From: GOLDEN_FOOL Mar-31 10:59 pm
To: ALL (1 of 3)
14260.1
OK, as many of you lovely folk know, I'm in China right now, teaching English to utterly adorable, and gorgeously high spirited Chinese youngsters.
The end of my time here is drawing to a close, and it was a very difficult decision that I had to make, to return home to Australia, but I have always had long term travel plans which extended past my contract here.
So anyway, here's the dealio:
My school is currently advertising for at least 3 new foreign English teachers, starting here in late August/early September. No teaching experience is necessary, all you need is a college degree in any field, and an enthusiasm for teaching. The age of kids ranges from 4 or 5 through to 21, at three different schools which are all vaguely interconnected.
The school is in a town called Dushanzi (Xin Jiang province), which is small enough to not appear on an atlas (look for Kuytun, usually is on maps, and only 10 mins away by car), but large enough to have several bowling alleys and an olympic sized indoor heated swimming pool. You can get almost everything you could need or want, except for fresh dairy produce (the Chinese are generally lactose intolerant), and the nearest city over a million people is Urumqi, which is 2.5 to three hours away by bus. Whatever you can't get in Dushanzi, you can generally find there (except firefly dvds!).
We get paid 3,500 yuan per month (about US$420) for no more than 20 hours teaching per week. Now, by Western standards, this may seem like very little, but to give you an idea of how little the cost of living is, I can live easily on 1,500 yuan per month, and save the rest away.
And on top of that, we get a fully furnished 2 bedroom apartment to ourselves, complete with LARGE TV and DVD player. The DVD store in town is remarkably good, and I usually get to see all of the new release movies within a few weeks of them coming out in the cinema. They're all pirated, of course, but hey, I'd see them in the cinema if there was one here! (or at least, if there was one that shows them in English, and not dubbed over in Chinese). We also get v. good computers and decent internet connection, and all utilities except gas (which comes in a bottle) and phone (which I barely use anyway) are paid for by the school. They really try to make us comfortable, because there is such a huge demand for English teachers in China now, but trying to get them to come out here is so hard, 'cause people just think that Xin Jiang is desert. More about that misconception later. The point is, they do everything they can to make our stay as easy as possible. If you have a problem, it's fixed quickly, if you need something (within reason!) they get it for you.
Pile ontop of that, free healthcare (within reason - we don't pay a cent to see a doctor, or for medicine that comes from the school clinic, and they err on the side of paranoia to keep us healthy), a travel allowance around China during the holidays, and stacks of people ready and eager to help you learn chinese if you'll just talk to them a little in English so that they can improve their skills, and you have one sweet deal. Chinese grammar is pretty straight foward, and the biggest problem you'll have is with the tones. I've been here 8 months now, and I can understand much of what is said, and can communicate what I want.
Dushanzi is a pretty well off town, funded as it is by the oil industry (there are several HUGE refineries on the edges of town) so, you get to have a civilised Western style of living, but the desert and adventure is only a fifteen minute bike ride away. If you've seen Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (filmed not far from here!), you'll get an idea of what the desert looks like - amazing rock formations, earthy colours... Real "Old Testament" stuff. Xin Jiang is not just desert, though. There are huge tracts of farmland, where they grow corn and sunflowers, and all those wonderful things that make the landscape look healthy and colourful. This place is also famous for its grapes. Man, coming in August, almost as soon as you arrive, you'll get to eat some of the best, crispest, juiciest grapes you'll ever taste.
If you want to see a bit of what my year's been like so far, take at look at my blog - www.cyberfictionreview.com/orientexpress
Seriously, I've had the most amazing year, and I'd recommend it to anyone. I'm sure that once my long term travel plans are done with, I'll be back here to do some more teaching.
If you're interested, or have questions, either post here, or email me on catmac42 at yahoo.com
Cheers, Charlotte
ETA: I forgot to mention one thing that makes it much more attractive - If you sign on for a one year contract, they reimburse your return airfare, and if for a six month, they reimburse for one way. That was the deciding factor for me!
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Edited 4/1/2004 12:13 am ET by GOLDEN_FOOL
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From: rklenseth Mar-31 11:13 pm
To: GOLDEN_FOOL (2 of 3)
14260.2 in reply to 14260.1
So you are saying my Broadcast Communications Degree would get me a job as an English teacher in China?
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From: GOLDEN_FOOL Mar-31 11:24 pm
To: rklenseth (3 of 3)
14260.3 in reply to 14260.2
It certainly would! What they are looking for are people who can demonstrate with a peice of paper that they take learning seriously.
So congratulations, you're qualified! When shall I tell them to meet you at the airport?
C
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Wouldn't we want RK to get into a little K.O. Corral with some undercover customs people? Or Chinese whatever that damned long letter was about? 