What is considered good / recommendations of schools

[xuechengfeng]

I'm open to going anywhere to teach English for the next year. I'd like to go to Beijing or Shanghai, but I'll go elsewhere. What would a "standard" contract, if that exists, look like for one of those cities? Also, I found a position in Qingdao, is the following considered reasonable...

25hrs/week

7000+ RMB, negotiable

Accommodation with private bedroom

All Chinese Holidays and 14 days/year with pay.

Contract completion Bonus: Additional 1 month salary

Medical, visa, roundtrip air

Work Permit provided by school

[simonlaing]

Hi Xue Cheng feng,

25hrs/week - is a lot of teaching time, 4 classes a day is exhuasting and 5 will be a strain, Most universities are 12-16 hours a week, this sounds like a private for-profit place)

7000+ RMB, negotiable The going rate in Nanjing also a medium sized city for that much time is 9,000-10,000 including housing (which is about 1,500)

Accommodation with private bedroom (This could be bad as it doesn't say private bathroom, or apartment or kitchen. It might be a guest house room . You should ask them to send pictures or ask for 3,000 more RMB and get yourself a nice place. having your own kitchen and bathroom should be possible.)

All Chinese Holidays and 14 days/year with pay.

Contract completion Bonus: Additional 1 month salary

Medical, visa, roundtrip air

Work Permit provided by school

Apart from the 14 days a year and the bonus, these other things are pretty standard.

Also it may be the case that you will arrive and they you can wait to sign the contract a day or 2 after you arrive.

Dave's ESL cafe often has ESL job listings you can try there to compare salaries etc. 25 hours is a lot of time , you will find it hard to study Chinese as well if you had planned on doing that.

Qingdao is a good tourist place, by the sea, known for it's beer. I plan on visiting in the fall. It is a bit crowded in the summer.

have fun,

Simon:)

P.S. Shanghai and Beijing have better rates, the lowest range is about 7000 for 14 hours but can go up to 14000 RMB a month, if you work a lot and/or get substitute positions at International schools. Their rents are also higher though 2200 plus usually for decent places in relatively convenient locations.

[Rincewind]

All Chinese Holidays and 14 days/year with pay.

This line caught my eye as unusual. Usually schools have 2 months holiday in summer, 2 months winter and a week each in May and October. I got paid for the week long holidays but not during summer and winter breaks other than what classes I scrounged myself.

As for simonlaing comments on income, the earning vary a lot from city to city. So do the costs of living. 7000 in Shanghai would be skimping a bit but 7000 in Liaoning and you'll be wondering what to spend it all on.

My school - in Anshan, Liaoning - pays 3000 per month for 15 hours a week. 5000 per month for 20 hours a week. Extra hours at 100 per hour. You should note that hours and classes don't always tally. In middle school, classes are were 45 minutes each. So for 20 hours teaching I did 24 classes.

[xuechengfeng]

Any recommendations on what are the best websites to find teaching jobs in China?

[badr]

There are quite a few websites but you will find that it's mostly recruiters posting adds there. ESL cafe is a big source of jobs, then ESL teacher's Board. Other than that, try the expat websites for each city