|
Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
MARIAFIGUEROA
Joined: 16 Aug 2011
Posts: 3
Location: Mexico
|
 Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 12:46 am Post subject: ADVICE FOR A FUTURE TEACHER IN CHINA |
 |
|
Dear all,
I hope you can help mi with some advice about teaching in China as I'm planning to go soon, however I still don't choose the program as I'm between the next options:
1.New Times International Teaching Center, with Irene in Changdu.
2.Buckland International Education Group she will send me tyo Xhaanti
3.Aston Schools.
Do you have specific comments about those?
One more question, do they really provide acceptable free accommodation?
Do they pay on time?
I'D REALLY APPRECIATE ALL YOUR COMMENTS AND ADVICE. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
dean_a_jones
Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 1151
Location: Wuhan, China
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 12:57 am Post subject: |
|
|
You are going to need to provide more details if you want useful feedback.
Useful information regarding schools would be: pay, hours, location. If you don't have this, then you better ask for it.
It sounds like you are going through a recruiter--proceed with caution.
Also useful to know would be what qualifies you to teach (experience, degrees, certification, etc.). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
askiptochina
Joined: 26 Feb 2010
Posts: 488
Location: Beijing
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 4:25 am Post subject: Re: ADVICE FOR A FUTURE TEACHER IN CHINA |
|
|
| MARIAFIGUEROA wrote: |
Dear all,
I hope you can help mi with some advice about teaching in China as I'm planning to go soon, however I still don't choose the program as I'm between the next options:
1.New Times International Teaching Center, with Irene in Changdu.
2.Buckland International Education Group she will send me tyo Xhaanti
3.Aston Schools.
Do you have specific comments about those?
One more question, do they really provide acceptable free accommodation?
Do they pay on time?
I'D REALLY APPRECIATE ALL YOUR COMMENTS AND ADVICE. |
Chinese accommodations are a crapshoot. The bigger the city, the nicer the apartments generally speaking, and more expensive. There are 2 kinds. One is cheap 900 RMB or less, and they are like cement basements above ground or a small factory with small rooms for living instead of open space. I live in one now 1.5 hours outside of Beijing, and it's above average compared to other apartments of the same category in other cities. The second kind is a real legit apartment with security and elevators.
You will probably only get this kind if you are willing to pay the rent upfront, which means you pay all months (3 or 6) at a time and a security deposit (called yajin). So, figure 4 or 7 months rent at 1,000 RMB or more per month (4-7,000). Then, you will have to deal with heating costs in winter and maybe A/C in summer. I only had winter issues. What they do is charge you a little more each month instead of only for the winter months. So, if you work and you decide to leave in November like I did last year, the landlord is going to expect you to pay for the heating until March (even if your lease is only until December 15). I do admit, the apartment was warmer when I lived there than when I went to the new place and didn't have to pay for heating. If I didn't have to move, it would have been a good deal. The school paid me more for the housing allowance. In addition, I left that school before my second lease was up. The new teacher replacing me moved into my apartment and the school just reimbursed me for the months I didn't live there and the security deposit.
I suggest you not do this your first time. Have them pay for it, and try to get photos. Ask if there is security or not. If there is, and an elevator, you probably have a decent apartment. Ask if there is a kitchen also if it is important to you. Ask if there is a washing machine and if it can fit inside the bathroom. I am serious, these bathrooms are like closets. You touch the walls when you do a number 2. Try it, it's like twister.
The infamous pay question. You should get paid on time for 3 months or so. If not, you are in serious trouble. After 3 months, you have to police them and make sure they pay you. Recently, my manager left for vacation today without paying me. So I had to talk to my co-teacher and this afternoon I am supposed to be able to pick up my pay. It's an uncomfortable feeling at first, but you will learn to not be taken advantage of. They need you more than you need them. Learn to negotiate.
Overtime problems are something I experienced more in Korea. In China, they have a different attitude. You just show up for work hours, and then they throw classes at you. So, you basically won't get overtime. Again, in my situation, I did some "overtime" hours, but only to finish a program earlier so we could have vacation earlier. In this case, I am not treating it as overtime then.
If you get your schedule, I think 25 classes (40-50 minutes each), is good. A private school will try to make you do 15 hours of office time. Try to minimize this. If they hire two teachers, then they could basically have a third teacher in theory without paying them. A public school usually has a set schedule, they have so many students, they can't make changes easily. So, see your schedule in this case. You'll know what it is for the semester or year fairly quickly.
Also, take out a China map. Learn the pinyin for all the provinces and then look at where these jobs are and learn the city names in pinyin. You'll be able to track job offers a lot better if you know "Xhaanti" is probably Shaanxi (陝西), and "Changdu" is probably Chengdu (成都) (not to be confused with Changchun (长春). The Chinese characters will look daunting, but the more you look at them, the more you will see patterns. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dilton
Joined: 12 Aug 2011
Posts: 68
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:30 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Will you be teaching Spanish? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Mister Al
Joined: 28 Jun 2004
Posts: 840
Location: In there
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 4:05 pm Post subject: |
|
|
 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
