Only 2 years?

[paperbagprince]

It seems like when ever I read about people teaching english in china, it is always for 2 years. Is two years the most ammont of time you can spend teaching, or do people just chose to spend 2 years in China. I am currnetly taking chinese in high school, and will continue in China. I would like to teach english in china afterwards, and I just wanted to know why it always seems like people teach in China for only 2 years.

[tallynole]

I'm not sure where you saw this because i've met plenty of folks that have spent more than 2 years teaching in the middle kingdom. Pleanty of folks have also spent less than 1 year here.

[roddy]

I don't think it's just in China. Teaching English is often something people do short term after graduating, or as a break from a career, because it provides an opportunity to fund a stay in a foreign country and the work is easy to get. I think that holds pretty much worldwide.

That said, it's entirely possible to teach longer term and there is a career path in there if you want it.

[kdavid]

I was told during my TESOL course that only 5% of those who enter English language teaching stay with it for more than 2 years. My experience and encounters in the past tend to agree with this.

[Hero Doug]

That said, it's entirely possible to teach longer term and there is a career path in there if you want it.

What kind of carreer path is there for teaching ESL? I've put some thought in this and I don't see ESL teaching as a long term solution (for me of course).

There just isn't enough money. As soon as I go back to Canada I'm broke, unless I live like a hermit and save everything I can, then I'll just be poor. Even by Chinese standards most teachers are just doing well, not even quite well if you're at a University. One trip to the hospital and you can end up spending a lot of money.

[tallynole]

ESL does pay reasonably well depending on the country you're teaching in and your qualifications.

A graduate degree would allow you to teach ESL in Korean universities making a decent amount of cash. Another possibility is public institutions in the middle-east.

As for back homw, there are plenty of options as well.

Oz has TAFE, the USA has plenty of opportunites in curriculum development and general ESL in teh bigger cities with a rising immigration policy

[roddy]

What kind of carreer path is there for teaching ESL? I've put some thought in this and I don't see ESL teaching as a long term solution (for me of course).

ESL isn't a route to big money or status, but there's plenty of scope for someone who is committed to make a decent living. Few examples of people I know

Myself - Started off as your common or garden no qualifications bar a degree 3000Y / month teacher in a Chinese private school. 3 years and a CELTA later I was working for a joint venture school in Beijing at 11,500Y a month. That school went bust mainly due to SARS (also due to being insanely expensive) but if it had kept running the DOS position would have probably been an option in a year or two.

Ex-colleague of mine went from average entry-level China ESL job to working for one of the big chains, to DOS for a big chain, is now looking at doing a DELTA with a view to teacher-training positions in Europe.

Guy I know in Beijing did a CELTA, few years in Spain teaching, moved to Beijing, did the DELTA qualification, now runs a large school here.

Beyond that, MA's or PhD's in linguistics or something related can open up academic tracks, International schools always have a need for qualified EFL teachers, a qualified, well-presented teacher of business English can make as much money as they want in any major capital. Write textbooks. Train teachers. Design curriculums.

The nature of TEFL means that its career pyramid, if you like, is very broad at the base, due to all the short-term, semi-qualified teachers that do it for a year or two. But take it seriously and keep up with your qualifications - and perhaps most importantly stay in jobs that develop you as a teacher, rather than saying 'apple. No, apple. Apple!' to kindergarten kids. For that reason it might be wise to spend at least a year or two outside of China and get a job in Europe, where your standard private school job will involve teaching kids, teenagers and adults with much better resources and standards than the equivalent in China.

[redmini]

i know people who are on English teaching contracts of one year only.. you can have short term and long term teaching positions, but from what ive been told, long term contracts often have better perks like apartment to live in, food expenses covered etc.

[trevelyan]

Started off as your common or garden no qualifications bar a degree 300Y / month teacher in a Chinese private school.

Either Roddy is playing for our sympathies, or he left off a zero there....

[kdavid]

I know of a woman in Shanghai currently making 18,000 Y a month teaching kindergarten 8-4 Mon - Fri. I'm not sure what her benefits are.

I do know, however, that experience in the TEFL world pays. As Roddy, I believe, said above, 3 years + Masters can land a decent DOS position.

Also, where you are in China greatly decides what you can save. My current job in Harbin (which has a dirt-cheap cost of living) allows me to send $400 USD home each month, plus I live quite well day-to-day. And my salary at the moment only reflects 1+ year of experience.

[Hero Doug]

what he said below

You're right in saying you could get a DOS or other job that pay's well. You can even send 700-800 CDN home every month, which is more then most people back home can save. I don't doubt that you can make a very comfortable life here in China.

I've already noticed truth in your statement in that I've found some nice paying jobs and have been able to make a decent amount of money, but I don't see myself settling down here in China.

I'm not sure how well situated I'll be going back to Canada middle-aged with mainly ESL work experience trying to settle down with a marginal saving's.

There is one way I've been thinking of that could make doing ESL work (long term) a viable option and leave oneself well situated for later in life.

I've been thinking of buying a house in Canada, sectionalizing it, and renting out the sections to lower income people. They in turn would pay for the house, and I could continue saving more money instead of giving it to the bank. The key would be being able to buy more then one house (not sure how feasable this part is) so when it come's time, you could sell them for a large profit and have some nice retirement savings.

P.S. To answer the origional post. I think I'm the person you're talking about. I like it in China. It's an enjoyable place to live for the most part, but I like my home country so much more.

[imitation]

I know people who make 20,000 a month (40classes a week) teaching with no qualifications in Guangzhou who have been here less than a year. Learn to shop around and don't take a class that pays less than 120, there are some that pay 150. Learn to haggle like the many Chinese teaching companies who are ripping off their teachers.

That being said, teaching English in China in 10yrs will be an average wage at best I believe, there will be more Chinese with a higher level of English good enough to teach themselves like other asian countries, and teachers wages will not go up with wages. I would hate to be stuck being a teacher here in 10-15yrs, by then they won't have there 4times a week cleaning ladies, eating out every night, etc.

[roddy]

I'm not sure I'd see a DOS position as the peak of an ESL career - beyond that you could be owning your own school, moving into management with one of the big chains, heading up an ESL department within an international school, so on.

There's no doubt that it wouldn't bring you the money and status a lot of other more conventional careers will. But if you like the work, who cares. I got bored of it after a few years and quit, but under different circumstances I could still be doing it.

That being said, teaching English in China in 10yrs will be an average wage at best I believe, there will be more Chinese with a higher level of English good enough to teach themselves like other asian countries, and teachers wages will not go up with wages. I would hate to be stuck being a teacher here in 10-15yrs, by then they won't have there 4times a week cleaning ladies, eating out every night, etc.

I don't know, there still seems to be a real demand for *foreign* teachers in countries like Japan and Korea - maybe there's less differential between their salaries and those of local teachers, but general opinion still seems to be that there is money to be made.

I think more likely is that the qualified teachers will still be in demand, but the chancers will become more marginalized.

[liuzhou]

I am slightly appalled by the English mistakes in all the posts by the English teachers!

[kdavid]

I am slightly appalled by the English mistakes in all the posts by the English teachers!

I only speak "English" in the classroom. The rest of the time I speak native English.

[Hero Doug]

Yes, my English is quite phenomimal isn't it?

anyways

I know people who make 20,000 a month (40classes a week) teaching with no qualifications in Guangzhou who have been here less than a year. Learn to shop around and don't take a class that pays less than 120, there are some that pay 150. Learn to haggle like the many Chinese teaching companies who are ripping off their teachers.

I've never seen a full time contract that offer's 120 per teaching hour. Are you talking about part-time work only?

I think we're in the peak of the ESL boom in China as well. I'm personally not sticking around.

[imitation]

I'm talking parttime.

[Hero Doug]

Yeah, I had a feeling it was part time. Would be great if it was full time though.