Job Discussion Forums

[TheMadStork]

Just something I want to know. What are the odds that a language school will contact one or both of my listed references? I feel like I remember reading that they're around zero.

[7969]

[eurobound]

I have recently accepted a teaching post in China. I recently spoke with one of the references I gave them (a non-teaching related reference, outside of China.) This person was contacted.

That was my experience. This is my first job in China so I don't know much about what standard practices are for this sort of thing.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

If the school has only one resume (yours) and they are desperate, the odds of contacting a reference is substantially lower.

If the school pays a good salary and has lots of resumes, good chances that they will.

[igorG]

To my knowledge, some local employers are diligent, atlhough they don't conduct their checks in the same set of principles as we would expect them to. Say for example, your ref has its contact, but another person in the place noted is contacted instead and the inquiry may also be uncharacteristic. Locals routinely mix formal with informal practices, which means the inquiry may be more about your personality and/or private life wherever you have worked/lived.

Moreover, if you provide a Resume with local employers without refs, your prospective employer may contact them anyway. This means that some of the staff members, that answer phones there, may be also asked to somehow evaluate you.

So, i really don't think that chances of checking references are at zero on mainland China and that even in a poorly run educational institution. Perhaps, in late 90s they were. The country has changed greatly, and local management techinques involving foreign staff members are much more diligent than before. This diligency, however, has its own characteristics, that we ought to know better.

With such a locally characteristic diligency in terms of recruiting and management of schools, FTs tend to be more careful. As the poster above has suggested, that if there is only one applicant, the job is his/her, no matter what.

[Steinmann]

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

Hard to say how common this is, so I can also use my own personal experience and that of friends as a reference.

When I put my resume out, I get piles and piles of job offers from schools in Mainland China so I can say with certainty that there are many more jobs than there are 'teachers'.

The good schools have little or no need to advertise; it is only schools that have a hard time getting teachers that use recruiters and/or ads.

That said, I would never accept the vast majority of the offers because the salaries are ridiculously low or the hours ridiculously high.

5000 a month for 24 hours a week and they prefer a Master's?

Other locations around the globe offer FOUR TIMES that amount for a Masters.

I'm not getting into yet another great big debate (well, not going to start one anyways) but here is the bottom line:

When people come here with no degree, no experience and no certification and they are happy to make 5000 a month.... what chance to the more experienced teachers have?

So do they check references?

The schools that pay well and expect quality teachers will check more often than not.

The schools that just need another white face to fill a classroom regardless of who they are, proably will not care.

Finally...

I never tell the schools I speak Chinese; some schools do not want a foreigner who can speak Chinese for obvious reasons.

Good luck in whatever you are looking for.