mataspov

Hello all, I'm pretty new around here and I'm left with many unanswered questions. I've just recently found out about this great opportunity to teach in China from a friend of mine which is planing to go next year.

Here are the questions that I've yet not found an answer to...

Do the schools in China accept people from different nationalities other than British? I myself wasn't originally born in the UK, however I've lived here for ten years now and speak fluent English without an accent. People usually think that I was born in the UK, but only come to realise when they find out my name. Also reading through a few review websites, I heard that there were two girls from Hong Kong who came over to China to teach English and were denied due to their nationality.

Are most websites offering work placement in China rip offs? I've been looking through a few website and reading their reviews. I've come across website with very low prices at £999 and other at almost £6000. I'm looking for a job in teaching which will pay me a reasonable amount. Are there any websites/companies that you could recommend me that have a reasonable fee and a good accommodation.

What are great towns in China that you could recommend me? I'm obviously looking to teach in a town which is welcoming. I don't mind whether it's developed or not. Although I would prefer a more developed one.

What is the average pay in China? I personally know it varies from town to town.

One year in china, is that too much, enough or not enough time at all? I'm planning on going over to China to teach during my gap year (after finishing college). I'm just wondering how the year would go? Will I not get bored over there?

Partnering up - I don't feel like going over to China on my own is a good idea, especially when it's my first time. This question goes out to those who have been there teaching with a partner and without. How did your experience go?

Age - How old you exactly have to be? I'm planning on going over there when I'm 18/19 years of age. Is that old enough? Because I was looking through a few website which require to be atleast 21 or above.

Qualifications - How does it work? I've heard of TEFL, which you require to pass a certain examination and you require it in order to teach. There's many courses for the degree. Which one would you recommend me? I'm guessing that the better the qualification, the better the school. I obviously want to be entered into a decent school with a decent pay.

Thank you very much for taking your time to read this and for those who are prepared to answer my questions.

jiejie

FlyerTalk is not a particularly useful venue for you to pose or get comprehensive answers to these questions. Start by looking at Dave's ESL Cafe http://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/china/ and pay a lengthy visit to the forums there. http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewfo...b7ecb009e05c66
Steer clear of any organization that is not upfront about putting you on the proper Chinese work visa.

aBroadAbroad

Welcome to FlyerTalk.

As has already been pointed out, since this sites specializes in discussions about frequent flyer programs and other travel-related matters, it is probably not going to be very useful to you for information about expat teaching jobs.

That said, since your inquiry appears to pertain specifically to the PRC, I've moved the post here to the dedicated China destination forum in case other members are able to offer some additional resources that might be helpful to you.

Good luck, and thanks to those who wish to assist.

~Moderator, Asia Forum

Taiwaned

Do you look Asian? If you do, the income you will earn will be significantly lower than if you are white or dark.

I am Asian Canadian, where I was, most of the expats were Italian, Spanish, Greek with a few other nationalities. Their English was HORRIBLE but they were hired because of their foreignness.

While I was in China, factory managers and office staff who met and knew me, asked me to tutor their children English.

As for recruiting agencies, be fairly careful. The ones in WZ were pretty shady. They charged 100% of whatever your fee is for the first 3 classes. So basically, if you are fired after the third lesson, you made no money.

If you are in Shanghai, my friends their made OK money but money don't last long due to cost of living. On the other hand, some of the teachers in our factory towns saved money because they didn't have anywhere to spend money. However, they hated it there and couldn't wait for their contract to end.

They do prefer university education with teaching certificate. TESOL or TEFL. Highly recommend you take at least a real TEFL certificate, it will take a few months but they will teach some basic methods to teach English as a foreign language.

However, farther out in the sticks you go, the lower the standards and they will take anybody that looks foreign.

moondog

Not if you're hoping to get a (remotely decent) job in advance. Any recruitment agency that promises otherwise is lying. Why not spend a year studying Chinese instead? A friend of mine enrolled directly in Qinghua when he was 18, it was cheap, and he had a great experience. He received numerous job offers on the side, but only accepted projects that really interested him (not teaching in his case).

JPDM

My daughter taught english in Yangshuo twice. The first time she just turned 20. Nowadays, visa rules are more strict. Pay was enough to survive and pay for beer money with food and accommodation supplied by the school. Pay was not great even though she had her TEFL..
If your only skill is speaking the language as you seem to have no training and no experience as a teacher, then it will be tough. You will not teach in a school that's for sure.
Sounds like you've never been to China. Considering that you need to secure the job and work visa before going over, you may be in for a surprise.

moondog

I know plenty of people who came over on tourist visas and then landed jobs, but I don't think the OP's chances of securing a Z visa (even after identifying a willing sponsor) are very good. As you pointed out, nowadays, ESL teachers need to have some sort of qualification (e.g. advanced degree, certificate, older than 19, very strong Chinese skills, etc) other than "speaking English" in order to move the needle.

This is why I suggested the student route.

hawklx

Sad but true.

joe19924

I have just come to China for the third time. This time will be my longest stay at 2 months. I have taught 2 English lessons - just for something to do and earn more beer tokens. My girlfriend's company has a bar here and a guy from an English school came in to ask of the waiters if he can teach at their school. Long story short, she got me the gig and when I came over I started teaching when they needed me. It's all cash in hand, the guy takes the money from his wallet after each class - I'm on the S2 visa (IIRC). If you're looking at more long term options you need TEFL and a sponsor if you want to stand any chance of getting a long-term visa. I landed a double-entry 90 day visa somehow (180 day total) but this is my third visit - I'd say it's impossible to get one on your first application.

Visit China before you work here. It's a very different place and a lot of it can be very hard to get used to for a Western person. In March I was in Yunnan province and everywhere I walked people would stare at me, not helped by my blonde hair and blues eyes I'd imagine... but that's the sort of culture you're signing up for unless you're in Shanghai/Beijing etc. where they're used to us aliens wandering the streets. Expect to feel like an outsider, that might grind on you after a few weeks.

Also expect to be sick a few times - just the other day I vomited from eating a burger (of all foods!)... might fault for eating a burger in China. If you can't really deal with any of the above things then maybe reconsider what you're thinking of doing. It's not always going to be the shining/smiling years experience that it looks like on the websites.

I also had a look at those organised teaching opportunities and nearly seriously applied to do one (it seemed like a good deal) and after a bit of research I found it was a high chance the lady running it all was a scammer - beware.

But good luck, China's a fantastic place and I loved studying at Fudan - it's a bloody eye opener!

PS: Get to China before it starts becoming too westernised... and expensive!

roverkt

Pretty sad indeed that one can be an English "teacher" in China by virtue of skin color, without having proper teaching qualifications.

The saying that you can get everything in China at sh*t quality but lacking finesse rings true once again. Same for the one about having to pay through one's nose to get real quality.

JPDM

I do too but that was before rules changes a few months ago.

moondog

It might be sad, but that's the way the ball bounces. There is a perception that people with foreign faces are skilled at English... throw a suit on them, and all the better.

trueblu

I doubt the OP is coming back, but agree that enrolling to learn Chinese for a year would do them far more good than any job offers they will get teaching English (which would likely be under the table illegal ones, since the OP only has school qualifications -- 'college' means end of high school in England).

Both sons of a good family friends have done this: one, now at Oxford, went to Beida for the year, the other, just finished high school, is making the more sensible choice of coming to Tsinghua!

In addition to learning Chinese, there will be opportunities to meet really interesting people, students and faculty and others besides. The only problem is that I think both of those programmes require some basic Chinese ability, but there are many others that don't.

tb

MSPeconomist

Your post is very confused.

It's hard to expect good advice when you're being coy about your country of birth and apparent nationality. Native English Speaker or NES tends to mean UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia and NZ only. Your passport will show where you were born, so please don't expect to be able to finesse this issue.

By "gap year" you seem to mean the traditional practice in some countries of travel or something between finishing high school and entering a college or university. At 18, I doubt that you have finished college unless the word college is part of the name of your secondary school, aka high school.

Note also that TEFL is a certificate, after after a four week, perhaps part time, course or even after some on line course. TEFL is not a degree in any sense. If you do this, be sure that your course requires some practice teaching sessions.

I strongly suspect that no school in China would legally be able to hire you as a teacher. You have no post secondary education and you certainly won't have any sort of college degree in any subject, let alone a degree in education or English. With no degree, I suspect that you can't get a work permit and the correct associated visa.

This also brings us to the question of why you would think you are qualified to teach English or anything else in a school in China. Someone with your qualifications could not become a teacher in a British school and probably not even a teacher assistant working with very young kids without some post secondary preparation for the job.

If you insist on proceeding with this plan, do NOT pay fees to a placement agency. Nor should you pay fees to be interviewed, to have an application forwarded to a school abroad, etc. Your best bet might be to associate with a for profit outfit in a large city that offers private and group English lessons either to tutor school kids after school or to help adults that want to improve their English for a job, etc.

Taiwaned

Just to add to previous posters.

One of my old classmates in my Mandarin class was from Ghana, he ran out of money while he was in China. His sponsor died and so he was no longer able to pay tuition, room and board.

He did not have the means to return home.

He did not have the requisite education to be officially sponsored.

He borrowed money from one of his teachers and his teacher found him a job teaching English in Inner Mongolia. His salary was paid to the teacher until he paid the teacher back plus 25 percent finders fee plus interest.

The teacher sold the debt to an "agency" which again charged him another hefty fee (I don't know how much).

In the end, he was in the middle of nowhere, couldn't speak Mandarin very well, had no money, no visa and he had to work from 7 am to 10 pm 7 days a week. He was living on less than 750 RMB after they deducted his room and board per month. He told me he was like a babysitter in a preschool/kindergarten.

He phoned me in desperation and asked me to get a hold of his uncle in Canada. Which I did for him.

I tried phoning him prior to my departure from China but his line has been disconnected.

This thread makes me wonder about him.