| Teaching English | |
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| Nov 2, 2005 23:12 |   |
 | Has anyone relocated to China for work, or to live for a period and found work teaching English? This is something many people tell me to do after I arrive there and since I'm a Literature/Writing major at my University, it seems I am qualified enough to do it. My problem is I don't know how to speak Chinese yet and will take me some time to learn it. So if anyone has taught English in China and can help me understand what is required, how to find a place, is there a great interest to learn English there? Any information is greatly appreciated! Vinnie. |
| Nov 2, 2005 23:36 | #1 |
| Hi Vinnie, Welcome to the world of ESL. There are lots of us here teaching English from Kindergarten to mature aged adults in public, private and international schools and companies or agencies. Just beware that finding a good position is fraught with minefields. You can choose a city, arrive and look for work or you can search online and find an offer and apply. Pros and cons. Most Chinese schools and universities will supply accommodation as part of your package but it may not be too good. And will arrange all you visa requirements. Be aware that some universities pay very poorly i.e less than Y4000 per month. If you arrive here to look for work you will need somewhere to live until you find work. At least this way you can choose something that suits you but it may be harder this way. Good to put in at least one year to 'learn the rope' so to speak and then you can tackle it solo if you feel confident. Saomeone may refer you to a university or school where they have had a good experience. For every good school there seems to be a bad one and the same goes for teachers. For every good foreign teacher there seems to be a not so good one too. If you choose to use an agency, then do your homework and try to talk with former employess first as there seem to be a good number of these who do not produce everything they offer in the contracts. You also need to honour your committment to the contract. You do not need to speak Chinese to teach English. Some facilities will provide a teaching aid if it is deemed necessary. You may be required to have a TESOL or TEFOL certification and or experience teaching for some positions. Hope this answers some of your queries but I would recommend you find a job first at least for one year. Welcome to China and good luck job hunting |
| Nov 3, 2005 00:03 | #2 |
| If you are a christian,you can join ELIC:-) |
| Nov 7, 2005 23:47 | #3 |
| Hi J- Thank you very much for your insights. I will do some research and learn all I can before I move there. I am lucky because I have many friends in different cities in China and they are all bi-lingual. Actually, I'm going to settle in Wuxi for a while, I will have a new apartment to move into later next year. And so that will be my home base. I plan to start a business with a friend of mine. But I need to keep my options open and make sure I can continue working in one way or another. And many people have suggested that I should teach English. I'm glad to know also that I do not need to speak Chinese to do this. I plan to start learning soon, but I won't be able to understand nearly enough in only a few months. I'm interested to know about your experience in China. It seems you've been all over the place - that's amazing. What do you do for a living there? Thanks again for your advise, it's good to know there are others who've been there and done that! Cheers, Vinnie. |
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