Work during two months

October 27, 2009 3:14 PM

I have a friend attending school in China (studying traditional Tibetan medicine) who needs something to do in mid-December to mid-February when the campus shuts down. He can't work in China, but he would like to earn money somewhere, somehow. But how? and where?

To give an idea of his background, he has a Bachelor's from an Ivy League school, and besides English, he speaks French and Chinese. Generally hard-working, certainly friendly.

He tells me he's open to just about anything, as long as he nets some income at the end of the interim.

The first thing that comes to mind is teaching English in Japan or Korea, since he's already in the area, although I'm not sure what positions would be open, given he'd be available for only two months.

posted by Busoni to work & money (4 comments total)

I'm not sure about tourism that time of the year, but could he be a guide for vacationers? This would put his Chinese language skills to use as well.
posted by elder18 at 3:57 PM on October 27

Each year, English schools in Korea, Taiwan, and such, seek short-term teachers for winter camps, and since your friend has a bachelor's, he's probably more than qualified. Check out the job posting boards at Dave's ESL Cafe. Of course, since it's short-term, you'll be harder-pressed to find things like airfare included in the compensation, so you might not come away from it with too much saved.

(I've never actually taught abroad, though I know people who have, and I've looked into it pretty closely. The standard warnings of mismanagement, bureaucracy, schools placing more importance on the fact that potential hires are white than on whether they're competent, and so on, apply. Also, the forums on the aforementioned site seem to be pretty valuable for more information.)
posted by SpringAquifer at 4:19 PM on October 27

Not like I'm advocating breaking Chinese law, but the "no working" provision of student visas was something I never saw enforced. I went to China on a student visa, "wasn't allowed to work", and ended up teaching for cash on the side....at a public school, of all places. Almost every other student I know did the same thing. I think the need for english-teachers vastly outweighs the visa provisions. I was in Jiangsu province.

My suggestion would just be to find a teaching job in an interesting city that pays cash, and works by informal agreement, which is...most of them. Very easy to get in large cities. If your friend wants suggestions for places in Suzhou or Shanghai, MeMail me.

If he's intent on doing it properly, I Second SpringAquifier's suggestion. ESL camps in Korea and Japan are well aware that there are many "winter break" expats who want a change of scenery and a paying job, and have capitalized on this market by hiring them to teach at camps during the break. These companies usually don't pay airfare though, so your friend might only break even. Dave's ESL cafe is a great place to look.

SpringAquifer hit it on the head though: the real credentials you need are skin-color, not a degree. My German friend (not a native English speaker) was landing jobs left and right, while my half-asian (American) girlfriend had trouble finding work.
posted by HabeasCorpus at 5:17 PM on October 27

It's been years, thankfully, since I did any English teaching, but there's plenty of demand right here in China, and as HabeasCorpus said, the 'no working' provision of student visas never gets enforced. If he's leery about going to work for a school, he might also consider just doing one-on-one tutoring, which pays better on an hourly basis.
posted by bokane at 8:25 PM on October 27