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Post by tusker on May 14, 2006 23:17:09 GMT 7
good-evening all, and happy mother's day to you and yours.
i needs me some advice...
in august my current 1-year contract will expire. my school (EF) is offering me a 2nd year, but i'm not sure if i'll be taking it. i need a change of environment. anyone who's ever been to nanchang will understand.
like many of you here, i was all excited about this job with Dr. Paul's. I even went to Qingdao during the May holiday and visited the school. that no longer seems like an option, though. so here i am, with 3 months to plan my next move and no idea where to go or what schools to look into. this is where you people come in.
what, in your opinions, are the most ideal cities in china? qingdao seems pretty effing cool. and then there's sanya (although the pay in hainan seems to be quite low). i've heard good things about guilin and hangzhou too. i'm sure i'm missing some places...
I'm not too crazy about them big chinese mega-cities where the cost of living is about the same as back home (toronto). i like the more medium-sized places.
as far as the job goes, all i'm asking for is between 6500-7500 RMB a month, plus medical, airfare and housing. i didn't think it would be too hard to find something that fits this description, but it is proving an impossible task (unless i want to work 40 + hrs a week). anyone have any leads???
sorry if this is posted in the wrong spot. i'm new here. please forgive me this one time.
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Post by Raoul Duke on May 15, 2006 6:15:20 GMT 7
Hey Tusker,
You're fine. If something does get misposted we just move it and go on; means nothing.
I can definitely understand wanting to get out of Nanchang! I'm also no fan of EF although we'd be interested in hearing your impression of the place. Some schools actually seem to be cleaning up their acts...
All the cities you listed are great. Let me add Suzhou and its major suburbs- Wuxi and Shanghai. I'm also very fond of Dalian up in the Northeast.
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Post by Dragonsaver on May 15, 2006 6:24:55 GMT 7
All the cities you listed are great. Let me add Suzhou and its major suburbs- Wuxi and Shanghai. I'm also very fond of Dalian up in the Northeast. Hey Boss Do they heat the classrooms in Dalian? I might have some interest from a Uni there. Sending my CV right now. |
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woza17
SuperDuperBarfly! 
Posts: 2,203
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Post by woza17 on May 15, 2006 10:36:41 GMT 7
Hey DS
They heat up the classrooms and the apartments in Dalian, lovely place.
Hey Tusky.
I went to Nanchang 3 years ago it has to be the ugliest city I have seen in China. Tell us a bit more about EF in Nanchung hours and pay that sort of thing.
I work in a big city so I can't help you there.
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Post by tusker on May 15, 2006 12:44:11 GMT 7
i've been in nanchang since august. the guide books basically say nothing of it, so i had no idea what to expect. i just wanted out of toronto so i took the first job i found. it's not the nicest city, that's for sure, but it has its charm.
to me, cities like Nanchang embody the REAL china. there's next-to-no tourism here, so what you see is what you get. it's not like beijing how they're so concerned with the olympics that they have 99 year old ladies sweeping up rubbish on the street. nanchang is REAL...if that's good or bad, i don't know. but yeah, it is quite dirty. after a week in qingdao i realized how filthy nanchang is. it's a little disturbing.
before coming here i read-up on EF and found that they have a terrible reputation in China. i was nervous. i didn't know what to expect. i can honestly say, though, that EF Nanchang is a great school. true, it's the only school i've worked for, so i have nothing to compare it to. but they have always treated me well. whenever i have a problem, they see to it promptly. my bosses are kind; the chinese staff are helpful and friendly; the students, for the most part, are respectful and energetic. of course, there are some bad things too. like all private schools, it's a business first. the money is more important that then students learning. we're basically told to pass everyone, regardless of their english level (if we fail a student, their parents will LOSE FACE!! then they might not enroll again next term! oh no!!). and our marketing department is next to useless. we're often required to take part in the most ridiculous promotional campaigns. but no job is perfect. it's hard to complain about a job where you work 20 hours a week and make about 5 times what the average local makes.
every EF school is different. i've heard some awful things from people who used to work there in different provinces. it all depends on who owns the school. EF nanchang is a decent place to pass the time...if they were willing to offer more than 6000 a month i'd gladly stay here another year.
anyone who wants to know more can get in touch with me.
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Post by Raoul Duke on May 15, 2006 14:35:50 GMT 7
Hmph. Yeah, sounds like EF, all right. Hmph.
A little curious...you did the legwork, you knew EF was dodgy...why did you go ahead and take the job anyway?
Anyway, hope it's all behind you soon...
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Post by tusker on May 15, 2006 15:11:13 GMT 7
i figured that if i came here and the job turned out to be total pooe, i'd just leave. i have friends in korea, so i could have gone there. worst case scenario: i get an extended vacation in china while i figure out what happens next.
also, after a month of e-mails and phone calls with the DoS, i decided that this particular EF wasn't so bad. my initial instincts have proven to be spot-on. the whole Students Pass Regardless thing is annoying, but who cares really.
i know now what to look for when applying for work, what questions to ask, what to avoid, etc. i just don't know WHERE to look. there are so many jobs here it's hard to find what you want. needle in a haystack, etc.
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woza17
SuperDuperBarfly!
Posts: 2,203
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Post by woza17 on May 15, 2006 16:42:03 GMT 7
That's how I felt about Wuhan, not everyones cup of tea but I really liked it .
Good luck, I do like your attitude.
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Post by masuk39 on May 15, 2006 18:24:57 GMT 7
Well, I worked with EF for three years in Indonesia, and found that one school was great, and one was ghastly. It depends so much on the directors/owners. I don't know if China runs the same sort of ship, but if those at the top forget that it's the teachers who do the work, interface with the kids, create activities and so on, and give them crap pay, poor housing (if any at all), then they can't really expect any sort of teacher loyalty.
Seems EF China is the same in some ways, such as being 'fair' in marking exams, as management wants them to return next semester.
Although I much prefer professional student and teacher books such as Headway or Cutting Edge, with varied accents from all over the English speaking world, (compared to fake accents in the EF tapes) they're not ALL bad.
I recently decided to bite the bullet and do some more teaching with EF in either Java or China, but am now told I'm too old!
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Post by Raoul Duke on May 15, 2006 19:59:13 GMT 7
What Masuk describes seems to be the general EF pattern, but China seems to have the worst rep of any of its operating areas. Ostensibly well-meaning top management sells franchises to local corrupt, incompetent, baijiu-swilling buttheads, then runs away to bank, laughing a tinkly, carefee laugh. The local buttheads have all the local control, and are rarely concerned with happy teachers or straight-up schools.
Tusker, you're lucky...things coulda been a lot worse for you. The DoS is a person whose very job it is to lie to teachers and help them understand that Everything Is Fine. (I've been a DoS myself...) Correspond privately with current and former teachers if you want the real skinny on a place.
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Post by tusker on May 15, 2006 21:23:58 GMT 7
masuk,
if you're interested in nanchang, i could hook you up with our DoS's e-mail address. as far as i know there's no age limit at our school. we have one aussie full-timer who's in his mid-late 40s and a part-timer who's about the same age. in the past we've employed many older teachers. i know they're already looking for replacements for me and the two other teachers who will be leaving in october.
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Post by Dr. Gonzo on May 16, 2006 2:56:24 GMT 7
Tusker, Guilin's a good place. I was there for 2 years. Salaries are small city level; low, but then so's the cost of living. Nanning, further south, seems to pay more. We've got a member currently there.
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Post by Mark FJ on May 20, 2006 18:35:32 GMT 7
i kinda know the Ef nanchang boos- he's my father.
i'll pass on the nice things above and anyone who wants more info should email him.
he is a nice guy.
on EF we should now note there are 2 Efs in China.
1. like above the franchises that we all know about.
2. shanghai/beijing and guangdong EF are centralised and called 'smart schools'
here they have 'life class' no passing without doing anything, the classes are 5-6 people. computer added learning takes place B4 anyone can go to the classes! great in my experience.
students pay a lot for one year which motivates them to study often and harder.
sadly the EF management dont want to role out this format to elsewhere. cost wouldnt make it accessible in most cities anyway.
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Post by Jollyjunklass on Jun 4, 2006 8:31:07 GMT 7
I would suggest Gulin also, I go there often to get away from here. But as Gonzo says the pay is so so. Actually of all the provinces and cities I have looked at the pay in Guilin has been the worst so far. So it bcomes an issue of wanted to sacrifice pay for location.
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