xiaojiang216 Posted May 27, 2014 at 07:09 AM Report Posted May 27, 2014 at 07:09 AM 大家好,For almost a year now, I have been working for an education consulting group in China, advising Chinese students applying to U.S. colleges and universities. I was kindly invited by roddy to start a thread on the topic, so I hope it might be helpful, especially to recent university graduates – this might be a suitable opportunity to gain professional experience and utilize your Chinese skills as an alternative to teaching English in China.Education consulting is a rapidly growing industry in China and primarily focused on undergraduate education, but is spreading to (private) high schools and postgraduate education as well. I suppose the work is somewhat similar to what a college counselor does at an American high school, but perhaps with more tutoring involved, especially with application essays.The term 中介, which is often used to categorize education consultancies, has somewhat of a negative connotation due to the reputation of some agencies. This may be due to agencies writing essays for students or engaging in other unscrupulous undertakings to get students into high-ranking schools. Many college admissions officers are familiar with the term 中介, and will often ask Chinese students if they have consulted such an agency during the application process.This made me apprehensive at first, but fortunately not all agencies have this kind of reputation. This might be because some consultancies do not complete applications for students, but rather guide them to grow into active members of their community (a core value of higher education in the U.S.), while helping them convey this through each application. This could potentially contribute to progressive change in Chinese education at a grassroots level.At any rate, perhaps this thread can facilitate a discussion about education consulting in China, some of the surrounding issues above, or maybe just Chinese students studying abroad in general. Thanks everyone - I hope this thread might be helpful! 2 Quote
abcdefg Posted May 27, 2014 at 10:58 AM Report Posted May 27, 2014 at 10:58 AM Quote The term 中介, which is often used to categorize education consultancies, has somewhat of a negative connotation due to the reputation of some agencies. I've seen and heard the same term used for real estate agents. Quote
imron Posted May 27, 2014 at 11:13 AM Report Posted May 27, 2014 at 11:13 AM Where it has the same negative connotations Quote
roddy Posted May 27, 2014 at 11:17 AM Report Posted May 27, 2014 at 11:17 AM Thanks, Xiaojiang. I think this route is a decent one for someone who wants to avoid English teaching and do something that could transfer back home. Western colleges and universities (and as you say also schools) are keen to get Chinese students in the door, and there are jobs in the UK liaising with partner institutions, in-China campuses, Chinese agents, or just working with Chinese students directly. 1 Quote
Lanchong Posted May 27, 2014 at 11:46 AM Report Posted May 27, 2014 at 11:46 AM Thanks for this thread. I've got two questions. First, how did you get into this line of work? Second, what is the visa situation? Is it easy to get an Z visa for education consulting? Quote
xiaojiang216 Posted May 27, 2014 at 01:45 PM Author Report Posted May 27, 2014 at 01:45 PM abcdefg and imron - Ah yes, I should have clarified that this term, while used for many different kinds of organizations, is also used for education consultancies (for better or for worse) roddy - Thank you! Agreed - although I'm curious as to what employers outside of the education consulting field in China might think about this line of work (whether or not they "agree" with it, and so on).Lanchong - Thank you and my pleasure! When I was searching for jobs, I had a few classmates who were in this line of work. After doing some research on my own, I found an organization that I particularly liked (and realized I knew a few Chinese students who had worked with them). As for visas, I know some education consultants who are on Z (work?) visas, M (business/commerce?) visas, and in some cases, student/other visas. Is it true that previous job experience is helpful when applying for a Z visa? If that's the case, then it might depend on your previous experience. But I do know consultants who have Z visas. I hope that's helpful!Edit: I should clarify that some are on M visas, etc. because in some cases, they might be technically based in the U.S. Quote
xuexiansheng Posted May 28, 2014 at 12:17 AM Report Posted May 28, 2014 at 12:17 AM I guess I'll ask the question that is burning in all the English teachers' minds: How does the pay compare to teaching English in China? Have you taught English in China? If so, how would you compare the work? How are you paid, by the institution or by a company contracted by the institution or by the students privately(or through your company)? How much do they pay for your services and what metrics (goals) are used to judge if they got what they paid for? Thanks for doing this Q&A. Quote
abcdefg Posted May 28, 2014 at 02:07 AM Report Posted May 28, 2014 at 02:07 AM One I knew in Kunming got paid by the head; can't remember how much. But he was only doing it part time. Quote
xiaojiang216 Posted May 28, 2014 at 02:33 AM Author Report Posted May 28, 2014 at 02:33 AM xuexiansheng - Thanks for your questions I'm not sure what pay is like for English teaching in China (I've only tutored English in China years ago as a volunteer), but I imagine that it depends on where the company is based. For those based in the U.S., consultants are paid by the company an entry-level U.S. salary. I would say that the job responsibilities might be more varied, as students (hopefully) have some sort of proficiency in English and you do not need to teach them how to speak, write, etc. However, a lot of essay coaching is involved because writing at the college level in the U.S. is so much different.The consultancies I am familiar with are not affiliated or contracted by any institutions, although there might be some that are. Employees are typically paid a base salary under the condition that a number of applications agreed upon with each student are completed (student count is also a factor). There may also be an agreement on refunds if the student is not admitted into a certain number (or any) schools. Additional compensation may be possible depending on the extent to which a teacher goes "beyond the call of duty." I hope that is somewhat helpful! Quote
Sydney Matt Posted May 29, 2014 at 01:51 PM Report Posted May 29, 2014 at 01:51 PM First, xiaojiang, thanks very much for starting this thread - I'm interested! I have a friend who does this sort of work here in Kunming, but he is a representative for just one university (well, business school). He encouraged me to explore this kind of work as an alternative to English teaching, even if it means I would become his competition :) The private language school I work at is actually also this sort of education consultancy, for students who want to study overseas. How is the work? Is it interesting/enjoyable/challenging? Downsides? English teaching is okay, and some classes are even a lot of fun, but after studying Chinese to HSK6 I do feel a bit let down that it's sliding away a bit because I use 95%+ English in this line of work. 2 Quote
xiaojiang216 Posted May 29, 2014 at 02:59 PM Author Report Posted May 29, 2014 at 02:59 PM Hi, Sydney Matt, my pleasure! I should be thanking roddy I think the work is appealing in that it is varied - in many ways you are a teacher, but you are teaching different things in various ways. In addition to being a writing coach, you are getting to know students to give them personalized suggestions for their applications (where to apply, how to apply, etc.), and even guiding them on how to harness and develop the personal characteristics they are showing through their work. This can make the work interesting, enjoyable, rewarding, as well as challenging. The rush before deadlines can make things tough, and perhaps even monotonous, but the variety of the work and the end result can be potentially very fulfilling. Also, I completely understand your concern about your Chinese level slipping. Even though I communicate with coworkers and parents in Chinese, I speak with students almost exclusively in English (for obvious reasons). This creates a (roughly) 50/50 English to Chinese ratio, but sometimes you might be speaking more English when spending more time with students. Sometimes I feel like I 进一步, and then 退一步 with the constant back-and-forth. So in my spare time, I should make an effort to do more studying. Anyway, I hope that helps! 1 Quote
roddy Posted May 29, 2014 at 03:02 PM Report Posted May 29, 2014 at 03:02 PM Matt, you're welcome to send your friend a link and have him come along if you want. Would be good to get some views from different cities. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and select your username and password later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.