Tony: Go to www.zqu.edu.cn/english Have a look! There are also several other schools in this city that hire FT.

Another "married teacher ", Marc, needs your help...
Why has Tony invented a wife ?
He wants to pose as a serious guy...
Why only an one-sentence resume ?
He thinks, it`s enough for somebody who has a western first name.
I still don`t think, Jeff Lee, has something to do with this kind of messages. It`s a foreign teacher, without any doubt. ( trying to get some extra money as a recruiter )
Chinese recruiters are very original. Nobody complained about Jeff`s company on different blacklists. I got his e-mail from a close friend.

"I would appreciate it very much if you could help with a short survey. The purpose of this survey is aimed at enhancing the understanding of the ESL industry and improving the commnunication between teachers and schools and our quality of service:
There are ten questions:
What`s the overall rating of your school ?
What about the airport pickup and initial accommodation ?
Is the housing as what it`s advertised ?
What about the salary payment and other financial commitment in the contract ?
Have you been asked to tell lies to students, parents or anyone else ?
Have you ever been asked to work overtime for no payment ?
Would you recommend this school to others ?
Name of the school
Name of the city and province
Name of the FAO, director or the person in charge
Any other comments ?
Thank you very much. You are making a great contribution to the ESL and its development in China."

No comments...

Santiago,

Who to contact in that school? My wife and I are also looking for a job in China. We would appreciate your help. Please e-mail me.

Marc

Yes Gaby, Tony did make a few writing mistakes. And it's true that I have commented in the past that here in the forum some people have been less than conscientious in terms of realizing that students as well as other teachers peruse these messages. I in fact am not always as dilligent as I should be - meaning I don't always go back and proofread what I've written, and I'm sure that's the case with other posters as well. However, if Tony were a frequent poster here and if those posts didn't reflect a committment to good writng skills, I would then probably consider it an issue that he should address. Or, in other words, I accept that none of us are perfect, yet I hope that we have a willingness to improve. For example: How many times have you heard someone say, "Well I've just never been a very good speller." When I hear this from another teacher, I find myself thinking, "Well, why not change that?"

So, you make an interesting point Gaby. If we are truly dedicated to being quality teachers, then we must also dedicate ourselves to self improvement. And, in that same context, we must be willing to accept criticism from others. Personally, I am my own worse critic - I'm always aware of my failings when it comes to adequately writing or expressing myself. No matter what I write or what I say, I always feel I could have done it better. So, I'm always working at it. I don't ascribe to the notion that good enough is good enough.

I guess I've been lucky though. For one thing, I went to a college where a premium was place on writing skills. An interesting statistic is that 25% of the Freshman class wouldn't make it through their first year there because of the high demand to improve their writing skills. In other words, it required a kind of heartfelt dedication to self improvement that some people just don't possess. Beyond that, I was fortunate to grow up in a family where the love for learning was fostered and nourished, and where all my siblings had an above average appreciation for language and communication.

Even still, I don't consider myself especially creative or exceedingly brilliant. Albeit, since I have chosen the teaching of second language learners as my profession, I've had to realize that my own language skills must be continually polished and my shortcomings must often be addressed.

By my way of thinking, there is no real middle ground. Either one is committed to being a good teacher or he/she is not. If so, then that commitment must be manifested by our willingness to improve our own language skills - not only while we are learning to be teachers, but ever after. An example of this is that during my early days of teaching ESL to adult immigrants in America I was fortunate to be mentored by a woman who had her PHD in Linguistics and TESOL Methodology, yet she didn't rest on her laurels - her ongoing dedication to improving her language skills is unflagging. By the way, although she is Chinese and English is her second language, her skills are way beyond most native speakers I've met. It is this kind of resoluteness that I'm alluding to here. Either we have it or we don't. If EFL teachers here in China or elsewhere are not resolute in their desire to make strides toward self improvement in terms of their language skills, then perhaps they've hopped aboard the EFL bandwagon as a means to an entirely different end. Okay fine, I just hope they enjoy the ride and don't cause too much damage along the way.

Well, I've addressed this issue before here in the forum and received very little feedback. Maybe it's just not an interesting enough subject. But thanks Gaby for giving me food for thought.

Note: Comments and error correction gladly accepted.

Yes, I can recommend a middle school in a mid-size city where you and your wife can probably get a job. I've taught there myself and was fairly well pleased with the situation. Friendly staff and administration, lots of motivated students (some not so motivated), nice living situation about a 15 minute walk from the school. The employer will pay your taxi fare to school and back during the cold days of Winter - not as bad as Northern China Winters, but Winter nevertheless. The pay is decent, around 6000 a month, but that's negotiable. The city itself is pretty normal. Not many foreigners there or Western style eateries - no McDonalds or the like. Like most cities in China, it has the good with the bad. The surrounding countryside is quite nice, and it's easy to get out of the city for day trips - there's a Taoist temple about a half hour bus ride from the city where I used to go frequently.
If you're interested or would like more information, you'll have to post your email address here so that I can communicate with you further.
Take care...........