Serious Teachers Forum

Teachers and Employers who bully other teachers at work..... Has anyone ever experienced another teacher violating their privacy by contacting previous employers? Or have you experience threats by other teachers at work such threatening to beat you up? I've recently had similar experience in the workplace and was wondering how others may have coped with the situation? The administrative staff does not speak very good English so that is problem right there, because they don't understand what is going on, or don't care...I'm sure which.

Salaries in China for Private Lessons Can anyone out there tell me what I can reasonably charge for private lessons on an hourly basis in China?

I would like to take a course that would qualify me to teach English in Saudi Arabia. However, people who work there have told me that a course, rather than a degree, will not qualify me to teach English in Saudi. I do have a BS from an American college, and many years of teaching experience, but my degree is not in the field of education. Any advice?

I would like to teach online, but I was wondering if the TEFL diploma also allows you to teach in a classroom?

Online teaching by agents? Scam or not scam. I'm alarmed at the increasing amount of adverts seeking online native ESOL teachers for skype for as little as 6GBP an hour. Do teachers really respond to such adverts? Native speakers independantly or on other sites charge 20GBP an hour.

Saudi Arabia jobs: For those teachers watching the 'Serious Teachers' job board, I would probably avoid those recruiters who advertise Dubai as being in Saudi Arabia. They have clearly never looked at a map of the region. The attention to detail of some of these recruiters is quite poor, so all I would say is be careful. Also remember that you will NOT be able to leave the country, open a bank account OR obtain a sim card without a residency permit, so you'll be stuck and unable to leave the country for the best part of 3 months on average. Naturally, no recruiter will tell you this. Go in with your eyes open and ask LOTS of questions. That's what recruiters are there for!

What are the best kinds of jobs in China? I have to make a decision between a public school and a university. The Public School pays more but the university has fewer hours and requirements. Any ideas from those that have been working in the field?

I was surprised to log on to find that no one has addressed racism in the international teaching world, especially in Asia. As a Canadian, it's illegal to ask for a specific gender, age or to discriminate PERIOD, but employment standard internationally is quite a different world. Shockingly different. I'm currently in Mexico where I've dealt with racism to varying degrees albeit lightly. Avoid language schools here as they're treacherous and dishonest. Universities and private schools are the only way to go. Labor rights are strong here even for foreigners. Secretaria de Trabajo will assist anyone with labor issues such as payment or wrongful dismissal. I've had to go twice against 2 separate employers - won both times...a

How beneficial is it to go China and have a face to face interview and tour the school? Would this be a good idea? I found flights were quite expensive to the smaller cities at around 2500 round trip. Could I go over one way, start a job, and then leave it, if I am unhappy?

Hello, I am a qualified teacher currently working in the UK. I am thinking about moving to Taiwan to teach this summer but I'm unsure on where's the best place to go? Where is the best place to seek employment for this country? Peter

Hello, Im interested in knowing any information about working in Saudi Arabia. My fiancé and I have been getting a few offers in Saudi Arabia, but are concerned about the culture. As a woman, I am worried about how safe it is and if anyone has ran into any problems.

A question concerning older teachers. Approaching the age of 60 suddenly appears to be fraught with problems in Asia. Thailand has an absolute cut off date for (legal) employment at that age and China appears to be heading the same way. The age at which UK State pensions are given is now being raised, (to 66 in my case) and that’s a big six year gap to fill without an income. I’m currently employed in China, but would like to know if others have experience of countries in Asia that hire healthy, experienced, NES teachers beyond the age of 60?

Hello, If you plan to be a teacher in China, according to the Law and Labor regulation, you should have one month of probation period for every year of contract. So one year contract, one month period, 2 years contract, 2 months probation and so one. IN ANY CASE, they cannot lower your salary for the probation period. Do your homework. With the new laws in China, the school should provide work visa, foreign expert certificate and work permit from the government. Good luck

Working in China with an L Visa, a Tourist Visa. Do serious, professional, credentialed, experienced teachers sometimes begin working in China on an L Visa, a Tourist Visa, and then wait a few days or weeks to be given a Work Permit and Invitation Letter, to then go get their Z Visa, the Work Visa? I have lived in other places and I have never been asked to work on a tourist visa. I have never known anyone who has done such a thing. Am I being too impractical and too strict, to not want to move to China until after I have a Z Visa? How common and necessary is it for serious, professional, credentialed, experienced, highly qualified teachers to move to China on an L Visa, before being given a Z Visa?

My fiancee is currently employed by a large private school in Phuket. Her probation period recently expired and she was appointed on a 1 year contract and received her uniform. On Friday, barely a month later, she was informed that her contract was cancelled. She was given no reasons, received no prior warnings of any kind, nor was informed of any other problems with regards to her performance, ability as a teacher or any other reasons. What do we stand to do? We moved to a small town where we had to furnish a house at big expense for her to fill a post at the local branch.We did not expect this to happen in any way, after all, my contract has just been confirmed. Advice please!!!

Is the concept of "native speaker" still relevant in the global village? Apparently, there are more none native speakers of English than there are so called natives. I guess only the Queen has the right to be referred as a native speaker of English. Why do we have American and the Queens English will somehow explain that to you.

Hi! Decided to enter world of TEFL as I adore children and have a passion for teaching and making a difference. Enthusiasm made me chose China as destination but if I read the forum replies and almost all blogs and look at the negative feedback then it makes me wonder if I should consider changing direction. Actually thought I was getting away from worst part of corruption, laws and rules that only apply to certain people and not to even start with the education system. For all of this I might as well just stay in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa?! Will I be walking into the same mess?

Contracts-China vs Thailand....
I am trying to see and understand if the contracts for Chinese Teaching positions will give me some leverage in holding my future employer accountable. Are they strong documents?
What is preferable to have a Chinese job with a signed contract versus the promise of a job from a Thailand School?

Seriously upset because of the ’accent’ always wanted. I did the course just like everyone else.

Teaching in Guangzhou
I have recently signed a contract to teach in Guangzhou but now the hiring agent is telling me that I need to get a working visa from my current employer in Hunan. They go on to say that Guangzhou is different from all other provinces in China and I won’t be able to travel to Hong Kong to get a working visa. Can anyone enlighten me on this subject?