The recruiters here, as a whole, are terrible.  They have no follow-up skills at all. 

Normally, the process is this: You send them you CV.  Then nothing.

The problem is, that one recruiter can be handling 100's of jobs at the same time.  So they get 10's of thousands of CVs.  They will only sift through the CVs for the jobs that will pay them the biggest bonus.  The others are pretty much ignored unless they are really bored and trying to reach their monthly target.  (Also, they may not even be able to READ an English CV. So they will have no idea what job you are applying for, or if you are even qualified.)

A better way is to see if you can contact the recruiter through Skype.  If they take the time to talk to you, then your chances of having something done for you are increased 100 fold.

Another good route is to try and find an expat site focused on your city of choice and get to know the expats there.  Some of them might be willing to hand your CV directly to schools that they work at.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Expat John, you're a real gentleman. Helps a lot.

hey David!

I left from Melbourne as well, intending to go to Kunming, but I couldn't get what I wanted there. You're right - there's not a lot of jobs out that way. But then, it might also depend on what you're looking for - I was only after uni level students. I was only really seeing stuff for kids in kindies. At least, in that respect, I did get a phone interview with an English guy (too bad the ads - and he - didn't outline the age levels very clearly prior to the phone call :( ).

I strongly suggest you get the Z visa dealt with before you get here. Make sure it's in the contract. Too many dodgey outfits will sting you, and you'll end up working illegally - which really stuffs you for options later when it really goes sour (ie, no pay, and worsening conditions).

As John said, get onto the expat forums, and post there. Usually <city>expat.com, or similar.

You are also aware that Yunnan pays quite a bit less than other provinces - yes?? (may not mean a lot to you, but it depends on your reasons for being there, and what you're leaving behind...).

BTW - yes, you should be able to get the Z while you're here... if it's all above board!

Hey shining brow, thanks for the feedback.
I have until May to get a job, so I have a little bit of time up my sleeve, so hopefully something suitable will come up. I will take both yours and John's advice to post on expat sites. Gokunming seems to be pretty good, so I will post one there.

Would be much easier if I could go over with a Z visa, sigh..,but if it's not possible, I will go on an L visa and just go visit the schools whilst over there.

I'm not expecting huge dollars, I'm doing teaching for the experience  and it's a means till I get my feet on the ground to look for more lucrative long term opportunities. No disrespect to teaching, I will of course give it my best, and invest 100% in it,  but it's not a career move by any stretch.

I have my own recruitment company in Melbourne, specialising in property and real estate, so it will be a financial backflip.

In saying that I do have my reasons for going to China.
My fiance is also from Melbourne and has family in Kunming, so other cities aren't an option.

Anyway, let's see what happens.
Hope youre enjoying China life.

Cheers.

Just a question: is there a specific reason why you decided to go the recruiter route? The reason I ask is because i see plenty of offerings advertised on sites like this one in the classified section.

I specifically wanted a school in Changsha. The first one I contacted was not up to par, and decided to go with the second schhol. That was back in 2009 when I got hired, and the paper work was sent to me at the begining of the Spring Holiday, so...I never got it (I waited two weeks and was running out of time to start the March Semester). I had already been in negotiations with the school, and had the job. The paper work, however, was necessary for me to get the Z Visa in order to work (which I wanted to have before I left the States). I already had an L Visa in my passport, as I had planned to do some visiting.

Anyway, on the advice of the school, I came to China on the L Visa, we waited for the paper work to be offically lost in transit, and then the Province issued me new paper work, I went to Hong Kong on a three day trip, got the Z Visa, and only started about 1 week late. A little convoluted, I know, but that was my experience.

In general, there are a lot of hoops to jump through, but that is the process of dealing with offical agencies. Best to be patient, do the jumping, and after that, it's pretty much smooth sailing. Just do your homework.

It also helps to network and talk to people online if you know someone in china then they can help look into things for you and tell you if you’re doing something wrong it is hard to get work otherwise. 

there may have some trouble , i came in china with L visa later changed it into z visa by employer, i ve been here for 2.5 years in teaching positions , most of the recuitors are not providing well opportunities, it's hard to find the right place for job, i may help in your condition if you are asutralian national willing to come in china, skype  is : john_panta,  yahoo is: sharoj_bhai, hotmail is : kabshapnt,

Dear David,  
  I have experienced the same attitude from recruiters. Honestly after four months of useless energy dedicated to writing of individual cover letters and sending resumes, CV, I finally gave up. I have degree from English and Chinese Philology and also studied Chinese in China but that does not count for "recruiters". And those who contacted me with a particular offer, suggested quite bitter contracts (working hours from Mo-Sun, from 7:30-21:30, irregular time which suits the school, salary 4500-5000RMB that is pretty poor salary in combination of 6-10kRMB that you can earn in China, etc. etc.)
To sum up, I have been told by some friends in China that it is much more convenient to look for job directly in China. Nevertheless the tricky communication with recruiters, good luck

        TRICKY,  tricky,  tricky........This is the word wich works here.

Their English reading comprehension is nothing short of terrible, and many of them are extremely dishonest. I listed  3 years experience as a full-time teacher, and they tried to claim I had no teaching experience and that's why they didn't bother to respond.

Another one claimed I had no education, despite including copies of 2 bachelor's degrees.

One of them even said: "Sorry, we only want a female teacher. Besides, you have no teaching experience." despite the fact that I included two bachelors degrees and tons of teaching experience. It didn't matter that the female teacher they took on didn't even graduate High School back home: Headmaster Hong got himself a new western wife.

Funny you mention this because I have not been getting responses either. Yet, according to friends I know personally in China - they have pretty much secured me positions (or will) as soon as I can get there.

             But via email/online almost nothing in terms of responses.

It makes me wonder if some of these companies may be frauds looking for information via resumes/CVs?

I sometimes wonder if many agents are just personal information gathers to be honest. Personally I have stopped supplying my full details and delete digits from the copy passport paper. I emboss degree papers with 'COPY' all over the important places. If they want to see the original then it's at an interview. When you think about it, we are providing personal information to total stranger who we may never hear from again. You wouldn't do this in your own country. Are we providing someone with the opportunity to steal our identities?

Yunnan, Hainan, Suzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou are areas of oversupply of foreign teachers vs. demand.  The competition in these cities for the better jobs is particularly fierce.  I would even venture to say that Guangzhou is probably the hardest among the lot, given the weather and relatively relaxed atmosphere of the place.

Nonetheless, there are a few but not many good recruiters out there but indeed most of them will do the bait-and-switch routine.  I have been offered university positions in the past in Kunming, but at RMB 3,500 per month or some dreadful salary like that.  Oversupply lends itself to depressed wages.

Many recruiting agencies now work the same way as headhunting companies. It means that actually they look for you, only if your resume matches the conditions required by their client.

Due to the tremendous amount of resumes and job seekers on the Chinese job market, they simply don't have the time and the will to answer all the emails they get.

So, except if your application matches their client's request, they won't consider your resume. They sometimes simply include the main data into their database for later needs (even if after three years).

Moreover, don't forget that you are actually living in Australia and looking for a position in China.... You usually need to do two rounds of interviews, at first with the recruiting agency, and then with the school - both of them won't consider the costs of an airplane ticket just for an interview with a candidate despite your qualifications.

So, do apply only if you see an offer matching your profile or contact a language school directly through email, but again if you're not living in China, it may be difficult for you to get this kind of position.

You may want to read the thread here about Michael Page HR Recruiters...

http://answers.echinacities.com/node/90464

I haven't had any problems hearing back from recruiters, for teaching jobs.