teach English even if non native

[moidave]

Bonjour,

I would like to go to China next year and am looking for jobs.

I am native from France but have a BA in English, and this is my third year in the US where I am a graduate teaching assistant in French. I will graduate in May with a MA in French. I think I have reached a near-native level.

I have experience in teaching both languages at different levels (from 1st grade to university)

Here is my question:

Do I have a chance of teaching English in China even if I am not a native english speaker?

Also, they say that even if converted to dollars the pay is very low, the purchase power is very high.

Is it true? How much does a small TV cost, in yuan?

How about a new car?

Last but not least, is there any French teacher in this forum?

Merci!

David

[Xiao Kui]

You can definitely get an English teaching job if you are a non-native speaker of English, but your English is fluent.

I worked at a kindergarten in Chengdu for 2 yrs where we had a teacher from Germany and another from Italy and I also met Israelis who were teaching English. Sadly, looking different from the Chinese is probably the best asset for getting an English teaching job.

Of course you may not have as many options as a native speaker or someone might choose a native speaker over you for a position, and it if your accent is very thick it might cause Chinese to doubt your abilities.(if you have a little accent a lot of Chinese might not even pick up on any difference btween you and a native speaker at all) But there are plenty of opportunities, for being hired by schools as well as private tutoring. There should also be some opportunities for teaching French in some cities, tho they may be fewer and farther between.

[moidave]

Thank you very much for your help!

How is Chengdu? Did you like the weather there? Is life cheap?

What region are you from?

Sorry if I ask that many questions...

Thanks again

[phbriggs]

Also agree it should not be a problem. Some schools however may wish to speak with you over the phone before making a formal offer to make sure that your ascent is not strong. If it is too strong, they may refuse to make an offer.

Also, you shouls be able to get a position teaching both French and English. This can be appealling to some school who offer both English and French to their students.

[moidave]

I think the phone interview would be the least they could do to make sure they don't hire anyone bogus.

I am still not sure how to proceed. There is this association that offers to place you in a school and negociate a salary, between 2.500 and 5.000 depending on your experience and education. They also take care of the paperwork. The round trip is reimbursed after a year at the school and you have a free apartment.

The downside is that you have to pay them 1,000$ before they start looking for a school and apparently you don't really have a choice in the region.

The location is a big thing for me. I am originaly from Brittany in France and would like to be on the coast, with a mild weather. I was thinking Qingdao, maybe Xinjian.

What do you think?

[Xiao Kui]

You asked abt Chengdu.

I'm an American, but I lived in Chengdu 2 yrs and Kunming 2 yrs. I'm not in China rt now.

Chengdu is good as far as availablility of jobs and the pay is high, while the cost of living is pretty low. I think your money goes a long way there. There is also a pretty good social scene there. Lots of foreigners from many countries, and the Chinese are pretty sophisticated and cosmopolitan for a western Chinese city. The food is also great.

The main drawbacks to Chengdu are the nasty weather. Hot humid summers and because it's a basin surrounded by mountains any clouds that drift in get stuck there, so it can be cloudy days and days on end. Sunshine and blue skies are rather infrequent.

I think the pollution is pretty horrid too since they're doing so much construction there.

But since it's in Sichuan of course it's not far from some of the most beautiful places in China. Jiu Zhai Gou and lots of other mtns and China must sees. Tibetan areas in Aba Zhou and SongPan where you can go on horse treks, etc.

If you want to know abt Kunming I can only tell you the weather's great, and it's a beautiful city. I never taught there - most people go there to study. From my impression there's less of a demand for teachers ( though there are jobs available.) and the salary's not as high, but then again the cost of living is very low.

[phbriggs]

I would be very suspicious of any agency who is going to change you a fee to place you in a school in China. There are many agencies which have highly favourable relationships which schools and the teacher is the one who looses out (they hit you with placement fee, also charge the school monthly commissions etc).

The standard State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs process in China is that agencies should not charge fees to teachers, as it is the school who should be paying placement costs. The school has an enormous advantage (particularly financial) having a foreigner teachign there.

The starting saly is currently around 4000-4500RMB per month for 12-16 teaching/student contact hours per week. With both French and English you should be able to negotiate a salary far more than the base rate.

If you need a hand finding a placement, email me on phbriggs2000@yahoo.com.au.

Local (western) agencies who you pay also have a reputation of cutting corners and also not being able to support you if you do have problems when you are in China. If you do have a problem, they are ikely to say that you are on your own.

[hakkaboy]

David, we speak English in Singapore, and I don't think you are quite at a "near native" level. There are some unnatural aspects to your English, including

Last but not least, is there any French teacher in this forum?

"Are there any French teachers?" in the plural would be much better. I am sure you can find a job teaching English in China, but self-assessments as to how close one's English is to that of a native speaker are likely to be flawed.