Southeast China

Has anyone had any experience with EF English First school in Xiamen, Fujian province. It is on the Southeast coast of China. This would be really helpful.
Thanks,
Sarah

Hey, My name is Mark and I have been working and living in China (Shanghai) for the past four years. I am now an owner and Manager of a Company here that runs a chain of English Learning Centers. I have met and interviewed more then my share of Teachers that had or were at the time of the interview working with EF here in China. Following is a list of complaints that I have heard teachers tell about.

-The pay is low, about 5000RMB a month.
- You work 40 or sometimes more hours a week.
- You don't get paid for Office work.
-And they tend to lie to you and screw you around a lot.
-Training is usually non-existent.
-their contracts are full of pitfalls

Not very nice for one of the biggest English Centers in Asia. Most of the time the hire through Universities over seas and get fresh teachers that haven't done their research and have no idea that they could be making about 10,000RMB a month or more. I have even heard but can not verify that they have been black listed for treating their Foreign staff poorly....but don't quote me on that one.


As for Xiamen it is China's tropical destination, It's warm and temperate all year round and they have beaches and palm trees and all that sort of thing. Most of the Foreigners there are accually Russian as it is about the closest beach to them. All the signs and Chinese don't speak English, instead they speak Russian. I had some friends just get back from there on vacation and they said it was great fun. But if you don't speak Mandarin, you may not be able to depend on many speaking English to help you out. But if you are up for a little adventure then go for it. I'm told it's really nice there. As for EF well I would look into other schools first.


B

lol all the signs don't speak English....doh!


anyway you get the point!

b

To William Mark,

I read in the forum that you own and manage a chain of English language centres in Shanghai, do you operate in Beijing too? I am currently studying Chinese in BLCU, Beijing and am looking to Volunteer some of my spare time teaching conversational English. I am a TESOL graduate but have not really looked into teaching overseas. But since I'm on a student visa I am only looking to volunteer.

If you know any centres in Beijing that may need a teaching assistent please let me know....

Helen

Paid English Teaching Program in China (5-12 months)
Program Profile

Are you interested in teaching English as a foreign language to students in China? You can now come to China with your expertise on a language teacher’s status instead of a tourist, with payment for your job here! We offer brilliant placements for those who are interested in experiencing the culture whilst making friends with local people.

Unlike other agencies whose services end after placement, we will be with you all throughout your stay in China. Our full-time in-country English speaking staffs are always ready to help, making your stay in China as hassle free as possible.

What we offer
We are to offer the following as a guarantee package to ease your China expedition:

 Paid teaching placement
 Local airport picking-up
 Free accommodation (near or on campus)
 Free meals during working days
 Free local trips
 International travel stipends
 Chinese in-classroom teaching assistants
 Orientation & training on TEFL skills
 Visa sponsorship
 Teaching Certification

PRE-REQUISITES
•20-65 years old, with sound physical health
•College graduate with degree or TEFL/TESOL certificate
•Native-born English speaker
•Able to speak in front of a large group of students (normally 35–50)
•Have a friendly and flexible personality
•Respect a new society and culture
•Never been convicted of a felony

When to come
Chinese teaching positions are available all year round, however, we especially welcome those who can start either in late Feb. or late August each year since Spring and Autumn semesters in Chinese schools are to commence then. Due to Chinese government regulations, only native English speakers from USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa are accepted to apply for this paid English teaching program.

Your Chinese visa
To teach in China, you are required to hold a Working visa (categorized as Z ), which should be applied before yor arrival in China. Only under urgent conditions and upon agreement by our in-country staff could one come on a tourist or business visa. Our in-country staff will then help exchange your visa afterterwards.

Obtaining a working visa will depend on your proper passport, health condition, a degree or even a TESL certificate. We will ask you to sign a working contract prior to your arrival for the purpose of sorting out your working visa.

For whatever visa, we will only reimburse the related visa
application fee paid to immigration office only. You will pay for other related fees including health report fees that occur at home or once you are in China.

How to get here
Please book your flight from home city to either Beijing or Shanghai or even Hongkong. You might try to find a local travel agency at your city operated by a Chinese so that you will get a BIG deal. Usually a return ticket from North America to Hong Kong or Beijing (good for a year) should not be more than US$900. However, the tickets might be expensive due to the 2008 Olympic Games. So, please book your flight once you decide to come and teach in China. We will issue placement details upon receiving your application.

Payment and Teaching hours
Paydays normally fall on the end of each calendar month. Salary scales are based on educational background as well as teaching experience, ranging from RMB3500 Yuan to RMB5000Yuan (roughly US$499-710). Payment will be in cash, tax free.

The average length of teaching is 24 teaching periods (normally 40 - 45 minutes) a week, with weekends off. Office hours and teaching hours combined will be not more than 40 hours a week, which may vary from school to school but do not affect the salary per month. If a teacher missed any days of work, his/her pay will be reduced accordingly.

Accommodation
We shall provide an apartment with 2-3 bedrooms for our teachers for free. Each teacher will have a private bedroom. The apartment will be furnished with air conditioning, TV, a bed, desk and chair, and a clothes closet. The bathroom, kitchen and living room will be shared. The teacher will have to pay for the utilities (electricity, water, gas), telephone and maintenance. Electric, water and gas bills come every month. It is essential that utility bills be paid on time. Paying overdue is a big hassle and always incurs a fine. Our in-country staff will help pay the bills at due time.

Should our teacher chooses not to accept the accommodation provided, he/she will have to pay for own accommodation.

Internet Access
Internet access at your apartment is available upon request, and ADSL for six month will be around RMB360 Yuan (roughly $50). You will need to pay one-off ADSL installation fees at RMB180 Yuan (roughly $25) and then there is no other fee around. Most teachers just use the computer in their schools or Internet cafes.

Cellular Phones
Getting a mobile phone would be more practical. A new mobile phone cost between RMB500 Yuan to RMB2500Yuan each (roughly $70-$350). You can bring your cell phone and then purchase a new sim card (RMB100Yuan) once you are in China.

Food
Food in China is relatively cheap if you are open to eating the local fare. A full meal in a lunch box costs RMB10 -20 Yuan (roughly $1.5). A lunch box meal consists of rice, a main meat dish, and 2 to 3 vegetable side dishes. Fast foods like KFC and McDonalds can be found conveniently. Price for a meal costs is between RMB15-30Yuan (roughly $2-4). Most schools in China offer free meals to our teachers.

Flight Reimbursement
As an added bonus to our teachers, we provide RMB8,000 Yuan (roughly US$1140) as international airfare stipends for those who complete 10-month contract, and RMB4000 Yuan for those who successfully finish a 5-month contract. This money will only be paid at the end of contract. If the teacher does not complete his/her one (1) or half (1/2) academic year contract, the airfare stipends shall be forfeited.

Expectations & Documents Required
Expectations for a paid teaching position -
•The teacher is never late for work.
•The teacher doesn’t miss a day of work
•Attends all school arranged events during teaching period
•No payment for sick leave or any absence from work

We require the following documents regarding the application for a teaching position in China:

complete resume
scanned passport (photo page)
scanned diploma/certificate/degree
Letters of reference from previous employers.
4-6 passport sized photos (not needed until you are in China)
Health certificate (download and print out -
http://www.china-embassy.org/chn/hzqz/zgqz/Q2.pdf do bring all check results with you)

Other Particulars
Moving to a new environment is quite challenging, esp. when you are in China! Do get prepared for home-sickness if this is the first time for you to be abroad, when at a time you will have to face a totally different culture, language, ethnic as well as language. Nothing is familiar, you will see.

Try to be strong-deternined, independent and flexible, always relyong on the help of our in-country staffs, talking to them before your decide to escape from your placement, which might incur a huge loss to your personal image as well as your Chinese host school and students, who can hardly afford losing a teacher that way.

To be financially secure, we suggest you bring some pocket money (say, $300 in cash). Our in-country staff will help you exchange your cash into Chinese money from local banks, then you can buy basic groceries and keep things going until first paycheck. Our experience is that the first to two months will be emotially, financially and ideologically challenging.

Contact: Mr Jeff Gao
Email: syajeff@gmail.com
Cell: +86 13969690269
office: + 86 532 8876 5566