Teaching English in China is no longer the thrill-seeking, u...

You are definitely right, but have you been to China before? I have been teaching in China for two years.People are helpful,warm-hearted here. Teachers are welcomed by their students, though, some esl teachers are not well qualified.

It depends on your constitution and experience. I think Sarah went to China, thinking it would be easy, and had a bad case of culture shock. If you really want to teach and have the motivation to do it, you can do quite well. That means putting in the hours outside of the classroom by teaching private lessons. Sarah also needs to learn that respect is earned. In most Asian cultures teachers are held in high regards, that is if they are any good. I can only assume Sarah is not too serious about teaching in the first place. If she was serious then she would´nt be showing off her midrift in her profile picture.

Sarah, you have no idea what you are talking about. I would guess that you have never visited China. Let alone Asia. Am I right?

I had to write a posting after reading this horrendous contract that I was negotiating with an employer in China. This has to be the most offensive contract I’ve ever read. Everything about it screamed, "We don’t trust you, we think you’re going to screw us, so you’re going to pay for everything, you are only here for 2 months on probation, and if you get sick at any time, your pay WILL be deducted (if you get permission to miss work to begin with because you are sick), if you leave at anytime, you WILL pay for all certifications, visa, etc...and you WILL pay for everything up front". The best part? You’ll get 5 days of vacation (after your first year there) and then if you stay, and it works out, we’ll bump you up to a whopping 6 days.

I had another job interview for a different company in China that asked me what I’d do if I found out that another employee was there longer than me but didn’t teach as well and got paid more. I laughed, and I knew the answer she was ’looking for’ or ’expected’ to hear, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I said, "I’d find another job because it reflects poor management on your part as an employer to pay an employee more than me, that does less work and is not up to an optimal skill level to teach. A teacher is not a good teacher, nor can they teach, just ’because’ they show up for work everyday on time. Do you want a warm body to take up space or do you want to teach? I guess it depends on what you want.".

I asked her, "You mean, you want me to pay for a flight, then pay for 3 months for an apartment, all utilities, and transportation and even my lunches and wait 2 months before receiving a paycheck? So essentially, I have to put out $800 or even $1800 to take this job that pays $780 a month before taxes?"

Some people only see the trees, while others see the trees and the forest. I turned that one down too.

So much for going to the mainland. Although, I have not been to China, I have spoken to many Chinese by phone and I can tell you that it’s like day and night in comparison to other countries. You hear a lot of ’bad attitudes’ that scream, "We are doing you a favor and we don’t trust foreigners to begin with"....

A real eye-opener.

Like I told one recruiter, it’s like inviting someone to come to your house for conversation and then checking their pockets at the door, following them when they use the bathroom and making them keep the door open while you watch so they don’t steal anything, then telling them that if they wanted tea, they should have brought their own, then smiling as they check your pockets before you leave their house.

In the end, I just explained politely that I was refraining from taking the position and that their contract needed to be rewritten, the amount of salary and housing needed to ’add up’, and the whole attitude would have to change before I’d even consider working there at their company.

And FYI, not, not all of the jobs in China are like this or the contracts. I have seen others and talked with other recruiters, but unfortunately out of 10, I’d say 8 were pretty bad.