The place to ask China-related questions!
Beijing Shanghai Guangzhou Shenzhen Chengdu Xi'an Hangzhou Qingdao Dalian Suzhou Nanjing More Cities>>

Categories

Close
Welcome to eChinacities Answers! Please or register if you wish to join conversations or ask questions relating to life in China. For help, click here.
X

Verify email

Your verification code has been sent to:

Didn`t receive your code? Resend code

By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .

Sign up with Google Sign up with Facebook
Sign up with Email Already have an account? .
Posts: 277

Governor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

Q: What are the greatest difficulties facing an English teacher in China?

Most of us are not truly qualified beyond an easily earnt TEFL certificate, so where does English trip you up? Is it the perfect tense, the passive voice, the overuse of the word 'the' or 'will' or the under-use of anything outside of the present tense? Or is it cultural differences, business practices, sexual temptations, working conditions, countryside placements, shared housing arrangements, getting paraded through promotions or dressed up as Santa at Christmas celebrations, There are a tonne of potential challenges to face for the average foreign teacher. What have been yours?

11 years 37 weeks ago in  Teaching & Learning - China

 
Answers (5)
Comments (2)
Posts: 1630

Emperor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

For me, although many things and situations are hard to take sometimes, I would have to say that the daily grind of absolute foolishness, weirdness, backwards thinking and an overall apathy and in many cases, an outright denial towards telling the truth drives me crazy. To give details here would take as much room as this site has to offer so I hope you guys get my drift here.

Report Abuse
11 years 37 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1838

Emperor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

I think the greatest difficulty facing SOME foreign teachers is the temptation to dive in and leave the security of their western home to come to China only then to find out that it is not as they had bargained for. The problem being that once you are in it can be very difficult to get out again. The lure of easy work on short hours, free housing, no utility bills, often surrounded by young people of the opposite sex can be too much to resist.

 

But it comes with a caveat. It is fine if you are a young graduate who is after a year or two out for adventure or somebody who has already retired, but if you are in mid stream career wise, it can be a killer to move on. You may find yourself hitting a buffer with nowhere to go but drifting from one teaching position to another.

 

The bottom line should be seriously consider if you are doing the right thing before taking the plunge. Many ex-pats believe that China is the greatest place on earth for a year or two but, once the novelty has worn off, it can be a deeply frustrating, lonely place where the disadvantages soon outweigh the pros.

 

Most (not all) foreign teachers in China will never be taken that seriously professionally. That can be a bug bear. If you do come here to teach, it is wise to have a back up action plan and career path just in case it turns sour.

Report Abuse
11 years 37 weeks ago
 
Posts: 5732

Emperor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

for those not retired like myself , teaching with a state teaching certificate in other countries may be a good option as america goes belly up from the baby boom. im to old for this , but for 2000 dollars , you can get teaching certificate for any of 11 states , abcte.org and take the courses online while your in china, though you may have to teach a year in the states you can get to hell out and then make 5 large a month in the middle east, hong kong, japan depending on your skills. if your stuck being a teacher , might as well go for bucks, age discrimination keeps me in china instead of korea or taiwan, everyone has to deal with reality , good luck to the young ones.

Report Abuse
11 years 37 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1153

Shifu

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

the biggest problem is teaching rich spoiled kids that are just here to pass the time with no regards for money  the parents are so wealth they dont give #$%# about anything but when they can go shopping again

Report Abuse
11 years 37 weeks ago
 
Posts: 703

Shifu

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

The stresses of getting the visa. My first job was with a school that said they could get it within a month. After 2 trips to HK for tourist visas, they finally obtained it via another school, then I took my third trip to HK to get the Z visa. I was unsettled the whole time.

The other thing for me personally is often thinking that I should be back in Canada saving a lot more money. But for now, I am loving being here.

Kaiwen:

 

In the first place, if your school were legally in a position to obtain a working visa, the invitation letter could have been sent to you home even before arriving in China. That alone should have sent the alarm bells ringing.

 

Secondly, you say the school got the visa invitation letter through another school. That means your FEC, 'Z' visa and subsequent RP are not legitimate. It is also yet another clear indication that your present school are not licenced to employ foreign teachers.

 

I am not saying this to scare you but fear the worst later if they feel like scamming you or you try to find another employer.

11 years 37 weeks ago
Report Abuse

Kaiwen:

Sorry, just re-read.

 

You say "first job" so I presume you've moved on since then. I think just as well!

11 years 37 weeks ago
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
11 years 37 weeks ago
 
Know the answer ?
Please or register to post answer.

Report Abuse

Security Code: * Enter the text diplayed in the box below
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <img> <br> <p> <u>
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Textual smileys will be replaced with graphical ones.

More information about formatting options

Forward Question

Answer of the DayMORE >>
A:  "... through ..."?  Only "through" comes to mind is "S
A: "... through ..."?  Only "through" comes to mind is "Shenzhen agent can connect you with an employer, who's authorized to hire waigouren ... and can sponsor Z visa." It's not like every 10th person you meet in Shenzhen's hood can sponsor work visa ...  The only way to change from student to labourer visa is just a regular way by: 1. Finding an employer, who'll apply for an Invitation letter; 2. Exit China and apply for Z visa in your home country's Chinese embassy; 3. Enter China in 30-days after Z visa was stamped into your travelling instrument ...As I am aware, you won't be able to switch to Working permit by remaining in China....,so make ready for a return to your home .... -- icnif77