|
I've said it before, EF in Tianjin (at least at two of the offices) is actually quite a good gig. I haven't done it but when people are switching there and have been there for multiple years and I know their bosses, I feel confident enough saying it's at least not terrible like some of you make it out to be.
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2013 16:38
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 14, 2024 16:20 |
|
|
truavatar posted:Maybe she's not real. Is she Canadian?
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2013 17:21
|
|
|
So how poorly regarded are Joy English "schools"? I work for one and have begun forming a distinct impression that ESL teaching here is kind of a big old joke played on everyone by nobody.
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2013 17:27
|
|
|
goldboilermark posted:I've said it before, EF in Tianjin (at least at two of the offices) is actually quite a good gig. I haven't done it but when people are switching there and have been there for multiple years and I know their bosses, I feel confident enough saying it's at least not terrible like some of you make it out to be. EF is a massive operation, basically they're an international marketing firm that happen to sell running English schools. Sometimes this works out well as someone with a general idea of management and business sense who gives a poo poo about education decides to take up with the model. Most of the time not so much and EF business practices and general marketing help keep someone that couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery in business. If you know one that's good and works well then it's fine to work at, the problem is more that most of them aren't good places to work, are strongly promoted by their parent company for hiring and have employment terms created by someone whose job was to craft a contract to keep unsuspecting white faces hanging around even after things have clearly gotten miserable. One guy I'm working with now left his job with EF in Indonesia not long after spending a day in jail following getting pulled in for working without an approved work visa because the boss didn't want to pay a bribe for their release for the first 24 hours or so.
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2013 19:28
|
|
|
I made this post in the TEFL thread in SAL but I just remembered this forum exists so might as well try here. I'm just gonna quote the original post basically:quote:Things seem to be accelerating kind of quickly for me so I think it's time to get some goon advice on TEFL and resurrect this thread. First, a little backstory: Since then I've had a few replies, which recommend getting CELTA certificates etc., and also to look at Shenzhen which I'm definitely going to have a think about. I've also narrowed down where my girlfriend's family lives - it's near Sha Tin train station, though up a mountain (she's not good with directions so I can't get a better answer than that). Really I'm just looking for any advice or suggestions you guys may have. I've also started reading Dave's ESL Cafe which has had some good information on it. Primarily I would prefer to teach kids (as that's what I want to do when I get back the UK) so anything you can tell me about that would be useful.
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2013 22:02
|
|
|
ZombieParts posted:I bought some taco sauce and don't know if there's anything basic I can put it on. I don't have access to wraps or even bread that isn't cake-like and sweet. What can you use delicious Old El Paso hot sauce on in China?
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2013 22:30
|
|
|
Japan/Okinawa makes something called Taco Rice, it's like a taco salad with rice on the bottom. Rice -> lettuce -> seasoned meat -> cheese -> sauce/salsa.
|
|
#
?
Nov 12, 2013 22:56
|
|
|
Ceciltron posted:a distinct impression that ESL teaching here is kind of a big old joke played on everyone by nobody. Welcome to Asia.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2013 01:29
|
|
|
ZombieParts posted:I bought some taco sauce and don't know if there's anything basic I can put it on. I don't have access to wraps or even bread that isn't cake-like and sweet. What can you use delicious Old El Paso hot sauce on in China? Scrambled eggs. RocknRollaAyatollah posted:Is she Canadian? I didn't think so, but I don't know what to believe anymore! 
truavatar fucked around with this message at 02:18 on Nov 13, 2013 |
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2013 02:04
|
|
|
EvilHawk posted:Since then I've had a few replies, which recommend getting CELTA certificates etc., and also to look at Shenzhen which I'm definitely going to have a think about. I've also narrowed down where my girlfriend's family lives - it's near Sha Tin train station, though up a mountain (she's not good with directions so I can't get a better answer than that). Really I'm just looking for any advice or suggestions you guys may have. I've also started reading Dave's ESL Cafe which has had some good information on it. Primarily I would prefer to teach kids (as that's what I want to do when I get back the UK) so anything you can tell me about that would be useful. Don't go to Shenzhen. That would be retarded. Just get some teaching certificates and some experience (at least home tutoring) before you show up in Hong Kong and you'll be golden. The Sha Tin area is very suburban and very much a place where middle class people raise families, so there's a huge proliferation of small mom-and-pop tutoring centers that cater mostly to young children (high schoolers tend to use the ridiculous SUPERSTAR exam-focused tutors). Some of them like to hire white people. Those that do tend to prefer British people. I actually live in Sha Tin district and taught at one of the aforementioned tutoring centers for a couple months as part of a visa scam. I'm still on good terms with the owner though so I could maybe hook you up, but you really won't need it. There's a ton of options and white teachers are in high demand. Especially if you can live with your girlfriend's family and therefore don't need a high salary to pay rent. Also let's hang out and be friends when you get here. See ya.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2013 04:58
|
|
|
ZombieParts posted:I bought some taco sauce and don't know if there's anything basic I can put it on. I don't have access to wraps or even bread that isn't cake-like and sweet. What can you use delicious Old El Paso hot sauce on in China? Buy some kidney beans and make a kidney bean heavy pseudo-chilli? You have to buy kidney beans though. And they need soaking and other forms of magic. Meh.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2013 05:07
|
|
|
Bloodnose posted:Don't go to Shenzhen. That would be retarded. Just get some teaching certificates and some experience (at least home tutoring) before you show up in Hong Kong and you'll be golden. The Sha Tin area is very suburban and very much a place where middle class people raise families, so there's a huge proliferation of small mom-and-pop tutoring centers that cater mostly to young children (high schoolers tend to use the ridiculous SUPERSTAR exam-focused tutors). Some of them like to hire white people. Those that do tend to prefer British people. Yeah, if you can avoid paying rent in Hong Kong then you've avoided the worst thing about it.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2013 06:09
|
|
|
RocknRollaAyatollah posted:Is she Canadian? Caberham is Canadian...  
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2013 11:12
|
|
|
Tom Smykowski posted:There is a private college that pays to use the name of the uni I work at, so it's Southwest Jiaotong University HOPE COLLEGE. Apparently the guy that started it has a bunch of private colleges around Sichuan and/or China. The reason he is famous, according to co-workers, is he was previously a criminal and spent time in jail. Then upon release he became an upstanding citizen and started opening schools. Also he became a millionaire. We're between the first and second ring road so still part of civilisation, but yeah there's not too much of interest around here. The music park (Eastern memory suburb or whatever the proper name is) is close by but it's always pretty empty which is a shame as it's quite a cool little place.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2013 11:26
|
|
|
ZombieParts posted:I bought some taco sauce and don't know if there's anything basic I can put it on. I don't have access to wraps or even bread that isn't cake-like and sweet. What can you use delicious Old El Paso hot sauce on in China? Do the supermarkets in your area not have Bimbo tortillas? Also, Mankattan High-Fiber Wheat Bread is, AFAIK, sugar-free. Dunno if that's a regional thing, though.
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2013 12:17
|
|
|
Bloodnose posted:Don't go to Shenzhen. That would be retarded. Just get some teaching certificates and some experience (at least home tutoring) before you show up in Hong Kong and you'll be golden. The Sha Tin area is very suburban and very much a place where middle class people raise families, so there's a huge proliferation of small mom-and-pop tutoring centers that cater mostly to young children (high schoolers tend to use the ridiculous SUPERSTAR exam-focused tutors). Some of them like to hire white people. Those that do tend to prefer British people. That sounds pretty good. Hopefully I can get some hookups with the family as well, just want enough money to live on really. I'll definitely get involved in some sort of HK Goon Meetup if/when I arrive though!
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2013 21:49
|
|
|
EvilHawk posted:That sounds pretty good. Hopefully I can get some hookups with the family as well, just want enough money to live on really. If you plan on teaching when you go home, too, be sure to get a legit ESL certification (as opposed to some random interne thing)--it'll be helpful later on, or at least is in the US system where specializations make your resume stick out. Also hold onto your lesson plans so you can reuse them in your portfolio!
|
|
#
?
Nov 13, 2013 23:48
|
|
|
Scramble up some eggs and smother them in that sauce.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 00:34
|
|
|
Hainan trip report With surfing still being a relatively new activity in China, the island of Hainan is one of only a few places in the country with a coastline that has been thoroughly explored by surfers. Most of the better-known waves are in the Rieyuwan area, although you can find spots further north and south as well depending on the conditions. The island is a popular holiday destination for Chinese tourists, but was far from crowded when I was down there from 30th November to 2nd December. I flew in from Shanghai to Sanya, with a return flight costing just over 1600RMB (although you can find cheaper flights than this). I was introduced to an Italian surfer (who has been living there for a few years) through a mutual friend of ours, and had arranged transport from Sanya airport to the nearby town of Houhai - little more than a village, really. Here myself and a friend stayed at the Sunshine Hotel, literally on the beachfront. It had more than we needed in the way of a cheap bar and restaurant (read: kitchen) downstairs, wifi that could be accessed from the lobby and bar (my friend had to work, and managed to get everything done with a cold Tsingtao and slow but steady Internet access), and it was a couple of blocks' walk from the main street where we found a range of small restaurants and shops. This was first and foremost a surfing trip for the two of us, and the waves were pretty small the day we arrived, so my buddy rented a longboard for 150RMB for the day and we surfed the beachbreak right out front of the hotel. Our host and his wife were surfing too, and we took a walk around the town, had a look at some other surfable potential in the area, and arranged a trip up to Riyuewan - the four of us sharing the cost of a taxi. Note that there was no actual cab system where we were, so if you are venturing outside of Sanya and surrounds you'll want to have your transport arranged. There was a surf contest happening for two of the days we were in Riyuewan, and we met a ton of local and visiting surfers (probably not even 50 people in total) and went off to find some other waves in the area while the main break at Riyuewan was occupied by competitors. The second day there was my birthday, and after a meal at the surf club's restaurant that evening we ended up having a few fires on the beach, lots of inexpensive drinks either bought from the bar or rounded up from what people brought with them. One of the guys had this bluetooth Bose speaker setup and we paired a couple phones, played some music, and it was a night of fun and merriment for all. Some ugly and horrible hungover faces the next day, but that's how it goes. I surfed a ton on my trip, getting to paddle out at five different waves with proper variety to mix it up. There's a slowly growing scene happening there, and there is enough of a setup in both Houhai and Riyuewan for absolute beginners to have from-the-ground-up lessons on rented equipment, so if you wanted to have a surfing getaway, and you've never even held a board before, you can get it all down there. The water is warm, the days were high 20s to low 30s, and everyone we met was super friendly and accommodating, from the expats to the local surfers, to whoever. A slower pace of life, and it is reflected in the demeanour of the people. China has its own island style going on, for sure. Anyone interested in a vist and wants to get hooked up for transport, accommodation, equipment, lessons, whatever can PM me or post here and I can put you in touch with the people down there. One of the guys also has a connection with the 21 Hotel in Riyuewan and can get a room for much cheaper than the advertised price. Some tips: The cheapest flights I found were on Spring Airlines. Even with the cheapest, lowest tier tickets they still did not ask me to pay anything for checking in my surfboards (and I had a large back with two boards and a bunch of clothes, towels etc inside). It weighed less than 15kg, though, so maybe they were more concerned about the weight than the size. Taxi drivers, like most places in the world, are complete chancers. Our original taxi guy bailed and our friend had to organise another in a hurry - and he charged a non-negotiable 300RMB to drive us the 40-minutes ish from Sanya to Haiho. When we managed to use the normal guy for the drive back on Sunday, we asked 150. Arrange your prices before hand, of course - or better yet, PM me and get someone's number for a more decent fare. Shortly after we stayed there, the place got hit hard by typhoon Haiyan. One of the restaurant walls at the Riyuewan Surf Club blew down completely. Trees blown over, cars and roofs destroyed... These things obviously can't be predicted too far in advance, so just know that the possibility exists, and that you might be stuck longer in your hotel while planes are obviously grounded, roads are pretty much undriveable etc. BadAstronaut fucked around with this message at 04:35 on Nov 14, 2013 |
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 04:11
|
|
|
Looking for some advice from those who've been here awhile. I'm gearing-up for year 3 of ESL teaching in China. I spent the first year at and English training center in Guiyang (found the city to be a vile, hateful, charming little place, but never really had a good rapport with the management at work.) My second year has been spent teaching 7th graders at a middle school in Urumqi. I'm not getting rich, but the lifestyle is so ridiculously stress-free and my relationship with my school and my students is so good that we're talking about a second contract extension (after 2 six-month contracts.) Still, I'm always looking for jobs out there. I'm currently speaking with a recruiter about a few different positions, including some at colleges. I specifically asked the recruiter to look for positions in places I wouldn't go if I were just traveling in China, and she turned up with a batch of jobs in Chuzhou, Anhui; Chengde, Hebei; and Jianggangshan, Jiangxi. Does anyone here know anything about these cities/regions? I'm planning to do this for a few more years - if possible - and I'm kind of at a crossroads between reaching out for new experiences and settling in a relatively stable place where I can work on building on things. Thoughts?
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 05:10
|
|
|
I'll be hiring for a position in September if you want to consider a move to the 'Nan to teach tertiary, mostly English English majors at a great little university in Pingdingshan. PM me for details if you fnacy a run-down.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 05:26
|
|
|
GuestBob posted:I'll be hiring for a position in September if you want to consider a move to the 'Nan to teach tertiary, mostly English English majors at a great little university in Pingdingshan. Afraid I'm without PM. Email? QQ? Something else?
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 05:57
|
|
|
Can I teach at your school
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 05:58
|
|
|
Minus1Minus1 posted:Afraid I'm without PM. Email? QQ? Something else? All of my emails have my name in them so if you would be so kind as to post yours. Kru posted:Can I teach at your school? http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjUzNTM5MDU2.html
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 06:27
|
|
|
GuestBob posted:All of my emails have my name in them so if you would be so kind as to post yours. I would be so kind! Actually, I thought I was in the same boat as far as email addresses, but then I remembered my super-secret Chinglishy one I made recently. wehave dot succeed at gmail
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 06:49
|
|
|
Minus1Minus1 posted:I'm not getting rich, but the lifestyle is so ridiculously stress-free and my relationship with my school and my students is so good that we're talking about a second contract extension (after 2 six-month contracts.) I recommend getting rich instead. But tell me how is life in Urumqi? Also do you need a special visa to go to Urumqi? I wrote my Master's thesis on Uyghurs without ever setting foot in Xinjiang and that is embarrassing. I really want to go.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 07:05
|
|
|
Bloodnose posted:I recommend getting rich instead. Been in China awhile, huh? I actually came to Urumqi as sort of an "unfinished business" thing. I had a professor in University that kind of pointed me in this direction a long time ago, and I figured since I was in China anyway I'd come here and at least get a glimpse of the road I didn't travel before. No special visa was required, but I think the typical guanxi thing was a factor in successfully securing a residence permit. They actually goofed my visa renewal from my time in Guiyang and I ended up overstaying by like a week. I really didn't know how things were gonna play out, but nothing came of it. Food's good, but whatever kind of baijiu they favor here is nasty. I can hardly stand to swallow it, and I loved the stuff in Guiyang. People are usually pretty friendly, but seemingly less laid-back than what I experienced in SW China. The city is roughly divided North and South in terms of ethnicity, with the Han up where I am and the Uyghurs in the south. I've successfully hiked around enough in the city that I've found myself in places where I can believe ever so slightly that I'm not in China anymore. I have about 900 students in the middle school, and a lot of them are Uyghur. I'm probably imagining things, but I get the impression that they tend to be a little more mature, maybe, than their Han counterparts. I've met a few Kazakhs here and there in the city, but I guess the big populations are in other parts of the province. We had a lot of armed police tramping about and some road closures in the Summer, due to the anniversary of certain events. When I asked about a sudden and pronounced limitation in my internet capabilities, I was told that the police were mucking around with things because "some people were telling lies on the internet." I witnessed one fight between Uyghurs and Han police, but it dissipated pretty quickly. I was, for a moment, incredibly spooked. If I end up sticking around for longer, I plan to try and learn a little Uyghur. My Chinese is still absolute garbage, but I got the time and the ability to immerse myself here. Kind of a lame question, but I'd be interested to hear about your thesis, including how and when you went about writing it.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 07:59
|
|
|
Yuyao got linked up to the Hangzhou-Ningbo 高铁 high-speed rail line in July, and wow can you tell. I'll have to get some pictures of the amazing WanDa shopping complex that just opened November 1st a ten-minute walk from our high school. Luxury goods next to McDonald's, Pizza Hut, and Starbucks (of course), plus an awesome IMAX theater. It rivals the Sanlitun Village in Beijing. I mean, it's not as obnoxious or as full of jackasses yet, but all things in time, right? I found out the other day that by 2020 Yuyao will also be connected directly to Shanghai via a dedicated rail lane that's getting added to the Hangzhou Bay Bridge. No wonder there's so much development money getting pumped in here -- this place will be a bedroom community for downtown Shanghai in less than a decade. Perhaps considerably less if the government throws its weight around. The rumor is that the new line will drop you right at South Station.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 08:57
|
|
|
Minus1Minus1 posted:Kind of a lame question, but I'd be interested to hear about your thesis, including how and when you went about writing it. 2010 in Hong Kong. I got primary sources from the Uyghur community in Shenzhen. I had neither the time nor the resources to go to Xinjiang back then.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 09:18
|
|
|
Bloodnose posted:I got primary sources from the Uyghur community in Shenzhen. They all carry knives and are thieves. Sincerely, my students.  
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 09:25
|
|
|
Bloodnose posted:2010 in Hong Kong. I got primary sources from the Uyghur community in Shenzhen. I had neither the time nor the resources to go to Xinjiang back then. Wait 6 months, then shoot up here and check it out. It's cool. If you've been living in HK a long time, I suspect it would do you well to get out of the city and see how stupidly big and empty this province is. blinkyzero posted:They all carry knives and are thieves. Sincerely, my students. 
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 09:44
|
|
|
I'm looking to make a permanent move into China in about 6 months. I was wondering if any goons have links with any consulting firms in China? Happy to work (almost) anywhere on the mainland. I am currently a consultant here in Australia and will be speaking HSK level 4 putonghua by the time I move over.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 12:46
|
|
|
blinkyzero posted:They all carry knives and are thieves. Sincerely, my students. So that must be who's responsible for all the bike theft in Beijing. Good to know.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 13:18
|
|
|
I kind of agree with bloodnose, you'll never get rich with ESL unless you become a 老罗 kind of superstar (but even he's not really rich these days), so if you like your current arrangement why look for something else? ESL in China is full of so many garbage positions with bad managers if you've found something you really like and a job that treats you with relative respect why not stay there? Also Guiyang is where all the famous alcohol comes from so that's why it was better there.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 13:33
|
|
|
My ESL job want to make me a teacher trainer, and give me an as-yet-undecided amount more money. Now if only the HR department weren't dumb as a sack of hammers. Could be worse, though; they could be dumb and relentlessly dishonest. Speaking of alcohol...a bunch of years ago, when I was stationed in Korea, I drank some stuff that I got from a Chinese grocery store. It was bamboo liquor like you can buy in any Mainland Chinese supermarket, but it was actually good. Well, the Mainland stuff isn't terrible, it's a good mixer at least. But this stuff was just EXCELLENT. Smooth enough to drink a glass of it, really strong bamboo flavor and smell. It came in a waxed bamboo shoot rather than a bottle, and the various varieties I tried were from 30 to 35 percent alcohol, rather than the 45 or 50 you get in the Mainland. I don't recall whether the writing on the package was traditional or not, but the fact that I haven't found it in China suggests to me it was probably from Taiwan. Anyone know anyplace in Beijing likely to have a lot of Taiwanese liquor?
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 14:22
|
|
|
VideoTapir posted:I don't recall whether the writing on the package was traditional or not, but the fact that I haven't found it in China suggests to me it was probably from Taiwan. Anyone know anyplace in Beijing likely to have a lot of Taiwanese liquor? My boss's apartment. Now there's a guy who loves his alcohols despite being hilariously unable to consume them properly. I have a friend from BeiDa who's pretty knowledgeable about this stuff. Let me try to ask her.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 14:59
|
|
|
BadAstronaut posted:Hainan trip report Cool man, added it to the OP bookmark list. Having locally or at least pre-arranged transport is always recommended. Saved several hundred RMB over the "going" taxi-rate that way when I went skiing out in Yabuli (near Harbin) several years ago. You gotta get in here more often, tell us about living in Xinjiang. Until now there really haven't been any goons living west of Xi'an/Chengdu
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 17:55
|
|
|
Ugh, I just paid £145 for a physical exam that I didn't have to take to get into South West. Please someone inform me I need this physical for the JW201/2 just to make my wallet feel better.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2013 22:57
|
|
|
SB35 posted:Cool man, added it to the OP bookmark list. Having locally or at least pre-arranged transport is always recommended. Saved several hundred RMB over the "going" taxi-rate that way when I went skiing out in Yabuli (near Harbin) several years ago. I bet Xinjiang food is hella good.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2013 02:15
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 14, 2024 16:20 |
|
|
Facepalm Ranger posted:Ugh, I just paid £145 for a physical exam that I didn't have to take to get into South West. Congrats, you're going to have to do it again after arriving in China but it will only be 350 kuai or so.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2013 02:18
|
|