you, timetoteach, but I've been on holiday since 31 April and start back beginning of September, I think. Yes, and all on full pay. A couple of weeks ago, my office asked me to teach in another part of the organisation so I get another full time wage for 3 days a week. Can't complain as they say. Last year including Winter holidays etc I had almost 7 months off with pay. I know, I know, it ain't common and it has taken me a while to get to this position. No doubt the bubble will burst one day so I'm enjoying it while I can. [/b][/quote]

[7969]

[xjgirl]

that's funny, because my previous 7 schools all gave me 4 months off a year.
2-3 months off were paid

[Adeem]

Funny, I was wondering what happened to the old English club in Wanzhou, and it has rebranded itself as Accolade English. At least I can keep up with the times when I am bored and want to google it.

I worked for the place in the early days, and split my time between local colleges and working in the training centre.

The centre is owned by an Australian and a local lady who was married to the owner of one of the biggest colleges in town. They were living off his licence to employ foreign teachers, but they had a bit of a bust up over the divorce, so maybe they needed to get full local accreditation. Must have been a monster bribe involved knowing that neck of the woods!

The school itself is totally unspectacular, as other posters have correctly guessed. You teach pretty meaningless lessons in college and their own made up and loosely constructed courses in the training centre.

The couple are a bit tight when it comes to contractual monies, even if they are generous enough outside of work. Expect to fight over little things, and issues such as only one way flight reinbursement and stuff for the flat. 15 hours almost certainly means 15 real hours that divide into 20 45 minute teaching hours per week. Ask about that.

I actually have fond memories of the place, as the food is awesome, the city is small and quirky, and the hills around are very pretty and nice to walk in. The whole place has slowly been regenerated, with the small number of underwater parts long flooded before I got there.

There are caveats though. Go there if you want the full Chinese experience. The management are not mega professional at work, there are very few foreigners around, and even less foreign comforts outside a McDonald's and a chineseified walmart. Chongqing itself is 3 1/2 hours on the bus, and you won;t find yourself going there very much. The city also has very narrow streets, a very small CBD and lots of people so it is super crowded - be prepared. As a small city, Wanzhou makes you feel very visible, so don't bother going there if your main hobbies are drinking and picking up Ji Mei in clubs. You will be found out and reported back!

All in all, it would not be the worst job to have first off in China, and would be great for those who really want to learn Chinese or immerse themselves away from other foreigners. However, the job is a bit crap, as is the pay, and if you want to have western comforts or excitement, then this is not for you.

[time to teach]

I'm not disappointed, and my comment was about these jobs:

[7969]