Introductions

thanks, not wanting to gush but this saloon is far better than id hoped. systems to keep the riff raff out, good, honest advice and a rather hefty dose of humour to boot! im not just in china on a whim tho, we are doing the 'looking after parents in their old age' thing. i have a uk business degree and a full tefl all completed so job hunting is a case of whatever suits me best. there is a middle school next door, i might just go knocking!

If you are trully an English gent, then we don't need your kind here   

Actually, welcome aboard. The forums are somewhat well organized and on topic (unless the Escaped Lunatic enters). As for the riff-raff, let me introduce myself, I'm Mr. Riff. There are plenty who could rightfully call themselves Mr/Mrs Raff
 

On the front page we have a search engine where some of your questions may have already been asked, but if you're not sure ask away. We only lie about 33% of the time now, that's down 17% from this time last year.

And we take our comedy very seriously

Welcome English Gent!   Look forward to hearing about what you are doing and hope that you will show us some photos of the different places you go to and the things that you see. I am an Aussie (my Grandparents came from Brixton and Manchester) and I see China through the eyes of folk like you, because I can no longer travel.

welcome aboard.. we'll like you even better if that next round of spit-liquor is on your tab 

Tianjin you say.

Well it could be worse. It could be ... uh ... well ..... mmm .....

Welcome to the Saloon!

Hi fellow Saloon tipplers! Here's my sitch....

Newly CELTA-certified here. Less than 1 yr. teaching experience but I do have a M.A. in Training and Development. Looking for that first job in Asia--likely China, Japan, Taiwan.

I've been in contact mostly with recruiters representing schools in China and am finding out that they represent the shady (Web International, Meten, et al). Also it seems like if I find a more "desirable" public school or non-training center, then the salary drops from 10,000+ rmb to anywhere between 4-9000 rmb. 

Based on ads at least, it seems that with one or more years of experience under my belt then the public school salaries can jump up nicely. I don't want to have a shitty first ESL experience, but is that the best route to take--deal with BS for a year before moving on to the Promised Land?   

Have at it boys & girls...

One note though: Like Eva Gabor in Green Acres I get allergic smelling hay. My plan is to end up in very large cities like Shanghai, Shenzen, Guangzhou, maybe Chengdu. No more cold winters for me (living in Northern U.S. most of my life) so Beijing, Tianjin, Harbin are out.

Fabulous first post, anderguyil. I would suggest leafing through the teacher's thread to find some ideas. Most would tell you that recruiters are not the best, just a shade lower than snake-oil salesmen. Contact the schools directly, but be careful, some places can't hire foreigners so they must use an outside source. Also, you could land a great gig on your first go, or it might take scores of emails. Be patient. Don't be afraid to ask here about a certain city, school, or contract; somebody here will most likely have some knowledge.

With your qualifications, you can be a little picky, raise your bar.  Speaking of which, have a drink on us. But only 1, its 5:30 in the morning
 

Thanks for the warm welcome Day Dreamer. I actually am a pretty light drinker these days compared to my misspent youth and pre-middle age.    

Welcome Anderguyil, you've come to the right place here.

As to whether or not you should put in the time wherever just to get experience, that really depends on what you think you can handle. And even with a year of experience, don't expect most public school salaries to jump up that much. Despite what ads might say, it will be a very very rare public school that pays over 10k rmb a month in any case, and certainly outside of the 1st tier cities. You will have a lot more options with more experience, particularly once you're actually in China, but a year of experience won't necessarily lead to the highest tier of jobs because keep in mind, for those really prime jobs, you'll be competing with people who have 5, 10, 15 years of experience in China. You are in a good position with your qualifications to get a decent job in China as is, but what you're wanting isn't just decent.

If making money is your prime concern, you're better off finding a reputable school in the private sector and starting off there. Doesn't have to be a Kiddie Castle or the like, it could be a private university or a private high school or corporate training or test-prep. If you don't like the idea of making less than 10k a month, then skip universities altogether because holding out for that high paying university job will be like waiting for a unicorn to walk through your front yard.

Alternately, it is often mentioned that uni jobs give you a lot of free time to pick up freelance work, so there is that. Most/many uni or public school teachers don't live on their salary alone, they supplement.

No matter what you do, as DD says, apply to schools directly, ask for current teacher contact info so that you can get an idea of how they treat teachers, and ask lots of questions here on the Saloon. Really the people here are very good at vetting prospective employers and can be an invaluable resource.

Also, as mentioned before, stay away from recruiters.  They do NOT have your best interests at heart and have made life miserable for a lot of new teachers coming to China.

Please read the following thread.   

http://raoulschinasaloon.com/index.php?topic=6827.0

Hi anderguyil,

With your qualifications, you ought to be able to find some good jobs, although this time of the year is not the best for finding uni and other public school jobs because they generally recruit in April and May for the autumn semester. International schools also pay better than average.

Here's one suggestion that details a little bit of what TLD already said. A person can get a job in a university that gives them their permits and accommodations, let's say 7000 RMB for 12 months a year and some other benefits like once a year bonus and/or allowance for air travel 5-10K. A lot of these places only need you for 10-16 teaching periods per week, but there's also preparation and testing, but it leaves a lot of free time for extra work at nearby schools and also private tutoring (I'm not crazy about one on one, but small groups are cool).

With accommodations paid for, your only major expense is food, which is my biggest expense, and you can make 150-200 RMB per teaching period at the other schools, which works out pretty well because you'll likely be under the Chinese tax limit on those jobs, which is about 20% of whatever you make over 4800 RMB/month.

A one year contract with a university that treats its foreign teachers decently in any big city you mentioned would give you a lot of time to find even better jobs for later, and it's nice to have free time on vacation and whatnot for exploration. Uni's give you 4 months a year of this, paid.

In my opinion, one of the biggest quality of life issues is choosing exactly where you want to live and work in a particular city in order to minimize transit time for work and being close to the city's features that you appreciate the most. Choosing this correctly can take time, but the big cities have multiple uni's and other schools in lots of places spread around the city, at least Guangzhou certainly does. I've stayed in the same neighborhood for 8 years because I really like it and which school I work for is secondary to that.

Best of luck to you!
Michael

Hi!

I'm a Colorado native recent-ish college graduate (December 2012) with a CELTA Certification. I have about 1 year private ESL tutoring experience (a Chinese student, no less) and one year Teaching Assistant experience at a private elementary school for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. I have also studied abroad in Spain, Germany, and Mexico. I would feel comfortable teaching lower level courses in either German or Spanish (I tutored my German host sister in Spanish), but I don't have any certification nor am I a native speaker of either, so I don't know how helpful that would be.

Unfortunately, none of this experience (except for the CELTA and subsequent volunteer work) is "post-graduation". I should have graduated in 2011, but instead took some time off before getting my act together.  I'm a bit nervous the lack of two years post-graduation experience is going to be an issue, but I've also been working since I was 14 and through college (5 years in Academic Technology Services) so I have a strong resume.

My goals for going to China are to have another immersion experience, hopefully learn some Mandarin (I studied a year in college), and ideally travel a bit. I've committed myself to a year stay in order to get past the blocks of culture shock before I make a decision, but I might be interested in staying longer if the year goes well. Long term, I hope to get into international business (ideally in tech) or translation and localization services. I was in the application process for Project Management positions in San Francisco, but I realized I wanted to travel more before I dive into a long term career. Additionally, I hope that Mandarin and experience in China will help me land the kind of job I want. So, essentially teaching is a way for me to afford to get the experience I want.

So far the cities that are high on my radar are: Kunming, Shenzhen, and Qingdao. I'm open to other suggestions, but Beijing and Shanghai are pretty big for me. I'm a city girl, but that city is Denver, so as long as there is SOME night life/culture, I don't mind being in a "small town" by Chinese standards (i.e. a city the size of Denver, haha). I also wrote my senior thesis on Urumqi, but it's not exactly an ideal location to travel from.

I have no idea what kinds of schools to apply to, so for now I'm basically going off of location, salary, and whether or not I fit their requirements. Halp?

My biggest concerns regarding location are:
1) Making enough money to pay my student loans (~$200/month) on top of cost of living and a bit of savings to travel. I'm not expecting to live like a Queen (or an American...) and I don't mind cutting costs elsewhere to be able to afford to travel. I do have a good amount in savings for the flight over, settling costs, etc, but I'd prefer not to dig into the rest except for emergencies.
2) Ease of learning Mandarin (as opposed to Cantonese).
3) Ability to travel both inside and outside of China.
4) Air quality - and yes, I realize the irony of saying that while I consider Shenzhen (or China in general ). I have very bad sinus issues/recurring sinus infections that have required surgery, so I don't want to tempt fate. I'm planning on bringing a stash of sinus rinses and antibiotics.... </GrossNoseTalk>

Anyway, as you can see I'm very long winded, so I'm going to shut up and continue to poke around the forums. Any and all advice is welcome.

Thanks for the suggestions and welcome--The Local Dialect, dragonsaver, Guangzhou Writer.

Actually Guangzhou Writer, you might be able to give me some info. since I can't PM you yet: A recruiter (ducks to avoid crap being thrown at me by Saloon crowd) has been trying to set up a Skype interview for me with Web International in Guangzhou (stays crouched for safety).

Since I've been told elsewhere that in the very large cities the schools are likely owned directly rather than franchise, is this "better?" (relative term I know) 

Thanks for the suggestions and welcome--The Local Dialect, dragonsaver, Guangzhou Writer.

Actually Guangzhou Writer, you might be able to give me some info. since I can't PM you yet: A recruiter (ducks to avoid crap being thrown at me by Saloon crowd) has been trying to set up a Skype interview for me with Web International in Guangzhou (stays crouched for safety).

Since I've been told elsewhere that in the very large cities the schools are likely owned directly rather than franchise, is this "better?" (relative term I know) 

Without sounding too wishy-washy, a lot depends on what you want. They are what they are and you must weigh the pros and cons. For example, they offer stability, pay, and facilities. In return you give your undying love, devotion and your first born. You also give up a fair amount of free time.

Since I've been here for a bit, I don't need to rely on these types of schools. That doesn't mean they are bad, it's just that I no longer require that safety net

Hi!

Hello LoveSasa. May I suggest when filling out a resume or job application, emphasize all your positives. You seem to have a lot going for you yet you sprinkled in self-imposed restrictions. Please don't worry about what you don't have.

Now it's time to narrow your search. Second tier cities offer a tad more money and are less expensive that Beijing, Shanghai, etc. I'm in Qingdao now. If you're intersted in this place, I could give you a heads up. We have members all over the country so any place you pick, there will be someone who can fill some gaps

Next, what do you prefer; a university that offers low money but easy work during the week, a language mill that is the opposite, or a private or international school that's somewhere in between.

You seem to be able to handle any of these, but you must do some research. Keep us updated and we can help, commiserate, or laugh help