| Work Pressure Comparation | |
|---|---|
| Apr 16, 2007 20:44 |   |
 | Hi there, Many of you foreigners work in China, right? How do you think of the work pressure here? Is it heavier or lighter than that in your own country? Thanks for sharing! |
| Apr 16, 2007 21:58 | #1 |
| Depends very much on the job. Teaching English is pretty relaxed for most of us, although those working in private training centres often work long hours. For many in diplomacy or business, it seems there's no difference with their home countries, and they can have quite a heavy workload. |
| Apr 16, 2007 22:43 | #2 |
| Thanks Chris! Do you think FOREIGN teachers have less pressure than CHINESE teachers in the universities? |
| Apr 17, 2007 05:34 | #3 |
| Yes, definitely, and in high schools, too. We have a huge, huge amount of freedom, we don't (normally) have to deal with the demands of the national or school curriculum, we have it sweet, very, very sweet. You want to see Chinese high school teachers in the school cafeteria or other 'out of the public eye' areas when it's coming up to the GaoKao- you won't see terribly more people under such incredible stress. Foreign teachers? Wow, our lives are very relaxed by comparison. It's not just curricula and exams, we're also excused from most of the extra-curricular activities and other various requirements Chinese teachers are subject to. We have a very easy life. |
| Apr 17, 2007 20:18 | #4 |
| Hi, Chris, I always think how about we Chinese teach Chinese in your western countries and will we have a easy life ? :)) |
| Apr 18, 2007 02:31 | #5 |
| Yes I have the same question with Melody! What if I teach Chinese in a English speaking country? : ) |
| Apr 18, 2007 02:40 | #6 |
| I don't think you'd get as easy a life as foreign teachers in China get, I'm sorry. |
| Apr 20, 2007 10:37 | #7 |
| No, I agree with Chris Teaching Chinese in Western schools would have the same schedule as most other western faculty. But for many of us here in China the teaching and preparation load if any is minimal. I know of some teachers who are lucky if they do 10/12 classes per week, Poor salary reflected here too but others say in International schools have similar schedule as would have in own country but get lots of holidays and a good salary. The least number of weekly classes I have had is 16 and the most is 26 x 40mins. My current job is 20 contact teaching hours each week and a couple of hours that I must be on hand. Still light by western standards. I have a lot of empathy for my Chinese teacher friends and colleagues becuse there life is never their own. |
| Apr 20, 2007 22:30 | #8 |
| I agree with Jabarootoo and Chris regarding teaching Chinese in a school in the UK, you would be under pretty much the same pressures and obligations as the UK teachers. I am a lot more free than my Chinese teaching colleagues. For instance, this May holiday many of the Chinese teachers are required to stay here and teach extra classes for the students, but I am free for a whole 7 days. Also, regarding the stress of teachers in China. I have come to the conclusion that one of the main differences between China and my country (UK) is that in the UK the onus is on the students to work hard and pass/fail, but in China the onus is on the teachers to MAKE/STOP the students pass/fail. In the UK, if a student fails, it is largely attributed to the student - in China, if a student fails, it is because of the teacher. |
| Apr 21, 2007 14:15 | #9 |
| If you want to teach Chinese in Canada, and you have the pre-requisite (ie Chinese teaching certificate), if you can find a job in a school board or for the federal government, you would have it pretty sweet too. The key is to work for the public sector (school boards, federal government). However, It's not easy to get a position as a professor of Chinese at a university though... I met a Chinese language professor at University of Toronto (she's from Beijing, has her Ph.D. in Chinese) and she said the jobs are scarce in her field at universities in North America. High requirements and few positions. In China, they have very low standards for hiring foreigners to teach English language at your universities. |
| Apr 21, 2007 22:43 | #10 |
| In China the official standards for foreign teachers are a bachelor's degree and a native speaker, plus all the usual stuff people look for in an employee, but the job is usually more like tutoring than actual university research and teaching. To be a professor at a Chinese university, foreigner or not, you'd face the same standards as anywhere else. The real problem is a high and irrational demand and the willingness of too many schools to let the standards slip, but that's a whole other discussion. |
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