Post: #76

Sweet Pea,
Awesome to hear you are having such a great result with your applications in China! Where are you applying? I mean, which sites? Have you taught in China before? I'm also very curious about Chengdubso keep me posted on how things go!

Post: #77

China defense trolls... do they pay you guys per post or per character? I'm just curious. I heard it was like 100 rmb per post in BJ.

Quote:f you don't like the country, move out.

Would have been gone long ago if I could get my wife out, its a problem with my home country not processing her application for a year and a half.

Sweet Pea: I don't know where you're from dude but I can't wait to see the posts from your first 5 months. Everyone does the 'denial' period where everything is wonderful in a country until the first 6 months are over, then they look around and go... OH, I'm starting to see! After a year, the guys who you thought were nuts are starting to make sense. After two or three years, you are one of those guys.

Quote:So....I've been here long term, and like it, I haven't touched any kiddies, not convicted of anything, am probably not a scumbag and am definitely a weirdo but not in a creepy weirdo way, more like in a quirky fun way (I have heard the song 'what does the fox say' approximately 116 times)

How many other foreigners have passed through your school that haven't been shady?

Quote:This is entirely your fault.

1. You have a Chinese wife, how the fuck could she have not known this would happen and seriously......wtf would you pay a 5k deposit for?

When I'm unconscious, my wife is in charge. The hospital said they needed it or they wouldn't treat me and luckily for me my wife values my life over money.

Quote:Asia read "CHINA" isn't a place that values directness and honesty, it's a place that values power, success and cunning

You mean lying, cheating and stealing. Yeah that certainly goes on here.

I prefer to tell it like it is, there is a reason that 3/4 of the foreigners who come here to teach end up leaving after the first semester. If you want to wear some rose colored glasses while you live here, by all means, go for it.

I came here to get laid and look for a woman that could handle anything, mission accomplished. Got married to a wonderful girl, even though she is Chinese and pretty much everything around sucks, as I stated before, I would do it all again to meet her, she is quite an amazing individual.

Quote:Still deciding. All of these schools sound great, but then you get a contract and the terms are shit

Yeah thats generally because you will attempt to leave or run when you find out what's really going down or start getting treated like sh1t when the Chinese managers/staff think they can push you around. You have to be a rock and you will develop that personality... either that or you'll be some spineless boot licking dog who will do whatever it takes to maintain his position in the company. English teachers are money to the Chinese, big money and they'll do whatever they can to try and keep you. They will threaten, lie, cheat, anything to keep you from leaving the company. You will hold up your contract and say "but on my contract it says XYZ" and the Chinese manager and HR staff will hold theirs up and say "Oh but, thats not the one we have? Where did you get that?!? No, the one we sent to the government says you must do XYZ, sorry". Or this one:

HR: "Hi badwolf? We noticed you haven't signed the contract for the following year, so sign it! you are making problems for us!!!! Sign it!"
Badwolf: "Ok, let me just read it over"
HR: "No you can't, just sign it NOW! Then you can read it"
Badwolf: "sorry no, do I look that stupid?"
Badwolf inspects contract: "Hey, there is like 1000 rmb missing off this!?!"
HR: "Sign it! we don't have time to discuss these things! Don't make trouble!"
Badwolf "Uh wtf, this says I have to work more for less money? What the hell?"
HR: "New policy, sign it now"
Badwolf "I think I'm going to have my wife and friends look it over first."
HR: "No sign it, sign it now!!! you can't do that, its against company policy to remove the contract from the building, so sign it!"
Badwolf "well wait a sec, I don't think I can sign it then, that seems really shady"
HR: "You are being UN-neccarily difficult"
Foreign teacher manager/bootlicker: "Stop being a dink and just sign the contract Badwolf, you're bringing everyone down"
Badwolf: "How is any of this your business? It says right here I have to work more hours for less pay, let me see your contract!"
manager: "Uh, well mine says something different but thats cause I negotiated, so sign it and lets get it over with"
Badwolf: "So then I want to negotiate a better deal"
HR + manager: "No, new company policy"
Badwolf: "But you just signed your contract recently"
manager: "Yeah but then the new policy went into effect, so sign it."

Badwolf doesn't sign.

During the office party, approached by several questionable staff telling Badwolf he is an excellent teacher and the manager who really wishes Badwolf would just sign said contract and stop being a 'pssy'. Eventually the school just signed it FOR Badwolf and sent it in anyway. Then threatened to sue him, revoke his work visa (given to him by a different company) and get him kicked out of the country if he tried to leave.

Welcome to China.


Kane: I have lived and taught in a few countries, so I have a pool of experiences to compare teaching in China against and this is the only place, I would NEVER return to again. Once I'm out, thats it, never coming back. The only reason people keep coming here is because of the strong economy and the well paid positions. Put China up against Mexico or Brazil and there's almost no comparison in regards to quality of life and how you'll be treated. I started in Asia and bounced back and forth between the two. The only place I've had to play politically retarded games and get cheated and backstabbed consistently is in the big C.

Post: #78

(12-15-2013 08:11 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  Sweet Pea,
Awesome to hear you are having such a great result with your applications in China! Where are you applying? I mean, which sites? Have you taught in China before? I'm also very curious about Chengdubso keep me posted on how things go!

Trust me, I'm not some miraculous human being. I am pretty sure any other white person with blue eyes would be getting the same response. If I had blonde hair I wouldn't be surprised if the recruiters offered to fly to the US and pick me up personally. I started off on Dave's ESL Cafe, but I quickly realized what utter crap that website is. There is no search feature, so if you want a particular city, good luck. Almost all of my applications have gone through echinacities.com, for the sole reason that you can look at jobs on a city-by-city basis.

I have not taught in China before, and I only plan on staying until I have established enough financial/work freedom to travel. I say that I am teaching to go to China, not going to China to teach.

I have an interview tonight for a sweet job in Wudaokou, Haidian district, Beijing. 20000RMB/month ($3300). If I get that one, it will be hard for me to settle on Chengdu.

On a somewhat unrelated note, it is amazing how little qualified one needs to be to work in China. I have had job offers to teach computer class at a high school, as well as to DESIGN English curriculum. My degree is in Biology.

Post: #79

I have had job offers to teach computer class at a high school,

as well as to

DESIGN English curriculum: This means they have lost or thrown out all the old lesson plans or likely some foreigner has walked out with them. They need someone to tediously write up 5000 new lesson plans for them, unpaid, while the other teachers lounge around in the cafe next door. I had a friend that did this recently.

Make sure everything is outlined for you in an English contract and clearly stated as to what your responsibilities are. Don't sign anything that says: General school duties/office duties. You want something that is mainly teaching hours and you want them to state your responsibilities during office hours. EF will have you teaching 'micro-classes' during your office hours. 15 minute 'unpaid' extra study classes, which you will be pressured into doing by the Chinese manager and DOS. You will notice that they keep the Chinese office staff segregated from the English staff so they can talk about them behind their backs and probe them for flaws about teachers.. this sounds crazy right? but one of our colleagues found it on the DOS's computer in a memo. It outlined the fact that whatever happened in a classroom was the teacher's fault. It said "there is no such thing as a bad student, only a bad teacher", that is bvllshit especially in a place like EF. Anyway, this is one of the many schools that share these sorts of little quirks. Chinese staff will never come out and fight you for anything but they will make little jabs from time to time to the point where you will be under constant pressure to 'improve'. They want you thinking like this so that you never run nor do you question all the BS that goes on behind the scenes.

If it were as simple as go into work and do your job, nobody would leave.

Quote: it is amazing how little qualified one needs to be to work in China

If they could find qualified people, do you think they would hire you? It's not your qualifications that matter in Chinese ESL, its about your staying power and propensity to put up with bs. You'll quickly find out that the degree your advertised with is not the one you graduated with. They love newbs because newbs don't get into the game for at least 6 months to a year (the time it takes to replace a teacher with a newb).

Quote:Also there are lots of great things about China, seriously lots of super great things....so it's kinda shitty you're pushing such a negative thing onto this guy....

I'm just preparing him for when he has those moments where he feels like he is going nuts or it seems as if the world is against him, its not. Someone did it for me when I first came to China, the wheel turns.

Quote:Also to the guy who started this thread...you'd be nuts to look him up for a job.


Badwolf - why did you marry the Chinese girl?

Because she is a good person that has grown up in a system that would rather see her fall off the earth then have to acknowledge her as a citizen. That sort of life creates a hardiness in people that is near impossible to find in a 1st or 2nd world country. If you met her personally, she has quite the incredible 'against all odds' back story that cause her and her family shame but is the most attractive quality for a western male seeking a life partner. I need a woman that can live in the mud, work in the sh1t and live a life of hell and still find something to smile about at the end of the day. That's my wife.

You are going to get screwed your first year, it is a rite of passage into ESL and China.

I don't know why you would listen or take work from this other guy? He'll try and gloss over the most important points in a job. I will tell it like it is, no nonsense, no bvllsh1t. If you want candy coating, that's not me or my wife.

Post: #80

Good to see you back here Badwolf! Your insight and extensive experience of living and working/teaching in China is always welcomed and very informative.

Guys,
I can vouch for BW as I met him in person last year in GZ and the guy is a cool cat. He was very helpful as he not only showed me around but also gave my number to his cute female students from which I was getting texts and calls all day wanting to meet. He also hooked me up with an interview at the school he was working for at the time in GZ which ended up in an offer in Dongguan, a city half an hour outside GZ, that I turned down.

He is totally right about the little things that will get to you while living in China. The Chinese will not think twice about ripping you off or fucking you over in a work contract if they sense any weakness from you. BW knows a thing or two or ten about China and living there. Calling him a bitter loser beta is not only uncalled for but quite ignorant. Having met him in person and talking with him and seeing him in action, he is everything but a "bitter beta loser".

Sweet Pea, good stuff man! But be very careful when accepting an offer! Make sure everything is as clearly and as in detailed as possible. I'd also have it reviewed by guys who have already taught in China to get their feedback on it.

Here's a question to you: why not going to Taiwan as opposed to mainland China? You'd get all the positives and advantages of being in China but without the negatives. Thoughts on that?

Post: #81

(12-15-2013 11:40 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  Good to see you back here Badwolf! Your insight and extensive experience of living and working/teaching in China is always welcomed and very informative.

Guys,
I can vouch for BW as I met him in person last year in GZ and the guy is a cool cat. He was very helpful as he not only showed me around but also gave my number to his cute female students from which I was getting texts and calls all day wanting to meet. He also hooked me up with an interview at the school e was working for at the time in GZ which ended up in an offer in Dongguan, a city half an hour outside GZ, that I turned down.

He is totally right about the little things that will get to you while living in China. The Chinese will ot think twice about ripping you off or fucking you over in a work contract of they sense any weakness from you. BW knows a thing or two or ten about China and living there. Calling him a bitter loser beta is not only uncalled for but quite ignorant. Having met him in person and talking with him and seeing him in action, he is everything but a "bitter beta loser".

Sweet Pea, good stuff man! But be very careful when accepting an offer! Make sure everything is as clearly and as in detailed as possible. I'd also have it reviewed by guys who have already taught in China to get their feedback on it.

Here's a question to you: why not going to Taiwan as opposed to mainland China? You'd get all the positives and advantages of being in China but without the negatives. Thoughts on that?

To be honest, I am sort of enamored with the "Wild West" aspect of China. My family is worried sick about me being forced into working at a factory using lead paint on childrens' toys or having my kidneys stolen by Triads. But that's part of the reason I want to go. Once I get a contract that passes my naive bullshit test, I will post it and try to get some feedback.

Post: #82

(12-15-2013 11:48 PM)Sweet Pea Wrote:  

(12-15-2013 11:40 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  Good to see you back here Badwolf! Your insight and extensive experience of living and working/teaching in China is always welcomed and very informative.

Guys,
I can vouch for BW as I met him in person last year in GZ and the guy is a cool cat. He was very helpful as he not only showed me around but also gave my number to his cute female students from which I was getting texts and calls all day wanting to meet. He also hooked me up with an interview at the school e was working for at the time in GZ which ended up in an offer in Dongguan, a city half an hour outside GZ, that I turned down.

He is totally right about the little things that will get to you while living in China. The Chinese will ot think twice about ripping you off or fucking you over in a work contract of they sense any weakness from you. BW knows a thing or two or ten about China and living there. Calling him a bitter loser beta is not only uncalled for but quite ignorant. Having met him in person and talking with him and seeing him in action, he is everything but a "bitter beta loser".

Sweet Pea, good stuff man! But be very careful when accepting an offer! Make sure everything is as clearly and as in detailed as possible. I'd also have it reviewed by guys who have already taught in China to get their feedback on it.

Here's a question to you: why not going to Taiwan as opposed to mainland China? You'd get all the positives and advantages of being in China but without the negatives. Thoughts on that?

To be honest, I am sort of enamored with the "Wild West" aspect of China. My family is worried sick about me being forced into working at a factory using lead paint on childrens' toys or having my kidneys stolen by Triads. But that's part of the reason I want to go. Once I get a contract that passes my naive bullshit test, I will post it and try to get some feedback.

Try and get something from Xinjiang or Urumqi, that's the real 'Wild West' of China. If you can hack it up there, you are one tough son-of-a-bitch. I think I've said this before but when I worked up there my colleagues consisted of an Irish bar maid, a combat medic from Sierra Leone, an ex-soldier from the Ukraine, an ex-soldier from Kazakhstan, an old stalwart Gardner from NZ and some hard ass from South Africa, oh and another backpacker from NZ, he'd basically run out of money on the road and they picked him up at a bar. The people there are tough as nails and don't take sh1t from anyone. One guy, this Ukrainian, he didn't like to be touched, he said it was because he had lived on the street and some guy tried to strangle him while he was asleep...anyway.. this nice Philippino guy was playing chess with the Ukrainian and I, when this other dude came up behind him, patted him on the back and was promptly flipped onto the teacher's work table. You DO NOT fvck with this guy, he is named after a gun made in Russia.

Anyway, if you want to meet the hard asses, you go up there. There aren't many foreigners from 1st world countries who are willing to work in Urumqi so they have to recruit from the local pool of talent. There was just a major 'conflict' up there that you can do some research about. One of the Chinese guys up there, professionally, 'take's care of problem people for the big C'. Yes that is his job and everyone at the school knows him, he makes sure everyone is happy and safe. You have about 7 police walking patrol in a line of the 30 or 50,000 they have stationed in the city. The cold, it goes so low that you have to wear goggles so that your eyes don't stick shut and pretty often the pipes freeze in your apartment and burst. The Chinese from the North make the toughest Chinese from the south look like metro-sexuals. Teaching in Urumqi is one step away from living in Mongolia... those guys are from another planet.

The food is great though. Get your China flag up there and you'll have my respect.

http://jobs.echinacities.com/urumqi-jobs/

Post: #83

(12-15-2013 10:47 PM)BadWolf Wrote:  I have had job offers to teach computer class at a high school,

as well as to

DESIGN English curriculum: This means they have lost or thrown out all the old lesson plans or likely some foreigner has walked out with them. They need someone to tediously write up 5000 new lesson plans for them, unpaid, while the other teachers lounge around in the cafe next door. I had a friend that did this recently.

Make sure everything is outlined for you in an English contract and clearly stated as to what your responsibilities are. Don't sign anything that says: General school duties/office duties. You want something that is mainly teaching hours and you want them to state your responsibilities during office hours. EF will have you teaching 'micro-classes' during your office hours. 15 minute 'unpaid' extra study classes, which you will be pressured into doing by the Chinese manager and DOS. You will notice that they keep the Chinese office staff segregated from the English staff so they can talk about them behind their backs and probe them for flaws about teachers.. this sounds crazy right? but one of our colleagues found it on the DOS's computer in a memo. It outlined the fact that whatever happened in a classroom was the teacher's fault. It said "there is no such thing as a bad student, only a bad teacher", that is bvllshit especially in a place like EF. Anyway, this is one of the many schools that share these sorts of little quirks. Chinese staff will never come out and fight you for anything but they will make little jabs from time to time to the point where you will be under constant pressure to 'improve'. They want you thinking like this so that you never run nor do you question all the BS that goes on behind the scenes.

If it were as simple as go into work and do your job, nobody would leave.

Quote: it is amazing how little qualified one needs to be to work in China

If they could find qualified people, do you think they would hire you? It's not your qualifications that matter in Chinese ESL, its about your staying power and propensity to put up with bs. You'll quickly find out that the degree your advertised with is not the one you graduated with. They love newbs because newbs don't get into the game for at least 6 months to a year (the time it takes to replace a teacher with a newb).

Quote:Also there are lots of great things about China, seriously lots of super great things....so it's kinda shitty you're pushing such a negative thing onto this guy....

I'm just preparing him for when he has those moments where he feels like he is going nuts or it seems as if the world is against him, its not. Someone did it for me when I first came to China, the wheel turns.

Quote:Also to the guy who started this thread...you'd be nuts to look him up for a job.


Badwolf - why did you marry the Chinese girl?

Because she is a good person that has grown up in a system that would rather see her fall off the earth then have to acknowledge her as a citizen. That sort of life creates a hardiness in people that is near impossible to find in a 1st or 2nd world country. If you met her personally, she has quite the incredible 'against all odds' back story that cause her and her family shame but is the most attractive quality for a western male seeking a life partner. I need a woman that can live in the mud, work in the sh1t and live a life of hell and still find something to smile about at the end of the day. That's my wife.

You are going to get screwed your first year, it is a rite of passage into ESL and China.

I don't know why you would listen or take work from this other guy? He'll try and gloss over the most important points in a job. I will tell it like it is, no nonsense, no bvllsh1t. If you want candy coating, that's not me or my wife.

dude i appreciate your honesty about china, you said you also taught in brazil what are the qualifications and pay like up there?

Post: #84

qualifications and pay

I have no idea what its like now, but I'm guessing you need a degree to get a work visa, wasn't the case 10 years ago. When we started going down to Brazil the pay was like 40 bucks an hour and it cost next to nothing to eat and rent a cheap place. ESL classes were easy to find and get. Now Brazil is developing pretty quickly and things have gotten fairly expensive.. I mean, I haven't been there in 4 years but when I was last there it was not cheap. I also heard that you couldn't get tourist visas for more than 3 months per year which sucks. The food is the best in the world IMO.

The easiest time to find work in a country is when its just developing and the laws are fairly lax. As soon as a place starts getting a middle class, it becomes hard to do anything. English classes and the whole ESL industry skirt the realm of legality and operate best in 3rd world countries. The best way to get work in any country without issues is to marry a citizen, if you marry in Brazil, it opens A LOT of doors for you.

If you happen to be educated with a degree and all that, I'm sure you'd have an easier time, I wouldn't be the one to ask about that though.

Post: #85

Sweet Pea: Once you've narrowed down your offers, why not fly over for a visit and interview in person? It'll show them you're serious, and also then you can see what the conditions are like and maybe speak to their current foreign teachers. I know people may try to pull the wool over your eyes while there, but you may be able to detect it, and at least it's better than deciding over email and phone calls. I guess you have about 1.5 months to figure it all out before the country shuts down for Spring Festival (Chinese New Year).

I agree with you -- stick with China and not Taiwan. The wild west aspect will make it more of an adventure.

Post: #86

Alright, I knew being OCD about this would pay off sooner rather than later. I have an interview tomorrow for a school, per se. As far as I can tell, it is also a culture program. Basically, it boils down to:

1. Free accommodation. Wasn't really concerned about this, and I understand it can be beneficial to rent your own place, but they also give a housing stipend if you don't want the place. Also, confirmed it is PRIVATE, not private bedroom bs some schools try to pull.

2. Free meals. Also not a huge deal, but if I want to be frugal, there is always an option to do so now.

3. NO office hours. They prepare the lessons. This is huge, because I'm not going to China to teach English. I'm teaching English to go to China.

4. 15 teaching hours per week. Jackpot. Frees me up to work on side projects, study Chinese, check myself for lung cancer and lead poisoning, and then some. I don't know exactly what schedule I will have yet, only that it is M-F.

5. Pay: 6000 RMB, or roughly $1000. Not great if taken at face value, but per hour, this is awesome, and I'm all about rates. This is roughly $16.50 per hour, and I could easily supplement this with private or part time gigs that pay twice or triple. Now that I think about it, this is about what I would have left over after trying to find housing in Beijing, anyway.

6. As I said, this is runs through schools all over China, and basically it's part teaching English, but it also focuses heavily on teaching culture of Anglophone countries. If someone wants to pay me to talk about Thanksgiving and land whales stuffed into leggings at Planet Fitness, I'll gladly take it.

I'm sure I could look this up on Google, but is there anything you world travelers suggest I stock up on before I leave the country, something people might overlook?

Post: #87

Good stuff Sweet Pea!
Where n China is that job? 6k/mo th is on the low end. I got an offer for 9500/month +1k stipend for accommodation in Dongguan, which is an hour outside of GZ. It was to teach 15hrs/week, from 9- noon M-F. I turned it down. If you want I can give you the contact info of the hiring person there. But it is in Guangzhou, if you are interested about the south of China.

Also, you may want to watch all the videos on theelevatorlife.com as these guys know their stuff inside out. They also have a few great videos on stuff to bring to China. I highly recommend you reach out to them as they are very knowledgeable and helpful.

When are you heading out to China? Keep us posted on how things go and all the best!

Post: #88

Best underrated jobs for a native Anglophone is dictation/speaking gigs. Cash cows and easy as hell. I do a few dictations a week for 400 kuai a pop

Post: #89

Wow, props to you alias. I've never seen an ad for that before. You must be in BJ or Shanghai eh? That's fairly decent money!

I've heard if you can speak Chinese, you can do translations as well...

Yeah sweet pea, they are fvcking you badly... thats terrible even for a first year person... even in Xinjiang they offer newbies 10k. Don't take that offer! That's a suckers wages for sure. You should be able to get 12 to 13000 for a starter job in a tier 1 city, in a tier 2 city 10k, tier 3 8k. Wages are GOING UP dude, not down... never let them talk you down, we realize you want to go to china not to teach blah blah blah but that isn't whats going to happen to you. You need that money and 6k doesn't give you a good life, that gives you a sh1t life.

In BJ you are gonna pay 4500 for a 1 bedroom studio apartment (without mold).. that leaves BARELY enough for you to survive on.

Its going to cost you
4500 for an apartment
500 for utilities (if you like A/C in the summer)
300 for a cell phone
100 for the subway
250 for the internet
-------------------------------- This is before food 5650 RMB
Even if you just spend 30 kuay a day on two plates of fried rice and a drink thats 900 a month on food
--------------------------------- 6550 RMB
That leaves NOTHING for entertainment/anything extra

DUDE THATS BULLSHIT! It should cost you 1/3 to 1/4 of your paycheck per month for the cost of living MAX. The Chinese are fucking you and laughing while you make them money.


Don't take that job, there are tons of jobs and places to go in China. Email everything on daveseslcafe and everything on Echinacities, you should not have to settle for that....

sorry I can't stand by while these sons of bitches try and do this. They are fuvking you with a gay man's dick and a fat man hating lesbo pushing.

Quote: This is roughly $16.50 per hour,

Tell them at least 120 rmb/hour or no dice.

Quote:1. Free accommodation. Wasn't really concerned about this, and I understand it can be beneficial to rent your own place, but they also give a housing stipend if you don't want the place. Also, confirmed it is PRIVATE, not private bedroom bs some schools try to pull.

2. Free meals. Also not a huge deal, but if I want to be frugal, there is always an option to do so now.

Free accommodation: will probably smell like cigarettes and beer or the walls will be covered in mold, have rats/cockroaches.

Free Food: Slop the school makes the students eat.

Nothings free in China brother and the Chinese know this. They want you to take that crap accommodation because then they don't have to give you the 2000 rmb housing allowance you would usually get. They want you to take the food cause then they don't have to give you the 1000 for food/clothing you would usually get. BTW you are in China under contract, means you are an indentured servant for a year and don't believe the bvllshit they try and sell you about the low hours man. Schools are looking to fvck newbs any way they can. Get a contract with at least 10k upfront. If you actually have a DEGREE, then you are absolutely out of your fuckin mind. People with legit degrees should be charging 15 to 20k/month.

If you are an English teacher, you are $$$MONEY$$$ and you should be living a REALLY decent life, not a poor man's sh1te life. If my wife earns 4k/monthly and you earn just 2000 more than her, you are an idiot. She's 24 years-old and has no experience in her field and she's Chinese. You are a westerner/native speaker and a red piller. You need to be making at least double what my wife makes, she's a TA. If they are giving you a visa, that's a different story but believe me, no school that offers those 'terms' to a newb is giving you a good deal. I was just looking at 15 contracts in the next city over for 14 to 20k/month. that's just 10 more hours a week guy, and you'll be balling... makes a BIG difference when you want to do anything. You want to deck out an apartment with sweet furniture and leather couches? No problem... you want an XBOX and a wide screen projector? No problem... you want to blow all your money on partying, beer and women, also no problem. But on 6k a month, you aren't going to be doing ANYTHING in a tier1/tier2 city except eating peanuts and looking outside the window. And the Chinese never give raises.

Quote:if I want to be frugal, there is always an option to do so now.

I'm frugal guy but I manage to put 6 to 10 in the bank every month because of it. Trust me kid, I thought like you once until I found out that I was being fvcked over large. The more you charge in China, the more respect you get, the less you charge the more people will take advantage of you, not to mention complain about your classes. You may not think you're in China to teach but this is going to be your life and there's no escaping it. And you want to get a better job with better pay? Forget it. You'll be so strapped every month you won't know whether you are coming or going. If you are going into a tier 3 city, good luck finding more work, likely they are the only place in town. Sweet Pea, do not accept that wage man, that's an insult.

I just found out that my friend's cantonese teacher makes 150 rmb an hour off of him. First of all he's a tard for paying that and second she's a chinese in a sea of chinese people that all speak the same fvckin language. So if they are making that money, you are getting screwed.

Vacancier: Are you talking about Stephanie or Joanna? If Stephanie she quit the company, if its Joanna then she'll probably give him a better deal if he says he knows me/the crew here. One of my friends banged the hell out of her and all of a sudden she became super friendly...

Post: #90

Wherever these 120 RMB per hour jobs are, I can't find them. Anything that offers 15000 RMB is for 40 hours per week. I've been doing nothing but looking at jobs for the past few weeks and they are all the same bs. They sound good up front, but then little details emerge. Teaching free demo classes for a month, tons of office hours, etc. Don't really know where to go from here. The couple times I have straight up told them I wanted more money, they wouldn't budge.

Post: #91

15 CLASS HOURS...ask them to send you the current teacher's schedule and then you find out that you have to wait around in the school for periods of 3 to 4 hours between class blocks, unpaid. Unless its New Dynamic, a University or the Public Library, its going to be a bs fest.

Post: #92

Badwolf's posts basically say DON'T COME TO CHINA GODDAMMIT!

I thought about Macao though. Former Portuguese "borrowed" colony. Might be better. I wouldn't venture in the wild China that's for sure.

Post: #93

I'm just trying to make sure he doesn't get absolutely fvcked his first time over. Maybe I'm getting old.

Post: #94

nope, hangzhou. Only thing is Im paid by the dictation. sometimes it takes 30 minutes, sometimes it takes 2 hours.

Post: #95

http://www.cleverchinacheaters.com/2012/...or-is.html

http://open.salon.com/blog/china_busines...d_by_scams

http://www.chinascambusters.com/2012/12/...rs-in.html

I am talking to an agent right now on Skype, and called her out on the average budget most Chinese schools have for ESL teachers. She asked me if I have ever been to China before, and I said no, but kept on going about wages and being taken advantage of. She didn't say anything for a few minutes, then says "You must did much search work on this."

Post: #96

BW,
Don't remember the name of the girl anymore. The girl at your school that first interviwwd me gave my info to one of her friends and she was the one that got me the offer in DG. Glad to hear one of your boys smashed the one at your school! I have a vague memory of her...she passed the boner test and looked like she had a nice rack...

Sweet pea, if you are dead set on teaching in China, I'd recommend not to take anything before getting there. Go there, go visit at least 2-3 cities, get the vibe for each city, make contacts, talk to people there and see which city you like best. Then once you have chosen a city, then start looking in person for a teaching job there. You will have a much better chance of not getting screwed this way IMO.

Post: #97

the only problem is you can't get the work visa that way anymore... you have to get it from home now first. If you have money then yeah for sure, come here and tour a bit, investigate the different schools and make a decision but if you're a new kid out of college then its better to just take something (not that one) and tough it out for your first year before you can bounce.

Post: #98

I was born in Hong Kong to Chinese parents.

If I can just say one thing, if you're going to live in China, long term, you *must* have family. If you don't have one, marry into one. (Who do you marry? That's a good question. Can't answer it.)

They're the only ones who may have your back. Even then, I don't trust my relatives in China, though after reading this thread, I realised why they refused to take me to hospital last time I was there and almost died from food poisoning.

Post: #99

This thread has completely unsold me from relocating to China...

Post: #100

I believe that despite all the negative points, some of which have been pointed out here, China is still worth. I believe the best way to do China is to come here with some money in order to not have to be on a tight budget. Not a lot mind you since 1500$ would get you a good and decent lifestyle to begin with. With say 15-20K you'd have about one year of living expenses. Enough to give you the time to get so etching good going. Select a city carefully, start building your network and learn as much Chinese as you can. Teaching in China should only be a last resort option IMO.

Sweet Pea, what's your main goal for going to China? Is it to travel and take a year or two off? Do you want to build a career in teaching, starting with China? Or are you more there for the limitless opportunities for business there?

These are important questions for you to answer. Not for us but for yourself so have a clear idea of what to focus on once there.