How easy is it to find part-time jobs in Suzhou?

I'm considering working in Suzhou, but would need to have a bit of part-time work as well (15-20 hours, maybe), should it be relatively easy for me to find part-time work?  I've tried searching online, but haven't found much (maybe I'm looking in the wrong places).

Right now, OBSCENELY easy. The new visa rules are hurting the schools, too....

What's hard is getting a job with visa coverage. Don't even think about  getting part time work until you've got your docs nailed down...

Let us know if you head this way...we'll steer ya around the worst of the weasels.

Hey, thanks a lot!  That actually really helps me with my planning (assuming, of course, the position I'm looking at doesn't dry up like others, heh).

Yeah, I'm in the process of trying to get visa coverage now...I've probably applied to over 300 positions so far (though most of these were in Beijing/Tianjin, were it's been very difficult).     I was hoping for Hangzhou or Shanghai (friends there), but have had a hard time finding any, so hopefully this one will work out.  Fingers crossed...

It worked out well. Suzhou is SO much better than those other places, well, I just don't have the words to describe.

If you'd like, PM me on who you're talking to. There are a lot of Schools That Suck in Suzhou...

Almond, we have to carry mace to ward OFF the job offers.  The Z-visa job's the tough part, but it's getting easier again.  You want to find a gig that will give you one in exchange for the least number of teaching hours possible- the part time and private stuff pays much better.

Thanks again for all the help.

@Lotus Eater
I don't think there's much to worry about, I have yet to find a school that was uninterested in hiring me.  The problem is, since my girlfriend is in Beijing, I either wanted a position in Beijing or a 6 month position elsewhere, and a z visa before leaving.  Most of the schools I applied to were either in Beijing or Tianjin, but it seems that if your diploma is less than 2 years old (mine is 1 year and 10 months...) you can't get a visa (learned this after waiting on several schools, and it wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I gave up on this entirely).  Another problem is that MANY of the schools keep trying the "just come here on a tourist visa and we can change it, no problem!" line.  Also, it just seems hard looking for schools in the States.  I get a lot of e-mail bounced back (including almost all of the e-mail I sent to Universities...).  Now it's national week, so I have to wait to hear back from places...again...

@Raoul
Thanks, will do.  I'm still holding out hope for Hangzhou (just because I have some friends there, who I haven't seen since I left and probably won't have another chance to hang out with for a long period of time), but it seems like Suzhou would be a nice place to live for some time, so either way I'm happy.

@Con Ate Dog
Yeah, that's what I'm hoping to do, just working on the Z visa now.  Good to hear that the side jobs are easy to get...I feel a bit more relaxed now.

The rules are stated as needing two years of work experience, but it has to be after graduation (this may be because none of mine is in China, not sure).  As far as I gather, that pretty much means 2 years out of University, then whoever is applying will fake your resume.

Is it that the tourist switch more prevalent now, or is it just that schools that always did that now are stuck, and keep trying?  I suspect the latter (anecdotal evidence only).  If so, it seems like all of this difficulty is coming from the visa side of things.

I suspect the latter as well. The Chinese estimation of our stupidity and naivete is boundless and eternal.

Sadly, this is not without some justification.

A lot of schools deal ONLY in newbies fresh from abroad and won't touch a teacher with any tenure in China. Beware of these; it's because they know the veteran will realize what's going on and raise hell about it.

I have also heard now that the new rules state no-one under 25 can be employed.

Seems like the Chinese government may not trust us any longer.

here in Wuhan they obviusly play by their own rules. This year, besides the united nations working at our school we have also employed 3 murkans fresh outta uni and all under 25. But then again, with the salary that this school offers I can understand why.

And that's part of the trouble we face...EVERYONE plays by their own rules. Certainly every province, and often every city as well. Aaand these rules change quite often...

Advice and experiences from older hands like ourselves can be very valuable...but increasingly they have to be tempered against the local realities "right here, right now" as expressed by the local officials...

Yeah true...also even when you know the rules, it's hard to tell what's possible.  "So no one can do XYZ?"  "Well, maybe if they have good connections."  Taiwan might be nice this time of year...