|
||
| Shanghai: Some realities. | ||
| "Paris of the East", or whatever, but this city is very attractive to Westerners. Many arrive with a suitcase and C.V., hoping to land a job, and some do. But be aware; there is a lot of competion for good jobs. Language mills offer bits and pieces, nights and weekends, no security, and usually no visa. Fine if you're traveling, but for a serious teacher hardly satisfactory. The other option is state-owned schools, and here's what to expect: Salaries in the 5,000 to 10,000 range, according to hours worked, which may range from 12 to 24. Housing provided, though some give an allowance of 2-3,000. Teacher apartments here are usually good standard: well appointed, 24 hour hot water, ADSL etc. If renting, 3,000 should find you a reasonable place not too far from the subway. A proper contract, airfare or bonus, visa [Z] arranged and paid for. One growth area is in kindergarten teaching. Highschools are increasingly taking on foreign teachers, but the tertiary sector is still the biggest employer. The salary is often inversely proportional to the status of the institution, a Chinese peculiarity that applies nationwide, so decide what's more important to you. There are an increasing number of "joint programs", run with overseas universities. Salaries are still local, but you will often get a Western program manager, sick leave, support staff, holiday pay: things not generally found in the local system. But be aware, the competition can be intense. A recently advertised position got 16 replies in a day. Nearly all of them would walk into a job in most other cities, but here 15 missed out. I'm not a recruiter by the way, and was just helping my school out, so please don't send CV's. Andrew Shanghai Feb.11 ed_barge@yahoo.com |