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Hey guys, I’ve lurked the forum for a while now and finally decided to register. I’ve read most of the news posts and appreciate all the helpful info they and the forum provide. Props to Charlie and co for creating quite the online community here. 😀
Anyway, China was my ‘plan B’ if I couldn’t get to South Korea this fall. At this point I don’t see all my documents coming together in time for Korea, so I’m going to focus on finding work in China. I’ve spent a lot of time researching this move and am pretty certain that a University position is the best fit for me to get my feet wet. I know that this may be the last couple weeks of the peak hiring period before the break, so I’m just wondering whether there’s much left in Sichuan before I start blasting out emails.
I know that’s a rather broad request, so I guess I’m just looking for direction to the areas/schools that are most likely to be hiring. Alternatively, are there any trustworthy recruiters in the area you guys would recommend? I know that’s generally frowned upon, but if they’re good at what they do I don’t see much problem in using one.
A little about me: I’m 30 and currently living in Austin TX. It’s great here but I’m ready for a career change after being bogged down in cubicle life for about 10 years now. I have a BBA in Accounting so it’d be great to land a business oriented gig, but I’m open to anything at this point. I’ve also got a 100-hr TESOL cert that didn’t really inspire much confidence in managing a classroom, but I’m a quick learner and think I’ll be ok once I get my feet under me. I’m doing this for the adventure/experience while trying to find a career I’d enjoy for awhile…money is low on the list of priorities.
Any comments/questions/etc are appreciated (and yes, I did check the job section of the classifieds)!
It’s possible. I’ve heard of a number of openings in different universities throughout Chengdu. Also, if you’re interested there are a number of satellite cities that have universities and vocational institutes that are even more likely to jump at the chance to add to their foreign staffing.
Larger more prominent universities tend to land teachers and keep them, so I’d start asking smaller schools. Just start e-mailing!
What Larry said. I wouldn’t stress too much, most things are done more last minute in China than in the US but I wouldn’t wait.
I’d suggest contacting the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China UESTC (longest name ever) here in Chengdu. I used to work there and from what I have heard most of the teachers are leaving this year, not because the school is bad, just most are leaving China so they should have spots to fill. It’s about as good a gig as any university job in China, students are generally nice, and the staff is good to work with (huge plus). Also they have great Chinese classes for beginners that you can go to as well. Here is their website: http://en.uestc.edu.cn/
Good luck!
That’s reassuring, thanks Larry. When I hear satellite city I start thinking rural areas…am I off base?
I should re-phrase that last question as I know it’s going to vary depending on city. What are some satellite cities you could see yourselves living in? I’d prefer to be somewhere with a larger population vs. a rural area. Any thoughts on Dujiangyan City?
Hi, welcome to the forum! To answer your question:
The demand for English teachers in China is virtually ceaseless, so I really don’t think you’ll have trouble finding work here. If you’re caucasian and have a degree or any kind or teaching qualification, it will be that much easier for you.
There are a range of different teaching jobs available, from kindergartens up to universities and business English for professional adults. Each have different advantages and drawbacks, although I should add that everything I know about teaching English in Chengdu is based on observation and the experience of many friends who have taught in and around Chengdu.
What tends to be easiest (and best) is to locate work after you’re already in China. If you’re looking for jobs overseas, it’s easily to get taken advantage of. This might mean that you’re in some middle of nowhere place, teaching for less pay than you should be, or get hooked up with a school or organization that isn’t trustworthy.
I should re-phrase that last question as I know it’s going to vary depending on city. What are some satellite cities you could see yourselves living in? I’d prefer to be somewhere with a larger population vs. a rural area. Any thoughts on Dujiangyan City?
Dujiangyan isn’t bad, neither is Mianyang. Both of these places will have small foreigner populations, but they’re less polluted and much quieter than Chengdu. If your goal is to learn Chinese or be immersed in Chinese culture, those places might be better than Chengdu because living inside Chengdu’s expat bubble won’t be an option.
If you’re thinking of staying in China for a few years, I’ve known some people who’ve lived in smaller towns for a year or so, gotten their Chinese up to par, and then moved to a larger city like Chengdu to pursue job or educational opportunities with the knowledge they gained in their previous city.
Good luck!
Hey just a couple other things. There are two universities in Dujiangyan that are actually located at QingChengShan. Like Charlie said expats are few out there but those campuses at QingChenShan are right next to some very nice mountains. So kind of isolated but green and not polluted. There is also a high speed train connect from almost the university gates to Chengdu, 45 minute ride.
Also I would suggest contacting the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC). I used to work there and I hear they are looking for teachers right now. Great university job, staff, location, students, are all good. PM me if you want contact info.
Thanks Charlie…good point about the immersion, but I think part of me would like to have the ex-pat bubble for some newbie support.
Stephen – Yes I’m very interested and will send a pm. Thanks for the tip!
Hello Wood,
I work in an English training school in Chengdu, and we have many foreign teachers here. Most of the students in our school are adults, their’s English is pretty good, do you wanna teach in our school? For more details, please send me Email to [email protected].
Regards,Sky
Me again…I’ve gotten some offers lined up but nothing in Chengdu yet. The UESTC person did not reply back to me for whatever reason. Thanks again for the lead though Stephen. Closest I’ve found is Deyang, has anyone been and can comment? How bad is the commute to Chengdu?
And Sky, if you can offer a university-like position with similar teaching hours, salary and accommodation, feel free to pm me.
Hello, Wood, Yes we can offer such kind of position to you.
Let me introduce our school for you. Our school is the first professional spoken English training school for adults in Chengdu, China. Most of the students in our school are adults, Their English are pretty good.
We have five branches in Chengdu City now; it’s quite easy to find those branches because of the convenient transportation. (They are located inside the 2nd ring road)If you are interested, please feel free to contact me directly at number:13550248272. or send me email including your Resume or CV(name & age, nationality’ current living location, education and work experiences, etc ) to [email protected].
Thanks and regards.
SkyHello Woodwerd,
My current international vocational college, based just outside Chengdu, is still looking for a teacher to replace me next year – you can find information on the role on the English Teachers required thread, or click here to see what I posted:https://www.chengduliving.com/forum/users/coppers/replies/#30708
Here is the website: http://www.polus.edu.cn
Let me know if you need any more information.
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