Messages by Jere

Have you tried asking teachers on Dave's ESL Cafe? Someone on the forums there will be able to give you a clear answer...good or bad.

Hi Louise. I just read your post here. Sorry I didn't reply earlier as I haven't been on this forum for a while. I live in Shenzhen which is across the river from Hong Kong. Plenty of jobs teaching kids here. What kind of experience do you have?

Currently, I teach adults here so my connections are limited as to which schools to teach for children. Hope I can be of help to you.

I've dealt with Bryan in the past. He can get you a job in Taiwan but it won't be in the cities, especially Taiwan. More than likely he will place you in a small town or village an hour or two away from any major city. He has a mixed reputation if you read the posts on Dave's ESL Cafe. Be sure to ask as many questions as possible when dealing with him. Is your goal to teach grade school and/or children?

What kind of experience do you have? Shenzhen is a good choice, btw.

Hi Jim, sorry I didn't get back to you earlier. Been in Guangzhou to renew my passport and just got back today. I will write a thread about renewing passports for American citizens. Not as painful as I thought.

I really wish the forum here had a PM option or some way to contact fellow students directly. Perhaps the powers-that-be at GTC are reading our posts about this.

Here's my email : frostspeed@gmail.com

I've discovered that teaching without a degree in China is more commonplace than I expected but don't come to China trying to land a job without a Z visa. Some cities will require that you go back to your home country to apply for a Z visa and you must have a job offer to obtain the visa. Other countries like Taiwan prefer to interview teachers face to face and you don't have all the visa hassles that you will find in China or Vietnam.

Donald makes several excellent points. Boredom can be a serious issue especially when you combine it with culture shock for a first time teacher (and experienced teachers too). It is important to have a reliable computer with internet access and a VPN if you want to access Facebook, Youtube, and Google. These sites are blocked and only sometimes you will be able to access Google without a VPN.

Other foreigners. I'm glad someone brought this up. It's tough sometimes to accept some of the customs and manners in China that we find very strange or even offensive in Western countries. ANYONE bold enough to make a move to China should prepare themselves as much as possible for this. However, I can accept or look beyond many of the cultural differences but some of the worst experiences I've had with people in China are not the Chinese. It is other foreigners.

So many foreigners are drunks or just looking for a good time with the local girls. This lifestyle has given many foreigners a bad rap even if you are not a drinker or skirt chaser. My advice is to be VERY careful which foreigners you choose to hang with because they will GREATLY affect your reputation with the students and local population. Making friends with your students in China is a great way to overcome culture shock, understand Chinese people better, and make your overall experience a positive one.

Just my two cents here.

I understand a little of the frustration the OP has about life in China but his experience seems very extreme. Despite his poor grammar and spelling, he is entitled to his opinion. IMO, I think he had a bad case of culture shock. Almost every person who moves to China (or any foreign country) will experience this.

Is his experience the norm? No. Are some of his experiences and grievances valid? Yes. China is certainly not for the faint at heart. It takes special people to come here, take in a new culture, new language, new way of life, and still do a good job. Teaching is not the easiest profession and teaching in China can be a miserable experience if you're not prepared.

I live in Shenzhen and my experience has been a rollercoaster ride but I've had more ups than downs. Living near Hong Kong has certainly helped and I TOTALLY enjoy my day trips to HK once a month to get a dose of Western life and culture. I'm not sure how I would handle living in the interior of China, especially, a large, cold city in the north of China or western China. So I am curious to know where the OP lived and which school he worked for.

Is China a place with no human values? That is another subject entirely!

Hi Mardy
Sorry to hear about the loss of your sister. I'm sure that was not an easy thing to go through. Send me an email and I can tell you what to bring (and the things I wish I brought with me before I left the USA). Here's my email : frostspeed@gmail.com.
Let me know if you have any other questions as well.
Dale

Depends where you are in China. You are in Tianjin. Despite the heavy pollution, Tianjin is a decent, first-tier city. I'm in Shenzhen and some of the teachers here are making 150 to 250 rmb/hr. One teacher I know was recently offered 8000 rmb/month to give private lessons to a wealthy businessman. That is not the norm but those opportunities do exist.

Shoot for 250 rmb/hr but expect about 150 - 200 rmb/hr.