ESL Jobs Forum

[soothsayer]

Hello, I am writing this as a favor to someone who would like me to relay to him personal experiences of people who have
taught in China. I would also appreciate any other relevant information or tips that may not be covered in the following
questions.

What school did you teach in? What schools are recommended in China?

What were the accomodations like? Were they honest to what you were promised ahead of time?

What was the work enviroment like, co-workers, atmosphere, etc?

What was the transporation situation?

Was there a reliable airport pickup?

What was the total number hours of preparation and paper work time above paid teaching hours?

What was the pay like? What percentage of tax comes off of the wage?

What is the cost of food and entertainment like?

Was medical insurance covered?

What was the communication abilities like?



Thanks to any respondents, you can also email me at oneworldorder@hotmail.com if you would like.

[TESOLman]

To answer your questions:

1. I taught for AES in Dalian and Bond Language Institute in Zhongshan. I would recommend AES, but definitely not Bond.

2. In both cases the accommodations where as promised.

3. The environment in both cases was great among the other teachers but cool between the management staff and the foreign teachers.

4. In Dalian we had to find our own transportation to and from school which wasn't a big problem. In Zhongshan the school had drivers who picked us (when they remembered).

5. Aiorport transportation was relaible in both places for me. Many teachers at Bond complained about the lack of coordination between the school and getting picked up. I think part of the problem was the Zhongshan does not have an airport and most teachers came from Hong Kong by ferry.

6. For me, prep time was about 50% of the teaching time. For example, if a class was 2 hours, the prep time usually took 1 hour.

7. AES paid 6000RMB in 2002. Bond paid different amount to different teachers. I was paid 5600RMB. Nothing was deducted for income tax. The pay was net of taxes.

8. The cost of food and entertainment was cheap. Of course, it depends on your lifestyle. The cost of living in China is about 25% of that in Canada.

9. Medical insurance was available if you are under 55.

10. Not sure what you are referring to here when you mention commmunications...communications in general like telephone, TV, Internet..or communications between the school management and the teachers.

Hope this helps somebody.