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| 1 |
Teaching contracts
are usually 12 months total term |
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1 |
Some available for
six months, but often only half airfare paid. |
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2 |
Some of other duration,
like a few months, - basically only for teachers
living here; or for summer camps |
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3 |
Chinese multi-lingual
teaching assistants will be provided as required
(Standard) |
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4 |
Year begins end of
August, with final exams in early July |
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5 |
You will be expected
to prepare lessons yourself (With guidance of
course), and you will usually pay for any personal
teaching props yourself (Badges or stickers for
Kindergarten kids, etc) |
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| 2 |
Hours: |
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1 |
16 to 20 hours per
week |
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1 |
Hours worked teaching can be
excellent or very awkward (OK in Kindergarten,
Primary school, and University usually) |
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2 |
A bad version is teaching 8pm
to 10pm 5 nights a week + 4 hours Saturday am
and again 4 hours Sunday pm. Be careful here |
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3 |
A good environment will see a
structured language teaching program: classes
taught during a normal working day (8am to 5pm);
probably only 4 days teaching per week , and all
week-ends off. |
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2 |
1 month Chinese National
Holidays (Approx.) |
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3 |
Main UK holidays
also |
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Remember Chinese
do not celebrate Christmas (Although it is very
popular), so school terms do not have a UK type
2-week break here. They go straight through to
National holiday for Chinese New Year (Usually
the beginning of February) |
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5 |
The last month is
often paid as a bonus in lieu of teaching = 1
month off |
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You are most likely
to finish a month before this anyway = 2 months
off |
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| 3 |
Payment: Between
Y 6 K and Y 20 K per month, paid for 11 months
+ 1 month as bonus |
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1 |
Plan for earning
between Y6K and Y8K per month, as the top salaries
are long gone, and go to fully qualified or vocational
teachers with experience of teaching in China
(Usually with a Chinese language to conversation
level also) |
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2 |
You can consider
this pocket money, as jobs are all fully-found.
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3 |
You cannot equate
this money into UK £'s, as the cost of living
here is very different. |
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I can. Take the monthly remuneration
stated in Y (RMB) and add a zero. This is roughly
equal to gross annual salary in UK |
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2 |
Average wage for a city centre
waitress is around Y800 per month |
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| 4 |
Contracts |
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Universities will
honour any contract |
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Schools, especially
in towns or privately owned may 'Tweak' them slightly |
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3 |
Some bad agencies
and employers will rip up a contract, not pay
all wages and perks etc. Be careful! |
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| 5 |
Perks and Package: |
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Return air fare -
conditional: |
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Often paid as lump sum at end
of teaching (Month 11) |
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Some places cap this (Say £400
= you can beat this price for a return air ticket,
but difficult). Important you know all the small
print here, especially any capped total amount
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3 |
6 month contract may include
only half airfare |
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A private company or bad agency
will keep this money for the Boss, and you get
nothing! I have known a bad Boss physically rip
up an Australian teachers contract when she complained |
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5 |
When coming to China, you must
have a return air ticket, otherwise no visa. That
simple!
It can be very difficult to book this length of
ticket with an airline, or even a return leg for
next year |
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2 |
Accommodation |
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1 |
Free accommodation in modern
fully furnished apartment (Bedroom, large lounge/diner,
kitchen, bathroom, balcony |
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Equipment includes everything
- pots and pans, bedding, fans, TV and either
satellite or cable, free internet connection in
lounge. Everything - move straight in and use
immediately
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Free electricity, gas, water,
building maintenance, security, telephone (local
mobile usually) |
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Often the only exception is Air-conditioning
charges (Electricity is very expensive in China) |
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3 |
Food. |
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You will normally be offered
free, typical Chinese school meals. These are
fine, nutritious, filling, and basic. They will
not be remotely like Chinese food as served in
UK. You may have a problem with eating this food
all of the time? Staff and students eat the same
food in the same places, together |
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4 |
Excursions |
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The better establishments will
have cultural excursions which you are encouraged
to join |
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Zhaoqing University has about
one dozen foreign teachers on campus, and offers
occasional special excursions just for them |
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5 |
Visa |
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You need a work permit type visa
to earn money in China. This is called a Z Visa |
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Arrange your teaching officially
via an official state University or school before
you leave your home country. They will arrange
for your Z Visa |
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In practice, this is normally
done after you get to China, meaning you come
over on a short term Tourist 'L' Visa initially |
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They will pay for your visa (Reimburse
charges) |
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| 6 |
Chinese Language |
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1 |
Being able to speak
Chinese is not normally a requirement for Foreign
teachers |
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You will be offered
free Chinese language lessons on University campus,
and be greatly encouraged to learn |
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3 |
This is Mandarin |
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1 |
In Guangdong you may also elect
to learn Cantonese instead; or in Shanghai, Shanghainese;
etc |
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To deal with any
officials you need to know Mandarin |
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5 |
Computers. To type
Chinese characters using a normal keyboard, you
will need to know the English spelling of Mandarin
sounds, which is called 'pinyin'. Then you will
have to select the right character from dozens,
or even hundreds! |
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| 7 |
Peers |
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Other Foreign teachers
are usually from: UK, USA, Canada or Australia |
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2 |
Chinese teaching
staff will treat you with great respect, protect
newcomers without their knowledge, and many speak
English |
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| 8 |
1 -2-1 and Private
Teaching |
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1 |
Normally it will
not be long before you are asked to take extra
private tuition classes. These are usually 2 hour
evening classes (8 to 10pm) during weekdays. These
are either general English, or cramming month
before important exams (Passing English - it is
a Core Subject) |
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2 |
Consider teaching
individuals at their home, called 'one to one'
or '1-2-1'. |
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3 |
Going rate per hour
in Foshan is currently in excess of Y200 per hour |
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4 |
Privately owned language
schools will also be after you, similar remuneration
for teaching a class of diverse ages from the
Company approved textbook( s) |
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| 9 |
Consider: |
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Is the English you
are teaching, the equivalent of the Chinese you
would necessarily want to learn? |
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2 |
Some people are paying
the Private Chinese Education Company 67% of their
monthly disposable income - just to have you teaching
them English |
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| 10 |
Your Role - You are
an Ambassador for the English Language, your Country,
and your Culture |
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