sheri
- 2005-02-05
hi. I have had many years teaching esl and I have a ma tesol. I want to just teach in china this summer or maybe during the school year next year. any suggestions? I have taught children to college level. I want to bring my teenage son with me. Could I just arrive in Bejing hang out my shingle and freelance tutor for conversation for example? what about international schools for my son?
also--what are they looking for? Vocational , conversation, pronunciation, TOEFL prep--what exactly do they want? sheri
Jeff
- 2005-01-31
The monthly salary should be paid in a simple table format.
As far as extra pay for really good teachers goes, it really depends who you work for. So, if you work for an agency, they probably wont care to much just as long as they can keep renting you out to schools. If you work for a private school then of course they will be overcaring about your teaching. But honestly, ask the other teachers on this website, how many of them have ever been rewarded for superior teaching, or in reality, they just get a raise for staying with the company over a year.
The best way I suggest to reward superior teaching is through bonuses, but again, it is completely subjective. Do you think the boss will award someone a bonus if they dont like them? Maybe the person is a great teacher, but the boss doesn't like them for personal reasons. So that won't work either.
The best option is to just pay people on an equal table. If they are bad teachers, then schools wont hire them, therefore, they wont make money. If they are good teachers, then the schools will want them, and the teacher will always have plenty of work. It is up to the teacher if he or she wants to please the school/students or not.
I know a great company, 100% legal. Everyone gets an equal contract and are paid according to the amount of classes they teach. The only difference is the travel allowance because of the distance of various schools.
Every month, as long as they are working for the company on a full time contract, they get 800RMB added to their salary as an installment for airfare.
HONESTY, EQUALITY, AND BEING A LEGAL EMPLOYER, these are the things that keep the teachers.
Money doesn't make a good teacher, training and experience do.
I prefer the companies and schools that leave me alone and let me do my job, and I get paid for the work I do. No bullshit or workshops or meetings. Just go to work, do my job, and collect my salary at the end of the month. If I want to improve my teaching, I can do that on my own choice, or I can go to a CELTA course in the summer. I don't need some people who are less qualified than I am in the field of education trying to "train" me. Especially since the "real" motivation of most of the companies and school is money anyways, they might as well be honest about it and not lie to my face.
Dos
- 2005-01-30
I noticed the best companies pay everyone according to the amount of classes they teach, so everyone is paid equally according to the amount of work they do.
This is a bit simple. What about the quality of the teaching? You yourself mentioned the 'backpackers' who don't really care about classes. What if one teacher is good and one isn't? Do you pay them the same? What about more experienced teachers and less experienced ones? Do you pay them the same? What if one puts in a lot of extra preparation? What if one has to do a lot of morning classes? What about class sizes? Levels? Ages? There are lots of factors that this doesn't cover, you can't just say pay everyone by hours worked regardless, it doesn't work in practice! The teachers complain! (Trust me on this one!!!) 
Also, the best companies will give the teachers the freedom of choice, to get a company apartment or to get a housing allowance of 2000rmb per month, and also airfare paid in monthly installments such as 500rmb per month for airfare added onto the monthly salary
2000 in large cities maybe!!! In smaller cities this will likely be a *lot* less!!
Airfare per month is an interesting concept, may suggest that to my boss, though not sure if the teachers would like it like that, or all in one lump sum. Could offer a choice perhaps.
Lastly, working conditions are a *major* factor in the school, I would be interested to hear more about this mass walkout Fidel!
Jeff
- 2005-01-30
Yeah, there are many things in China that dont seem right.
From Illegal Companies to Bad manners.
The best thing to do is to organize. I think every company should have a group of foreigners who work together. It is best to work for a company that has at least five or move foreign teachers already working there, it shows a bit of stability.
I noticed the best companies pay everyone according to the amount of classes they teach, so everyone is paid equally according to the amount of work they do. Also, the best companies will give the teachers the freedom of choice, to get a company apartment or to get a housing allowance of 2000rmb per month, and also airfare paid in monthly installments such as 500rmb per month for airfare added onto the monthly salary
And of course, the best and legal companies will have something called an:
OVERSEAS EMPLOYMENT LICENSE
Jeff
- 2005-01-30
My only complaint is the graduates who come here for a little experience after college, they dont care about anyone except themselves. They often give the professional ESL teachers a bad rap and they dont help out, they are just backpackers that dont want to get involved in such matters, NO THANKS TO THEM!
This week a large company here in China experienced what happens when they try and screw a large number or foreigners in the company, we organize and give it to them.
Why do companies try to make the contracts so complicated and they always try to screw some teachers out of the basic things like airfare.....?
Then when the teachers complain... they get fired and they dont get their salaries......
The teachers need to organize. I am tired of illigit companies in China screwing over the teachers.
There is a simple way to do a contract, YOU WORK, YOU GET PAID. Forget all the little things and this and that, just add it into the working pay. Why do they want to make the contracts so complex, so they can find something to screw us out of, like airfare.....
Teachers stick together. If you work as a team, you can win as a team.