Job Discussion Forums

[Kierana]

Hey all,

First time post but a long long time lurker. I know there is tons and tons of advice on these forums and im very grateful to all the posters here.

I am looking to take the plunge and do my first year teaching in China.

My situation is: Bachelors in IT, worked since I was 18 I am now 29. I have experience in engineering, managerial(IT and retail) and IT training.

I dont have a CELTA/TESOL and no previous classroom teaching experience in schools.

Ive been offered a few places and there is a public school I am considering at the moment. Ill paste the rough details below. (Cut and paste from the employer)

Guang han (广汉) city , Sichuan (四川) province
Students: 13 - 18 years old
Monthly salary: 7500 rmb (before tax)
Workload: no more than 20 classes per week, 2 days off on weekends, no office hours.
Other benefits: free private apartment + z-visa/medical + 6000rmb paid in airfare + 3000 rmb during holiday periods if no classes.

The question is.. Based on my experience level and the location is this a sensible choice? Is it enough money to live on and is the location expensive? I am not sure what I would receive after tax.

I know the salary is not high to what is advertised from training centres but I do not want to work that many hours and/or overwhelm myself with the work load and burn out in the first year. I will supplement the salary with extra work when possible.

I have no illusions of it being easy and will research/prepare as best to my ability and then learn/improve as I go.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

[Opiate]

I don't know your personality at all but for me that is the roughest age group to teach. You may want to hold out for a University position.

Students at that age mostly understand that spoken English is not important for passing the Gao Kao. As such, that age group may be extremely difficult to engage and motivate.

Honestly, the pay seems adequate for 20 hours. Keep in mind though I do not understand the cost of living in that city so YMMV. It's likely fine for a first job though, once you settle in you'll be able to find better jobs. The big question mark will be housing. Talk to current and former FT's, try and get pictures, be sure to ask a thousand questions and get any concerns added into the contract addendum.

Have you studied Chinese at all? You may want to work out a resume in Chinese and English highlighting your IT and IT training experience. Perhaps you can do FAR better that a teaching gig. I have been considering doing the same.

[Kierana]

Thanks for your response.

I did wonder if I should hold out for a University position as I understand now is the time they are looking/hiring for next semester.

However based on my teaching experience alone which is limited from the Chinese schools point of view, what are my chances of successfully gaining employment at a University?

Is teaching at a University that much easier over 13-18 at a high school? Honest answers welcomed.



To answer your questions: I have not studied Chinese, however it is possible and likely that I will learn a basic amount during my time in China.

I have looked at IT positions but many require a good level of Chinese which has shut many doors. I have a resume converted into mandarin through a friend and have posted it on a few recruiting websites however the response is always the same.

My aim was to investigate this further when I go to China as I hope to make some contacts and so on, perhaps find a job through a friend/word of mouth as this seems to be the norm from what I have read. If I am wrong please point me to the correct place to look!

[7969]

[LanGuTou]

I would suggest asking yourself seriously about your motivations for wanting to teach in China. Looking at your background, you are not a teacher by vocation and you have reached an age where you should be progressing up the career chain back in your home environment.

If you are a long term "lurker" you should be aware of some of the pitfalls related to ESL teaching and the effect that it may have on future career choices. That is obviously a choice for you to make but I would urge doing so with one eye on what can go wrong.

China offers little prospect for true career progression in teaching for foreigners and once you are in the ESL lobster pot it can sometimes be immensely difficult to crawl back out.

[George Macartney]

the money is more than enough. i and many others have lived well on less than that.

you didn't ask for it, but i've got three bits of advice:

- start learning some chinese. i've got celta and am finishing delta, but the thing that has made the biggest difference to my language teaching is recent experience of language learning. maybe you'll find it difficult, or it'll be really slow or whatever, but going through the experience is an easy - maybe necessary - way to understand what students go through when learning english.

- have you got the time and cash flow to do celta? maybe the new online option?

- if you can't do celta, at least pick up jeremy harmer 'the practice of english language teaching', the celta bible. you should be able to find pdf copies on the net if you want.

good luck and have fun.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

The money is livable if you have no expenses back home and don't plan on living it big. If you take 6k and divide it by 30, that makes roughly 200 RMB a day for living, so yes. But depends on lifestyle.

My only fear would be having extra classes added afterwards by the powers that be and not get paid extra for them.

[Non Sequitur]

My view echoes others.
Wait for the uni job.
Get some kind of ESL training in preference to learning Chinese. Hey you will be teaching in English.
Look for 10000RMB as an airfare allowance - $6000 seems a bit light.
Location/type of accom is important. You don't want an hour's commute. A split in your teaching day ie teach 8-10 and then 2-4 and nowhere to hang out can be a pain. Make sure it is an apartment not a room. Own cooking laundry facilities too.

[Kierana]

@George Macartney: If all goes well and im not scared off then I will do a CELTA during my first year. Thank you i will grab that book!

@The Great Wall of Whiner: Yes I agree, I have asked if the schedule will be all over the place and the response was not, I understand this could be a lie but what else would you suggest?

Also I dont plan to live it big. I will probably save a lot and cook for myself (im a pretty decent cook!)

@Non Sequitur: Seems its not so easy with my limited teaching experience and/or no TESOL/CELTA. I am exploring it as much as possible. If you have any contacts your willing to share, please pm me.

Thank you for all your responses.

[Opiate]

You can find lists of Universities in China on varying websites. Don't just wait to see a job listed online. The overwhelming majority of positions are not advertised.

[Non Sequitur]

OP
I'll PM you over weekend.
Given it's the middle of the academic, you won't have the pick of the schools but it's do-able - definitely.