Teaching in China?

[Amaro]

What do you think the situation would be like in the dorms since I have a chinese wife?

[dnoblett]

Here is what I would do if possible is to finish the degree you are working on, I believe it is Bachelors or Masters, and if you don't need to immediately enter the workforce, then perhaps do the teaching thing in China for a year or two, if this times out well, and your wife has been resident 3+ years in the USA, you may consider seeing if she wishes to become a US Citizen, this way you would not have issues returning to the USA and needing to start over with a new spouse visa petition.

[Randy W]

What do you think the situation would be like in the dorms since I have a chinese wife?

 

By my experience (and others), the Chinese students are very doting and will want to spend a lot of (free) time with you. In my case, however, the wife wasn't real interested in the campus life, which pretty well put a damper on that.

 

If you're asking about living arrangements, two of our teachers were unmarried and living together for most of their stay (and eventually got married). This was widely known and didn't raise any eyebrows. The dorms for single or married teachers were identical.

 

You WILL most likely need either teaching certification, or the TESL certification - I'd be concerned about any school that DIDN'T require this.

Edited February 21, 2012 by Randy W (see edit history)

[canrun]

Consider Xiamen University (get the TEFL certification first. Oxford is fine.)

 

http://www.anesl.com/schools/new/XiamenUniversity.asp

[Amaro]

Consider Xiamen University (get the TEFL certification first. Oxford is fine.)

 

http://www.anesl.com...nUniversity.asp

 

My wife is from Zhangzhou, so getting a gig at Xiamen would be a dream come true for her! I heard it was difficult to get selected as a teacher there.

[Eric]

My wife is from Zhangzhou, so getting a gig at Xiamen would be a dream come true for her! I heard it was difficult to get selected as a teacher there.

 

My wife is from Xiamen and she has several aunts/uncles/cousins who live in Zhangzhou who we go visit during our trips. She was an English teacher at Xiamen Foreign Language School which has both a Middle School & High School campus in Xiamen and employs 90+ English teachers each school year - including a fair number of foreign teachers. I have met several of the foreign teachers who have worked there over the past several years and each of them were satisfied with their job & employment benefits. You may want to check this school out during your search - however they do require at minimum a Bachelors degree and either a teacher's certification or TESOL/TESL/TEFL certificate.

[Richard & Li]

My situation is different: I'm a prof at a large American university. But, I'll try to provide some insight from my experience.

 

I spent a summer a few years ago doing curriculum development in my specialty at a university in southern China. It was a different working environment to say the least. At my regular job, I have total autonomy. Of course; I have courses to teach, tasks to accomplish and a wide range of responsibilities, but it is completely up to me how and when to do my work. It's not like that in China; it was dictated to me when and where I had to be at all times during the workday, what I was going to work on and how I needed to organize things. We weren't even allowed to go out for lunch, mediocre boxed food was brought in so we could keep working.

 

I fulfilled my obligation and still have a very good professional relationship with that university.

 

I found that, compared to working at an American university, working at a Chinese university is no fun at all; even though they paid me well and put me up in a nice hotel (with an excellent restaurant), I would be hesitant to do it again.

 

To go with basically no credentials or experience would put you in a much worse position that I was in (and I had more supervision than I've had since I was a teenager). My advice would be to not stop with a bachelor’s degree. Get your master's, teach for a few years, and then look at a visiting position at a legitimate Chinese university. Even then, don't expect the pay and housing to be comparable with an American university. It will be an interesting, enlightening experience and worth doing; but, it won't be luxurious.

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

To go with basically no credentials or experience would put you in a much worse position that I was in (and I had more supervision than I've had since I was a teenager). My advice would be to not stop with a bachelor’s degree. Get your master's, teach for a few years, and then look at a visiting position at a legitimate Chinese university. Even then, don't expect the pay and housing to be comparable with an American university. It will be an interesting, enlightening experience and worth doing; but, it won't be luxurious.

 

Thousands of foreigners arrive in China every single year; some without college degrees, and even more without a single minute of teaching experience anywhere; or lie on their applications. There are a few who come here with exceptional creditionals, background, an experience teaching in major US universities, but very few. All one need do is make the rounds at any expat pub i China, and it will not be hard to find a green English teacher fresh, first visit to china, who is completely unqualified to even teach burger flipping 101. It's pathetic really, but a warm body on staff is is expecially needed outside mainstream cities of China. Pay runs from about 2000 rmb per month to 5000 a month for these people. Live on campus in a small room, with 6-7 day work weeks common. You're not going to get rich, and in the smaller cities it's hard to find an English speaking support system. Most new recruits leave in one year or less. I guess someone could make a life doing this, but it will be far from extravagant, with barely enough money to get by every month. Side tutoring jobs are typically forbidden, and those who try it, may get away with it, but sacrifice any free time for anything other than teaching and paperwork.

Edited May 25, 2012 by JiangsuExpat (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Well, yes! Teaching English in China is TEACHING. For my last semester, I was basically a teacher's aide who taught the oral English half of a course in the English language. The course was under the direction of a Chinese teacher, who taught the written part of the course, and was responsible for the grades. I had no idea what grades my students were given after I turned the grades over, and never met with any of them concerning the class. The only "supervision" I had from the faculty was to be handed a book. Student monitors were appointed as representatives for every grade level in every class.

 

Your room, and utilities are provided in addition to your salary (like Jesse said) in the range of 2 to 5 thousand RMB per month. You end up with a small profit (provided you don't spend it all in one place).

 

In a nutshell, it's an experience - IF you want to experience China. NOT a career, or even a long term job (except in a few rare cases. As a job,though, it's a good one

[Richard & Li]

Thousands of foreigners arrive in China every single year; some without college degrees, and even more without a single minute of teaching experience anywhere; or lie on their applications.

 

Aim higher, shoot farther.

[Guest ExChinaExpat]

Thousands of foreigners arrive in China every single year; some without college degrees, and even more without a single minute of teaching experience anywhere; or lie on their applications.

 

Aim higher, shoot farther.

 

I did. That's why I don't teach English in China.

 

[Richard & Li]

Thousands of foreigners arrive in China every single year; some without college degrees, and even more without a single minute of teaching experience anywhere; or lie on their applications.

 

Aim higher, shoot farther.

 

I did. That's why I don't teach English in China.

 

 

That comment was really directed toward the original poster. But, touche.

[Randy W]

The requirements aren't changing, but they are being more actively enforced. One of the teachers there now had to delay his trip for a semester in order to finish up the last course for his college degree.

 

The teachers I knew were all up to the job - anything they may have lacked in credentials they made up for in enthusiasm. The university, as far as I knew, followed all regulations.

 

Remember, though, that Chinese schools provide a good education in reading and writing English - I was VERY surprised by a LOT of the responses I got to essay questions. The college students all take a written English proficiency exam - which basically tests for ability at roughly a newspaper level.

 

What they are missing in their education is feedback and exposure to native English speakers - that's exactly why the foreign teachers are so valuable. There were only a handful (literally) of students who could hold a conversation with a native English speaker. No, not literally a hand FULL, but definitely less than a dozen.

 

Chinese TV used to carry western movies that were, unfortunately, dubbed in Chinese - that seems like I complete waste to. But now the cable companies carry a few excellent English language channels with Chinese subtitles. Most all of the students who could actually talk with a westerner learned this way - Western movies with Chinese subtitles.

[Richard & Li]

Like I said before, my situation was different; in doing curriculum development; I was, in essence, 'teaching the teachers'.

 

But, I had a similar experience. Most of the teachers I worked with had a very good education in English, but were at a bit of a loss when communicating with native English speakers. They knew it and were quite enthusiastic about spending time with me to help overcome that deficiency. That was one of the most positive aspects about working at the university in China.

Edited May 27, 2012 by Richard & Li (see edit history)

[Amaro]

There was a lot of talk about salary in this thread and I definitely would not be doing it for the money. A place to stay and 3 meals a day would satisfy me, the experience of being able to live in China would be priceless.