Teaching jobs in China

[Guest jin979]

How to get a good job ?

[GDBILL]

How to get a good job ?

 

First you need to define what "good" is.

 

A lot depends on how much money you want to earn, how many hours you want to work per week, whether you need benefits such as work visa & paid vacations, which city / province you want to work in, whether you want to work for a government or a private school and also what type of teaching you are interested in such as little kids, teenagers or adults.

 

A lot also depends on one's nationality, age, race, education and teaching qualifications.

Edited March 13, 2010 by GDBILL (see edit history)

[jbray]

Like GDBILL said, it depends on what you mean by "good". Personally, I preferred working for training companies. The students were there because they wanted to learn, so they paid attention, and were more interactive... I wasn't interested in a work visa, or paid vacations... If you want some sort of stability, Universities are probably the best. They don't pay the best, but the benefits are pretty good...

 

To get a good job, you will need to look around. Often, jobs are posted in expat bars/restaurants.

[yangm]

Like GDBILL said, it depends on what you mean by "good". Personally, I preferred working for training companies. The students were there because they wanted to learn, so they paid attention, and were more interactive... I wasn't interested in a work visa, or paid vacations... If you want some sort of stability, Universities are probably the best. They don't pay the best, but the benefits are pretty good...

 

To get a good job, you will need to look around. Often, jobs are posted in expat bars/restaurants.

 

I saw a lot of foreigners teaching in universities, middle schools, kindergartens In my city.

[dnoblett]

My Yu was teaching English at a school in Yangshuo when I met her on line, not a high-paying job, however she did get a room at the school and food as part of the deal, her home was in Guilin about 40km from the school.

[yangm]

My Yu was teaching English at a school in Yangshuo when I met her on line, not a high-paying job, however she did get a room at the school and food as part of the deal, her home was in Guilin about 40km from the school.

 

Guilin life more leisure, consumption levels are relatively low.Difficult to compared with Beijing or Shanghai.

[Mick]

I taught for five years at universities in China. The first year, at one school, was ok, but highly restrictive in many ways. The next four years, at another university down in Guangdong, was an absolute joy. I loved it there and would go back if health concerns permitted.

 

I also did some other work during semester breaks and in the summer, teaching English to management staff at various companies. That was ok as well and the pay was decent. I also had one gig teaching English to the restaurant staff at a five star hotel. The first thing I taught them how to say was "It's on the house." Naturally, from then on I ate for free.

 

Most private English schools are in it for the money, pure and simple. You will be used as a "draw" and if you don't watch it, worked to death.

 

If you go the university route, try to get a good feel for your "Foreign Affairs Officer" otherwise known as the FAO. A good one can make you stay heavenly. Conversely, a bad one can make it hell. Try to tallk to other teachers before signing on if possible. Also, check out your accomodations.

[slw268]

I taught for five years at universities in China. The first year, at one school, was ok, but highly restrictive in many ways. The next four years, at another university down in Guangdong, was an absolute joy. I loved it there and would go back if health concerns permitted.

 

I also did some other work during semester breaks and in the summer, teaching English to management staff at various companies. That was ok as well and the pay was decent. I also had one gig teaching English to the restaurant staff at a five star hotel. The first thing I taught them how to say was "It's on the house." Naturally, from then on I ate for free.

 

Most private English schools are in it for the money, pure and simple. You will be used as a "draw" and if you don't watch it, worked to death.

 

If you go the university route, try to get a good feel for your "Foreign Affairs Officer" otherwise known as the FAO. A good one can make you stay heavenly. Conversely, a bad one can make it hell. Try to tallk to other teachers before signing on if possible. Also, check out your accomodations.

I am glad to see that this thread is finally getting some response.

 

I agree with what Mick says and I might add that the firmer you are in your requests and demands (which sometimes they turn out to be - trust me) the more respect and flexibility you will receive.

 

I have found that Government sponsored Universities are the way to go.

You can make good money tutoring.

 

And very definitely stay away from private companies. There are so many other options that this should not be difficult.

 

Native born Chinese ESL teachers tend to get screwed.

[Kyle]

I taught for three years (university level). I didn't particularly enjoy it. For me it was simply an avenue to better things. Teaching at the university level wasn't challenging enough, nor was it rewarding. I would much rather teach somewhere like New Oriental, where students are there because they want to be, not because it is a gen ed requirement. I very much enjoyed learning the Chinese language, partially because it was challenging, but also because it got me out of teaching English!

 

EDIT:

 

I put a lot of time into my lectures, preparing various materials for my students. They didn't want to be challenged - that was the big problem. My overall impression of Chinese students was that they were quite lazy and wanted to be entertained by the foreigner rather than be taught a skill that could benefit their careers. Games and movies were the things that equated a "great class" from the students' point-of-view.

 

Not all universities are created equal work and accommodation wise. I found my initial employment through a friend who worked over there. Through him, I met several Americans whom I networked through to find other employment opportunities. I did not go through a service like the JET program of Japan.

Edited April 4, 2010 by Kyle (see edit history)

[slw268]

I taught for three years (university level). I didn't particularly enjoy it. For me it was simply an avenue to better things. For me, teaching at the university level wasn't challenging enough, nor was it rewarding. I would much rather teach somewhere like New Oriental, where students are there because they want to be, not because it is a gen ed requirement. I very much enjoyed learning the Chinese language, partially because it was challenging, but also because it got me out of teaching English!

 

EDIT:

 

I also put a lot of time into my lectures, preparing various materials for my students. They didn't want to be challenged - that was the big problem. My overall impression of Chinese students was that they were quite lazy and wanted to be entertained by the foreigner rather than be taught a skill that could benefit their careers. Games and movies were the things that equated a "great class" from the students' point-of-view.

 

Not all universities are created equal work and accommodation wise. I found my initial employment through a friend who worked over there. Through him, I met several Americans whom I networked through to find other employment opportunities.

Also agree with what Kyle says:

Entertainment is the name of the game.

It can be quite frustrating and consequently

my 500 odd students learned some choice curse words and phrases!

[Randy W]

I taught for three years (university level). I didn't particularly enjoy it. For me it was simply an avenue to better things. For me, teaching at the university level wasn't challenging enough, nor was it rewarding. I would much rather teach somewhere like New Oriental, where students are there because they want to be, not because it is a gen ed requirement. I very much enjoyed learning the Chinese language, partially because it was challenging, but also because it got me out of teaching English!

 

EDIT:

 

I also put a lot of time into my lectures, preparing various materials for my students. They didn't want to be challenged - that was the big problem. My overall impression of Chinese students was that they were quite lazy and wanted to be entertained by the foreigner rather than be taught a skill that could benefit their careers. Games and movies were the things that equated a "great class" from the students' point-of-view.

 

Not all universities are created equal work and accommodation wise. I found my initial employment through a friend who worked over there. Through him, I met several Americans whom I networked through to find other employment opportunities.

Also agree with what Kyle says:

Entertainment is the name of the game.

It can be quite frustrating and consequently

my 500 odd students learned some choice curse words and phrases!

 

 

I think they actually pay one of the students in each class to go up to the teacher at the end of the period to complain about how they couldn't understand what was said - Could they please speak more slowly? and provide a list of vocabulary words?

 

Overall, however, I would rate the students here as excellent and interested in learning what I can.

 

There's an aspect of this that I haven't seen mentioned - kids at the university level may have six years or more of English in their background, but it's all from Chinese speaking teachers. They may have a better working knowledge of English than some of us (at least enough to pass their WRITTEN English exams), but they are lacking in intelligibility (both to understand and to be understood by a native English teacher). That is where WE come in.

 

Out of, say, 100 students, maybe 2 or 3 can carry on an intelligible conversation with a native English speaker. These are usually the ones who learned their English from movies - they can learn from constant repetitions of English spoken by native English speakers, with the cultural situations that will make them be more comfortable around us. I've seen this several, times, including one guy in Thailand. How else can you get such intense, one-on-one tutoring?

[shenzhen]

I taught for three years (university level). I didn't particularly enjoy it. For me it was simply an avenue to better things. For me, teaching at the university level wasn't challenging enough, nor was it rewarding. I would much rather teach somewhere like New Oriental, where students are there because they want to be, not because it is a gen ed requirement. I very much enjoyed learning the Chinese language, partially because it was challenging, but also because it got me out of teaching English!

 

EDIT:

 

I also put a lot of time into my lectures, preparing various materials for my students. They didn't want to be challenged - that was the big problem. My overall impression of Chinese students was that they were quite lazy and wanted to be entertained by the foreigner rather than be taught a skill that could benefit their careers. Games and movies were the things that equated a "great class" from the students' point-of-view.

 

Not all universities are created equal work and accommodation wise. I found my initial employment through a friend who worked over there. Through him, I met several Americans whom I networked through to find other employment opportunities.

Also agree with what Kyle says:

Entertainment is the name of the game.

It can be quite frustrating and consequently

my 500 odd students learned some choice curse words and phrases!

 

 

I think they actually pay one of the students in each class to go up to the teacher at the end of the period to complain about how they couldn't understand what was said - Could they please speak more slowly? and provide a list of vocabulary words?

 

Overall, however, I would rate the students here as excellent and interested in learning what I can.

 

There's an aspect of this that I haven't seen mentioned - kids at the university level may have six years or more of English in their background, but it's all from Chinese speaking teachers. They may have a better working knowledge of English than some of us (at least enough to pass their WRITTEN English exams), but they are lacking in intelligibility (both to understand and to be understood by a native English teacher). That is where WE come in.

 

Out of, say, 100 students, maybe 2 or 3 can carry on an intelligible conversation with a native English speaker. These are usually the ones who learned their English from movies - they can learn from constant repetitions of English spoken by native English speakers, with the cultural situations that will make them be more comfortable around us. I've seen this several, times, including one guy in Thailand. How else can you get such intense, one-on-one tutoring?

This is where "English Corner" comes in. I did quite a lot of English Corners my first year here in China and enjoyed them. It was teaching without having to prepare and the ability to "wing in"...but with no pay .. haha.

[Randy W]

This is where "English Corner" comes in. I did quite a lot of English Corners my first year here in China and enjoyed them. It was teaching without having to prepare and the ability to "wing in"...but with no pay .. haha.

 

Yes, those seem to be very popular here, as well, but can be a little awkward, when most of the students are what I call "one sentence English speakers" (you say something they say something, you respond, and then the conversation is hopelessly lost).

 

Teaching has the advantage that you can present the material, and provide exposure to native English speakers. But you're also stuck with lesson plans and grading

[Randy W]

 

I am glad to see that this thread is finally getting some response.

 

 

 

But then Jin left it open - just WHO was she asking for?

[slw268]

 

I am glad to see that this thread is finally getting some response.

 

 

 

But then Jin left it open - just WHO was she asking for?

Doesn't really matter, does it?

Brings us together.