Dear Joshwa,
Do not only consider going to China, do it. It is an amazing part of
the world, changing very fast. I'm part of that change and feel very
much excited by it, every day.
Do not let any Japanese experiences deter you. Japan is quite a
different place from China. Chinese tend to be proud of their country,
are certainly nationalistic, but also very earger to learn -
especially English. But underneat that layer of proudness, they are
also rather unsure, more than the Japanese. Chinese see their country
changing every day and nobody has a real clue what is going to happen
tomorrow. Chinese tend to be rather self-oriented: they try to get the
best out of it for themselves. But who can blame them for that.
They are rather curious about the outside world. Prepare for many
hours of questioning.
Quality of the language training is an issue. Best thing is to go to
Beijing (I'm living in SHanghai so have no first hand information on
Beijing) and take a month to check it out. Many universities offer
English language courses, offer free housing and a good surrounding to
get familiar to China.
Largest foreign language training provider is English First. You can
check them out at http://www.englishfirst.org/
Upcoming force is also Wall Street
(http://www.wallstreetinstitute.com/content.cfm?pg=about&BAPid=11#277)
They employ more marketing people than teachers, but that might be an
opportunity anyway.
New oriental is large in training for tests like GMAT and TOEFL, but
they only have a site in Chinese, unfortunately:
http://www.neworiental.org/
You are not very specific about your qualification in other fields,
but I would not worry too much. Go for a month (if that is possible
and build up your network. A growing number of Chinese companies is
looking for foreigners to help them to enter the global market. There
is a great need for good photographers and in the IT, you might have
to compete with many Chinese engineers, so it depends here really on
your qualifications.
Good luck and go for it.
Cheers,
Fons |
Request for Answer Clarification by
joshwa-ga
on
11 Jun 2002 07:23 PDT
While I have heard "just go and you'll find something" quite a bit
from lots of other people, that's not really a sufficient answer for
my purposes-- I am in the position of having to convince my parents
that this is an OK thing to do. In other words, I need to have a job
lined up before I get on a plane.
Perhaps I should have been more explicit in my question:
--More details about a typical english teaching job?
--A slightly longer list of companies (with correct links-- you got
english first's wrong), with more practical differences from a
teacher's perspective
--A more practical explanation of how to get a non-teaching job in
China, including lists of employment agencies, brokers, etc.
-- more detail on how my experience could translate into jobs in
china: I don't have a B.A. How does that impact the situation? I know
many teaching programs require one. I have 1 year of college behind
me, and one year of working experience as a programmer on Wall St. In
all the fields I mentioned above with the exception of photography,
I'd be looking at basic entry-level positions (jr programmer, best boy
grip/gaffer, cust. service associate). As a photographer I can hold my
own doing low-end commercial, portrait, news, event, etc.
Sorry I wasn't specific enough. I am sure that there is a good reason
people say "just do it;" unfortunately that doesn't get me very far
while I'm still in the West.
Thanks,
--Josh
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Clarification of Answer by
fons-ga
on
11 Jun 2002 09:12 PDT
Hi Joshwa,
Let's first get the link clear. Please try also
http://teachers.net/jobs/jobboard/abroad/
They give also good access to jobs at English First, but also a whole
set of different opportunities. To be honest: some of them look pretty
dodgy, but most likely you are not going to get it better. The site is
anyway a good starting point also for other information you did not
ask.
I understand that trying to convincing your parents is going to be the
hard thing. The important thing is that you are sure yourself about
what you want and I can only try to help you by giving some fair
information.
While I stick to my optimism about making a living as an English
teacher in Beijing, do not expect that things are neatly organized
over there. There are no strict standards for what is being taught,
they will differ from institution to institution, even from day to
day. What makes life both interesting and challenging is that you have
to set your own course. The most likely reaction you will get from the
online sources is (when they would give one) is: come over and let's
try.
The (admittedly limited) list I got from my teaching friends here. Do
not expect much more help through the Internet.
Traditionally the way to find other jobs is go to a bar and hang
around, ask questions, look for openings. That might not sound very
attractive, but that is how the labor market works here.
Please forget about employment agencies in China: they do not exist
for foreigners. This country is not as well organized as the US.
What you can do is put adds up at some well-known web sites like:
http://www.thatsbeijing.com/default.htm
http://www.chinabiz.org/job/job.asp
But they work also better when you are already in the country.
Do not worry too much about your qualifications. While it would
certainly be helpful in getting a (better paid) job (especially at the
more established institutions) the need for English teachers is so
large that being a native English speaker is quite enough to get
employment.
What you need now is a strategy. Setting behind your computer is a
good start, but it is better to just come over for a few months, as an
experiment. See if you like the people here, both the Chinese and the
foreigners. Try to make friends and start shopping around. You would
not be the first one to say, ok, this was a nice holiday, but i would
rather stay home. Give yourself that opportunity.
During that first orientation you will have to start making up your
mind: are you really going to look for a job, or are you just having a
holiday? Again: you have to do that here, you cannot do that from
behind your computer.
I would first go for a teaching job, since that offers the best
chances in your case. Focus only on non-teaching jobs when you are
here for some time, they might be harder to get.
One tip: when you are going to work in China, always ask who is going
to provide you with a visa. Visas are quite important and you do not
want to end up here as an illegal immigrant. When your future employer
does not give you a work visa, you will have to go to Hong Kong each
six months for a business visa.
I'm not sure if all this is enough to satisfy you or to convince your
parents. China is like the wild West in the United States in the past.
Maybe I was too enthusiastic in my first answer. Think good about your
strategy and do not hesitate to ask more questions.
Good luck,
Fons
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