China calling

Comment

Comment by David Charnaud on May 23, 2013 at 7:45pm

Hi Marie,

My name's David - I worked in Beijing for 2 years 2002-04.

I don't know too much about the job market specifically in the south, but I can definitely say that I don't believe that age will hinder you in finding a position in China, and that 2 years of experience is a massive help - it puts you far ahead of most of the pack. Where there are age restrictions on a Chinese job advert, my understanding is that this is for visa reasons - you'll find the Chinese way more respectful of age and experience than we in the west tend to be. With your CELTA and 2 years of teaching under your belt, you could look at university-level positions (as long as you also have a 4-year degree yourself - visa reasons again), or if you feel confident enough to guide newer teachers, maybe an academic manager position within one of the big chains (EF being the largest). If you really wanted to be serious about the latter, then I'd strongly suggest taking the Delta before heading out, then the foreign chain schools would be falling over themselves to hire you in a senior position.

Teaching in China is a great idea - good luck with the application process and let me know if you have any other questions (I might not usually quite so fast to reply!!)

Best,

David

Comment by Marie Christina Manna on May 23, 2013 at 7:33pm

Hello,
I'm thinking of teaching in China within the next few years so would love to hear peoples' experiences both job searching and of course, teaching and living in China. I'm particularly interested in Yunnan Province if anyone has information about jobs/job hunting there.
But first I have a basic question: Will it be difficult for me to get a job in China since I am 60 years old and have been teaching for 2 years? Sometimes I've seen job postings with an age limit.
Thanks,
Marie

Comment by David Charnaud on May 25, 2012 at 2:08pm

Hi David, that's a shame - hard luck.

I had a friend work at Wall Street in China - they treat you well and the pay is good. Make sure you do a bit of drilling in your demo lesson and wear a suit for your interview.

Good luck!

Comment by David Palsgrove on May 25, 2012 at 1:53pm

First job offer fell through. Previous teacher signed on for another year. I'm still looking. I have a demo lesson with Wall Street. I'm planning on presenting a CELTA lesson. Only 20 minutes over Skype, should be fun. A few other leads and interviews coming up. Getting antsy.

Comment by David Charnaud on May 7, 2012 at 9:04am

Hi David - wow, sounds like a nice contract. Well, teaching in a communicative way to a class of 60 who are used to a more traditional form of teaching will certainly be tough, so I wouldn't go into it thinking you could take a totally CELTA-like approach.

However, you can certainly combine elements of the communicative approach to a more teacher-led style (so small groups and pairwork, a communicative, context-led approach to lessons, focus on meaning, tolerance for errors and use of delayed error correction). But you will have to be prepared that this will be a new experience for the learners and so a) there will be a need for learner training and b) you will need patience.

Remember that you can probably do things like start small-group communication sessions or English corners outside the regular scheduled sessions.

Best

David

Comment by David Palsgrove on May 4, 2012 at 5:47pm

Just got a job offer at a public University in China. The want me to teach only 2 3hour classes a week at full time pay. The classes have 60 students each. Can you teach ESL to a group this large?

Comment by David Charnaud on April 2, 2012 at 10:50am

HI David, good to hear from you and yes, I think lots of people would be interested in how your search goes.

Your point is a good one and applies worldwide - many jobs go unposted, with the public sector jobs as well as private sector positions in the most desirable destinations being the least likely to be listed. So direct contact does work, as does being in the destination of your choice.

Also, suggest you add www.tefl.com to your list of websites (of course, as well as the job board on this website).

Good luck with the job search and keep us posted.

David

Comment by David Palsgrove on April 1, 2012 at 8:24pm

I've been looking at 3 websites for job postings:
www.anesl.com, best layout
www.eslcafe.com
www.classifiedpost.com

but I've heard that most job openings go unposted. The best way to find a job is to perhaps find a list of public colleges and send your resume to both the English department, and the Foreign Affairs offices. I'll let you know how my search comes along. I've just began.
David

Comment by David Charnaud on March 5, 2012 at 6:52pm

Anyone thinking of going to work in China? Check out this video presentation from Gold Star TEFL recruitment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXutJCg40FI&feature=youtu.be

Comment by David Charnaud on March 5, 2012 at 1:27pm

Hello China fans,

Tomorrow, Tuesday March 6 at 4.30, there will be a recruiter from EF China - one of the world's largest language schools coming into Teaching House New York to meet current CELTA candidates and past graduates to talk about opportunities in China. All welcome, please come directly to room 543 at St John's University.

See you then!

David

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page