Conflict!

[ckc_ucl]

As readers of this sub-forum will notice, I have been offered a teaching position at Shengda College in Zhengzhou which, thanks to the great advice I received from fellow members, I was just about to accept when I received an offer to teach at China Defence Technology University in Beijing.

Now I'm thoroughly confused again & don't know which offer to accept. I am well aware of the difference between the two cities and I believe I could gain a lot from living in either of them. My main concern is the teaching environment, so does anybody have any experience of teaching at China Defence Technology University?

Charlene

[roddy]

No personal experience, but from what I've been told by people working at defence-related institutions, you can expect to be a) treated very well and B) watched very closely - your interactions with students outside of class are likely to be restricted, there'll be more interest in what you're doing outside of the school and visitors are likely to be subject to more scrutiny. Can't speak for that place specifically, but it might be worth bearing in mind.

Having said that, the PLA will be ready to back you in disputes with taxi-drivers . . .

[ckc_ucl]

Thanks Roddy for your helpful (and immediate!) reply. You'll have to excuse my ignorance, but do you have a link to a site that explains the classifications of educational institutes? I'd like to do some research - it seems almost absurd that a teaching post should be offered to someone who doesn't even understand the system!

Ta,

Charlene

[roddy]

Not really, although the China Defence place looks to be a national-level one and should therefore be fairly prestigious. Shengda I've never heard of and at a guess I'd say it's likely a privately run place catering to students who failed to get into a 'real' university (which is not to be too discouraging - competition is fierce and you can be pretty smart and hard-working and still fail the university entrance test. )

To be honest though, you really need first-hand info to make a decent decision - contact both and ask to speak to current or recent teachers, and if they can't put you in touch, ask yourself why. If it was a choice between a well-run small provincial college and a chaotic but 'famous' university in Beijing, I'd probably opt for the well-run one. They'll drive you less mad in the long run.

Roddy

[ckc_ucl]

Invaluable advice; thanks Roddy

I definitely prefer the less mad option!

Right, time to get researching! Do you know of any useful resources detailing amenities, maps etc. in Haidan district?

[roddy]

Haidian is where pretty much all the universities are based, so information for foreign students will be relevant to you. Have you tried this site. . .

Have you got a Chinese name for this place? I can only find a National University of Defense Technology in Harbin, nothing in Beijing.

[ckc_ucl]

I've enquired as to what the Chinese name is & I'm just waiting to hear back from them. I can only find the same university as you. This site...

http://www.yellowpageschina.com/13159/1.html

...has a comprehensive looking list of institutions but I can't seem to find it there either!

[roddy]

I've asked someone whose dad used to make bombs for the PLA, and apparently its the 中国人民解放军国防大学, not that I can find any info on that either . . .

[ckc_ucl]

Thanks for that Roddy, but I can't download the Chinese Language Pack at the moment to view Chinese characters. Could you spell the name in pinyin please? Thanks!

[stephanhodges]

I'm not roddy, but... Zhōng guó rén mín jiě fàng jūn guó fáng dà xué (中国人民解放军国防大学)

[ckc_ucl]

Thanks stephanhodges

[roddy]

Got to recommend you give Shengda a miss, I'm afraid . . .

[liuzhou]

More here.