Teaching in China for just a few months?

December 12, 2006 9:50 AM

I'd like to teach English in China, but only for a couple months.

I studied in Beijing in 1992, I taught English in Taiwan from 1996 to 2004 and I'm fluent in (Taiwanese-flavored) Mandarin. I'd really like to get back to the Mainland, though, especially Beijing, which I miss a lot. And I'd like to see how it's all changed in the 14 years since I've been away.

I'd like to find an EFL school that will allow me to get back there for a few months, hopefully enough to save up a bit of money to go traveling before coming back to the US. Ideally, I'd like a school that'd pay for my plane ticket and housing, because I'm pretty much broke right now. I'd like to go before the Olympics are over, too. But most importantly, I want a school that's reputable and honest, and one that won't force me to use terrible or trendy pedagogy.

Thanks!

posted by jiawen to education (8 comments total)

Wow. I think you are asking for too much. Being fluent and experienced will help a lot, but willingness to stay just a few months is going to preclude you from most of the good jobs.

I can only imagine how much things have changed since 1992. I first visited in 02, and its a huge difference in just 4.5 years. There are just so many more foreigners there now.

Check out thatsbj.com, there are hundreds and hundreds of ads for jobs, that you'd be qualified or over-qualified for--most of them crap. But some good ones to be had, and I'm sure if you keep your eye out for a few weeks, you'll find something good enough. Good luck!
posted by bluejayk at 10:48 AM on December 12, 2006

My brother went to teach English in China last summer. Along with a number of other college kids, he paid for his travel and living expenses, and worked essentially for free. The company that organized his travel and teaching is based in Taiwan, so you may want to check with your old employer.

Given the roughly 8:1 exchange rate, your best bet is to get a job in the states, save up your dollars, and then go on a cheap vacation in China. Going to China to earn money strikes me as bizarre.
posted by b1tr0t at 11:37 AM on December 12, 2006

It's actually not bizarre. A good teacher with good connections can easily make $1,500 a month take-home. Rent for a decent apartment can be $150-300 a month, living expenses practically nothing if you give up western food.

In America, taxes, car, car insurance, and the higher cost of just about everything really eat into ones saving ability. Saving $1000 a month is no sweat here (China) if you have a good job and are frugal.

I'm not sure what the specific exchange rate has to do with it. The exchange rate for the yen is about 100:1, but nobody would say its cheap to live in Japan.
posted by bluejayk at 11:51 AM on December 12, 2006

No one is going to sponsor travel and housing for only working a few months. Beijing has the 2nd highest cost of living in China (next to HK).

If you can, go back to Taiwan and teach there.
posted by mphuie at 12:40 PM on December 12, 2006

My first job in Korea, back in '96, was a parachute job exactly like this. Presumably someone did a midnight run at the school in question, and they needed a fill-in, immediately. I was broke in Canada after a round-the-worlder over the previous two years. They had me in Korea teaching less than a week after I found the job on the net -- they paid for my ticket, and it was a 4-month gig, after I which I bailed to Cancun for 8 months on the proceeds.

Point being: it's possible, or it was a decade ago. The catch being: although I didn't know it at the time, I was working illegally, even though they got me the correct E-2 visa. Technically, the minimum length of contract that could be offered at that time was 1 year. Presumably they lied to immigration and paid a few bribes to smooth things over.

The experience was good enough that I came back and worked at the same place for a couple of years after Mexico, before moving to Australia, then coming back to Korea a few years later and moving up the ESL food chain.

If the industry in China today is anything like it was in Korea a decade ago (and continues to be today, for the most part), you'll be be hard-pressed to find a school that's entirely 'reputable and honest', but the good news is that most of them couldn't care less about your methods, as long as you keep the students coming (and, more importantly, paying).

ESLcafe.com (on the offchance you don't know about it) is the canonical resource for job hunters, particularly for Korea, but there are lots of jobs for China there. Check the forums as well -- a cesspool of scum and villainy (at the least the Korean ones), but fairly heavy with useful info.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:57 PM on December 12, 2006

Oh, god has it changed. You will not recognize it! You, like my wife (who's had a very smilar timeline), may not like the changes.

The problem with your plan is that most schools, particularly the legitimate ones, are only going to pay for your plane ticket and housing if you sign a one year contract. There are plenty of places once you get here, but unless you sign that contract they aren't going to fork over for the extras.

I will check into a couple more leads for you though and will post back any updates.
posted by Pollomacho at 6:17 PM on December 12, 2006

OK, here's the update, but I'm afraid it's bad news. As I suspected, everyone I talked to wants that magical one-year contract before they will pay for travel or housing or both. Sorry.
posted by Pollomacho at 6:37 PM on December 17, 2006

I know this is an old thread, but for future readers I'd thought I'd add my two cents as a recruiter in China:

My own company pays up to $600 of airfare for every six months you're here. Except in very rare cases where someone is very qualified and really can't afford the ticket, you pay for the ticket up front. You get reimbursed after six months. Your flight home is paid for by the company. Our company provides housing for anyone working for us. I think this is a pretty standard offer here, but sometimes you deal with companies who don't quite get what a contract really implies.

Airfare reimbursements act as security deposits. The typical profile of a TEFL teacher in Asia is someone who's very open to new possibilities... including switching companies, countries, or even going back home after three weeks. The issue is a lot of foreign teachers don't have a strong sense of commitment and responsibility so devices like this need to be set up.

People come here because they don't know what else to do. Not in a bad sense, but when options at home just aren't that attractive and you want to see the world but you don't want to be a tourist and you want a light but meaningful workload... well, TEFL work looks like a bright star at that point.

When that's your basis for moving across the globe, job expectations and such can change quickly. New [or old] desires in a new land draw you to new opportunities, even though you've signed up for a set amount a time. That's our counterweight at that point, "OK, that's cool you want to study meditation in Tibet or you met a really cool go-go girl in Bangkok last month, but if you want that bonus and airfare back home paid for (~$1600), sit down and chill for another few months and get through the end of the semester."

My direct answer to this question would be to look at city-specific job/nightlife websites and find a company or school with a high paying salary (and it'll likely come with a high workload too, 25 classes or more a week) and negotiate. Maybe pay for half the airfare, or have them reimburse on arrival. One of my friends found a connection in town that paid for a round-trip ticket back to London before he even started work. Being in-country helps a lot.
posted by trinarian at 1:45 AM on May 13, 2007