Approaching universities for jobs?

[PopaJay]

Is there any point approaching a university you're interested in teaching at, rather than just responding to ads?

Should you send CVs speculatively, send a inquiry email or just stick to the job ads? I'm asking because I want to move to China next year to start teaching after Spring Festival. I'm keen to get a position arranged sooner rather than later because of work commitments, giving notice etc here in the UK. I'm also aware that most jobs will start in September rather than Feb/March.

Thanks for any guidance!

[Liebkuchen]

Some of the universities advertise on their own websites like Wuhan. Just do a quick Google. Even if its an old ad (for previous semesters), there's no harm in asking. Same with those that don't advertise. I could see this being a useful tactic if you know exactly which area or city you want to be in. I'd just send an enquiry email at first. But have your cv handy incase they're interested.

However, if you're not too fussed, there's something to be said taking the 'pot luck' element of being offered something in a city you know nothing about. You can always research the location before saying 'yes'. I got my job offer from posting sparce details ( I was a British grad with a teaching certificate and a pulse) on a tefl website and had the offers come to me.

If you want to go this Spring, go for it!

[ayanamidreamsequence]

Yes, be as active as possible, it certainly cannot hurt. A lot of schools (especially public schools like universities) are not really on the ball here, and their staff are not recruiting masterminds. If you wait to see an ad, you could be missing out.

As a warning: you might find that positions are a little bit last minute for you. Most schools try to recruit for a full year, so less posts tend to be open during the winter break. On top of that, many of those that leave may be giving notice shortly before the festival starts. I would not expect too much at this point, I would really hit the job market hard in December in terms of February/March starts. It is a more difficult time to move over, so being proactive will certainly only help your chances.

For some city specific ideas, you might also try a teacher specific forum like Dave's ESL cafe which has a lot of useful info on China as well.

Good luck.