Some people like and can tolerate teaching for forty hours, and more power to their elbows. However,my advice for any FT who accepts a year's contract to teach in China is to calculate your expected earnings for the year, because you could well find yourself better off working half the hours or less by taking into consideration {what holidays will I get paid for? Will I receive travel money(not air fare) How much air fare will they pay and will they actually pay it? How much of my flat rental will they cover? Will my heating be paid for? Should I risk paying a large deposit and three months rental in advance? Who pays for washing machine when it breaks down?(normally within two day of moving in) Internet? Will they furnish you with a computer?} and so on , the unexpected financial outlays are too numerous to particularise when you accept a 10000 RMB gig with a crappy independent "school" Be careful some independent crap outfits tell you 25 hours a week but when you arrive it's forty hours by the time you collate chinglish lesson plans.

Tom, you are comparing China with the GCC countries, hardly an equal comparison?

I never said anything about teaching 40 hours, but working 40 hours as is common in the gulf, with around 20 hours of class time, more likely 50 mins per class, so actually more like 18 hours of classes.Bear in mind, Wednesday, the last day of the working week, you may only have one class, and be sat on your office PC all day, just finishing off attendance papers, before knocking off early. Agreed, training centres in China are crappy, but needs must. You seem to be independently wealthy, but what of those who are not, and for who going home is not an option? Therefore, if they want to make savings, they don't have much choice. For those teachers who truly enjoy 25 hours of kindergarten classes a week, I salute them! They are certainly more strong minded than I ever could be, teaching Chinese kids just isn't my particular cup of java...

You expect a computer provided? Do you get that if you move into a flat by yourself in England? And in China, the provided internet is normally crappy anyway. Most teachers I knew in China either bought the 3G dongle or had their own adsl connection. The LAN connections are unreliable at best, and monitored/open to security issues.You only get heating, as in central heating, in North China, not in Central/South.

In the gulf I had to pay my own water (not expensive!), and electricity, also peanuts. Internet also was an optional extra, but free at the college. Rent was covered.

Good luck with the visa stuff
TL

Dear Tom,

I maybeknow you, if Tom is your surname, and you are from a certain country of the UK, we maybe even met in a certain city in deepest, darkest China...

You responded,as is your right to do so, I will also answer now, as is my right...

You can stand by your spelling mistake. Equally, I can stand behind my assertion that there is nothing wrong with working a full time job. Try being out of work for a while, and you would crave a five day 40 hour week. Horses for courses.

And good luck with your Z visa, I know how troublesome that can be from direct EXPERIENCE in Hong Kong. Thankfully, that's something I will never have to go through again, and China is the only country in the world that is behind others in regards visas and resident permits.

Regards.
THE LAWYER

What does TL stand for then- "Too Lazy" to read? I suggest you read my post again and you will see that I clearly indicate my hours will not be changing-"Same hours" I said. These hours total 14-16, which is about right for me- It depends on the individual but for me to work 30-40 hours in China would be a nonsense-how do you get to know the place or learn the language? Especially as some crap schools in China don't pay you for winter and summer breaks, let alone other Chinese holidays, air fare, travel money; therefore, It doesn't take a mathematical genius to calculate that a 5000 RMB no extras to pay on your flat university job, will make you better off than a 10,000 private outfit job.

TL=THE LAWYER, my chosen pseudonym on these boards. Although to be precise it is not a false name, as I am, point of fact, a law graduate and well versed in all matters of the law. I never made fun of your name though, did I?

I don't need to read the post again, I read it once, that shall suffice for now. To work 30-40 hours in China would be a nonsense, ignoring the spelling, I assume you mean "nonsense"? You get to know the place, by travelling, which costs money, more money than working 14-16 hours can afford. Unless you'd rather take hard seat on a chinese train, but I'd rather fly or use soft sleeper class. As for learning the language, chinesepod, makes it easy to learn on the go, and everyday practice in realtime. Agreed some crap schools won't pay for summer and winter breaks, but most public gigs will.

An extra 5,000 rmb a month is a lot of difference to most people, or maybe you are lucky enough not to need it, if so, good luck to you. But there is nothing wrong with people putting in more hours, just as there is for you travelling...or is there?

Peace out,
TL

I must say fare thee well for now as I intend to return to China(via a beach) in readiness for next term. My university has just dropped a bombshell asking me to teach other subjects apart from English -Oh dear, I'm not even the best English teacher within a short stone throw-so, I'll need to anguish about it all on a Thai beach for a month. Same hours, so what the hell. Good luck to you all-I'll catch up.

Well if you like gallivanting around south east Asia (and yes, Thailand is a dangerous place, I wouldn't holiday or work there) then you will need to WORK and work very had on your return to China. If they are asking you to teach, regardless of hours, seems you have no say in the matter. That, or curtail your luxury travels in the sun,,,,