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Posts: 1091

Shifu

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Q: I am19 college student and am locking for a job teaching Eng during the summer any advice

I do not have a degree or two years’ work experience yet but do have experience working with children and helping teach foreign students English back in school, and I have extensive  experience doing volunteer work and will turn 20 before the summer, I am also white and from New England so I speak proper English
First
some of the jobs I have seen do not list a degree as a requirement but they would require that I stay for a full year school year and I am not sure about the commitment.
Second
I would like to teach near Beijing and I don’t think that I would like to work as some ones living in teacher, and I do not have a lot of money so I would like to be flown in I do not care about the quality of the flight as long as I am not paying for it.
Third
I have seen volunteer jobs teaching in rural villages with basically no requirements   but I am not sure if they would fly me there or give me some sort of stipend to spend when I leave if I even could leave
 
Can anyone give me some advice on what to do?

Please help.

12 years 9 weeks ago in  Teaching & Learning - China

 
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Comments (12)
Posts: 2253

Emperor

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Since you will be teaching for the summer, there won't be any normal jobs available. Those are the one year contracts that you don't want. You will probably have to get a job at some kind of training school. Some of them have openings for summer shifts. As for teaching in rural areas, you'll probably have to do research on that yourself. I doubt they would pay for your flight.

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12 years 9 weeks ago
 
Posts: 2381

Emperor

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If you'll take some blunt but well meant advice.... have you really thought this through properly? You don't have a degree yet and you have no school teaching experience. Since money're an issue, you'll be 100 per cent relying on starting work straight away with the school being all they promise (and many will promise the world, right up until the time you start working for them...). 

As I understand it, Beijing is one of the more difficult places to get a job, and almost all reputable places will demand a degree. I'm not sure you're bringing enough to the table, for an employer, to demand the exact conditions you want in the exact place you want. Be prepared to be as flexible as you possibly can.

Schools typically won't pay for your airfare up front. For all they know you could get off the plane and "say f#&k it, I've got a free airfare", and just never turn up to their office. You pay for your airfare, they give you a set figure reimbursement. I know that job ads are worded to imply differently, but this is how things actually work. The airfare bonuses come at the end of the contract, or in the middle of the contract. And I doubt many schools would pay an airfare reimbursement unless you were willing to sign for a year anyway. Perhaps you could pro-rate the airfare bonus as if you'd signed a year but then it wouldn't cover your real costs.

If I were in your position, I'd spend a good few hours googling 'English schools in Beijing' and come up with a shortlist of schools that you think would like a fun, active young white one for their busiest months. Then jump on skype and call them directly, ask to speak to their HR manager/foreighn recruiter directly, and ask that person if they could use some extra help during the busy summer months. That way you get the opportunity to present yourself well and hopefully find a school whose needs dovetail with yours.

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12 years 9 weeks ago
 
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I did get airfare up front..twice..but then again, I'm not 19 either.

MissA:

Really? I stand corrected, then :) I'll amend.

12 years 9 weeks ago
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derek:

No worries, :) I am a bit of a hard ass when negotiating and there are things I won't bend on. Apartment, airfare and the non-possibility of teaching kids must all be ironed out up front for me.

12 years 9 weeks ago
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MissA:

My guess is that you have a lot more bargaining power in contract negotiations power than the OP will have, and are offering a lot in return (degrees, experience etc). My deal breakers are low wages, crappy apartments and teaching teenagers. The word 'teenager' comes into the job ad or contract or out of the recruiter's mouth, I'm gone!

12 years 9 weeks ago
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12 years 9 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1693

Emperor

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I agree with the other posters, in that with your requirements (or lack thereof), it's going to be a tough sell, especially around Beijing.

The general MO is that your initial captial outlay is expensive, as you have to pay up front for a health examination (in your country), visas, and plane fare. If signed, the company will reinbuse you for the visa and plane fare, but probably not your initial health exam. Then, keep in mind that even though you are provided a place to live, you will have to have enough money to get you through your fist month, as most schools will be paying you at the end of that first month employment, both as a way to rate your job performance, and to actually get work out of you.

Try to consider the schools point of view in all this, and you will see some sense in what they do. They don't know you from Adam, and the bad track record of some foreigners have spoiled it for many of the good ones. Tales abound of teachers who have worked for a month, a week, or a few days, and then, finding out that it was not what they expected, just vanished, leaving the school with language classes and no teacher. Not good.

Unfortunately, not having a degree and limited experience puts you at risk, as the more willing you appear to be will tell them that they hold all the cards. Which, in Chinese eyes, if they hold the cards, they can take advantage of you. And yes, some schools will, offering you anything just to get you over here (on your dime), and then the reality becomes quite a lot less than promised. And here you are, with them now having more power over your employment and life.

Do your research. Look at a lot of schools and see what they are paying and for what kind of teacher. Look at different areas of the country and compare rates, cost and condition of living. Learn when semesters start and stop. August and October is prime time, March is the next best. Lots and lots of questions can be answered sitting at your computer.

Truthfully, it may be too soon for you, given the information you provided. If you want to come to China, there will be many oppurtunties. Just make sure the time is right for you, and your experience will be fond, however, the flip side is that doing it haphazardly or on the fly will result in a nightmare.

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12 years 9 weeks ago
 
Posts: 9

Governor

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NEW ENGLAND?proper English?

 

hahaha  dont make me laugh

crimochina:

get out of your "car" and get into the "bar"

12 years 4 weeks ago
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Jíliú.hé:

yes proper English you bloody mongrel.

12 years 4 weeks ago
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GuilinRaf:

Coulda fooled me....

12 years 4 weeks ago
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12 years 4 weeks ago
 
Posts: 6321

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Lets see:

1- No college degree.crying

2- No experience.

3- Wants to live near Beijing.

4-Wants the school to pay for his airfare.

5- If his resume is written the way he posts here...

I believe he will be spending his summer in "New England".

However, you did ask for advice, so here it goes:
Finish your college degree, that is the very least you should do if you want to teach over here and not be taken for a ride. I have never heard of a school paying the airfare for a teacher coming to China. My school does give me airfare at the end of the year to visit home but not before. The only time I have heard of the schools paying airfare has been in cases of Human Trafficking where the trafficker will get back his/her investment tenfold. That may not be the experience you are searching for, but it would make an interesting story later on. If you escape.
And PLEASE take an astronomy class while you are in college. Most people know what The Moon is.
Good luck!

crimochina:

mind you.. pay his airfare for a summer gig

12 years 4 weeks ago
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12 years 4 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1091

Shifu

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Listen I know you can teach there without a degree or experience because my fried used to do that before he got his degree. My problem that I am younger than him and they will not think I look as good on paper to show off because of my age. I want to live near Beijing because my friend works there and would like to know a nether human being. I pent pay at the end of the summer and I could find round trip ticket for about a grand, as for pay I said all I want is a small stipend. 

GuilinRaf:

In that case, then you wont need our advice.

12 years 4 weeks ago
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Jíliú.hé:

i thought i might get some helpful advice and tips i had not heard before, so far it has mainly bean rude comments and people trying to get points by not giving me answers and making stupid jokes out of real questions.

12 years 4 weeks ago
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GuilinRaf:

You HAVE gotten some very good advice (mixed in with the jokes).  The problem is  that you seem to be unable to face the fact that you have a very unrealistic expectation  in your head regarding this venture.

Colleges and Universities DO require a college degree to teach. Two of my colleagues in Guilin were not rehired because of it, and one of my colleagues here in Beijing was not rehired this term either because neither one had a college degree (though the Beijing colleague does have an Associates degree).

Most places DO require at least a six month commitment before they will hire you.

While training schools may or may not care if you have a college degree or not, they will NOT pay your airfare.

That is why I advised you to finish your degree first. Not only will it help you get a teaching job, especially if you want to live near Beijing, but it will also look great if/when you apply to graduate school.

Best of luck to  you. I mean it.

12 years 4 weeks ago
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Jíliú.hé:

thank you but i only want to teach enrichment classes which would not be accredited or give course credits if i where to teach at a college.  as for high schools it would be a summer program and would need less  accreditation. since it is only about gaining experience the money does not matter i just can not afford to spend my own.

12 years 4 weeks ago
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12 years 4 weeks ago
 
Posts: 38

Governor

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      Thank  ALL of you guys for let me learn a lot from this article 

and answers......

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11 years 26 weeks ago
 
Posts: 212

Governor

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It's highly unlikely you'll find a place willing to fly you out to China on their dime. Especially since you've never been to China and have no experience or degree.  You have to look at this from their point of view, what happens if they pay to fly someone out to China and then that person simply decides to not work for them or to just dissappear.  Many schools will pay you back for flight but only AFTER you've completed a one year contract, you have to pay to get out here up front, that includes your visa and medical check.

 

Very few places, especially in a big city like Beijing would want someone only for 3 months. But if you did find a place like that it would typically be a learning center and they don't fly people out or even pay people back for their flights since it's such a sort contract, nor do they help with Visa stuff.

 

When coming to China for the first time (or any country for the first tiem) you should always have extra savings with you....usually you wont receive your first paycheck for 1-1.5 months after being here, also if anything goes wrong youll need that extra cash to survive or at the very least pay for a flight back to your home country.

 

It's not the answer you want to hear...but it's highly highly unlikely youll be able to come to China and work with the requirements/cicrumstances you're wanting. Personally I've never heard of this happening.

 

To let you know a little bit about my experience...when I first came to China I had found a large education company online in my home country and applied with them.  I had to fly out here on my own dime, pay for my visa while i was in my home country, and pay for my medical check.  When I arrived I was put in a hotel and then they started sending me to schools for interviews. It took me about half a month before I even landed a job at a school and they moved me into an apartment, and then due to the timing of my start date another 1.5 months before I got my first paycheck.  So after spending all the money I spent to get out here, it was still another 2 months before I received any sort of paycheck....so I had to have quite a bit of savings to survive.  This was the same situation everyone else that came out at the same time as me went through, a lot of them didn't plan on having enough savings ahead of time and ended up leaving China before being here one month.

 

Hope that helps. Coming to China to teach/live is a great experience but it doesn't sound like one you're ready for yet, at least not finincally and not in the amount of time you want to stay here.  I had been looking into to China/saving up money for almost 2 years before I finally made the trip here, you're young enough now that maybe you should just do the same. Start saving/planning now and someday in the future you can come out here with a 1 yr contract and get the China experience.  Best of luck!

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11 years 26 weeks ago
 
Posts: 4

Governor

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Don't take this personally, but your written English is worse than many Chinese students'. It is possible that you would do more harm than good as an English teacher.

Lord_hanson:

You do realise this post is over 2 years old.

9 years 8 weeks ago
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9 years 8 weeks ago
 
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Answer of the DayMORE >>
A: add-it: Getting into the recruiters ... You could also research a
A:add-it: Getting into the recruiters ... You could also research any school/job offering posted by the recruiters ... as an example:First job offering this AM was posted by the recruiter 'ClickChina' for an English teacher position at International School in Jinhua city, Zhejiang Province, China...https://jobs.echinacities.com/jobchapter/1355025095  Jinhua No.1 High School, Zhejiang website has a 'Contact Us' option ...https://www.jinhuaschool-ctc.org ... next, prepare your CV and email it away ... Good luck! -- icnif77