Hoping for someone particularly knowledgeable about the Chinese visa system for this one...

So I had a Z visa, lost my passport with said Z visa before doing my medical/police check in China and getting my residence permit. ****. Filed a police report and got a paper from them saying I have a lost/stolen passport. Went to the consulate to get a temporary passport and also apply for a new permanent one which will be here in a few weeks.

I also have to re-do an FBI background check and get it re-authenticated since my previous one is now expired. Sucks, but okay.

My question is about what my school HR is now telling me. I should preface this by saying that they have been upfront and by-the-book about all visa matters up to this point.

The HR person who accompanied me to the police station is telling me that I don't need to get another Z visa. I can get a "Stay visa" (I don't know what this is) and transfer that to a residence permit. I asked her if she was certain that this was legal, since I thought you could only work on residence permits from Z visas. She assured me it was, because it was a "special issue visa" (also don't know what this means). I obviously don't speak Mandarin, but she appeared to have gotten/verified this information from one of the officers at the police department and seemed genuinely happy to discover it.

However, I'm having an awfully difficult time finding any sort of information on this to verify on my own. Is there anyone here who knows about this, or could point me in the direction where I could find this information?

Thank you

PsyGuy wrote:
> This is a two and done appointment,

Actually only a 1-year contract.

Hey PsyGuy, very late here but thanks for the informative response as always. I decided to just go with Math in Action since I figured they would be familiar with the format.

However, there is a new and exciting twist. Today the principal got back to me and told me the board decided not to approve math textbooks since math is not a core subject in their program...Yikes. So the principal asked me if I could buy the textbook and send it to China so he can make copies of them, and I will get reimbursed later. So, that seems not great...

Starting my first full-time teaching job September in China, and got what I thought was a bit of an odd request (but maybe not). The principal asked me what textbooks the school should order to best support my teaching. I'll be teaching math to 10th and 11th graders. I know there are a lot of experienced teachers on this board, so I thought I would ask you all for some input. Here is some info I have that may or may not be helpful:

-I asked what the students' math background was, and what their most recent math course was. I didn't get a very specific answer on this and was told that it will vary, and was just told that they don't necessarily get the highest achieving students from the city overall, and that their English is also not always at the highest level (but again this varies).

-I'll be teaching three 40-minute periods a week for each grade level (6 total).

-They've been using the "Mathematics in Action" books for grades 7-9.

I'm not sure why they wouldn't just continue using the Mathematics in Action series for 10-11 if that's what they use for 7-9? Then again this is their first year implementing a math program at grades 10-11 (yikes)...so maybe they're just trying to involve me in the process and make me aware of everything. He even sent me a quick video of the table of contents and paging through some of the chapters.

So am I overthinking this and should I just tell them to order the subsequent books in the Mathematics in Action series?

I just got a request to interview for a high school math position in Hangzhou (grade 12 actually)...The curriculum looks like something from Australia, I looked at a PDF to review some material they asked me to look at to verify it's something I can teach. It's stats, which is my strongest area and I think I would be comfortable teaching it.

Salary is a little gross at 12-20k/m range (I assume I'm at the bottom without experience), but I think this look best going forward no? They contacted me today and already want to interview tomorrow...

PsyGuy wrote:
> Neither they are both turds. Your asking us to choose which pile of poo is
> better, poo is poo.

Helen Back wrote:
> I would keep looking for option 3.

Do you think I should keep looking for option 3 given:

a) I have no experience other than 3 months field experience
b) My certification is in Middle School Math (with non-related degree)
c) I need a job for this school year and I strongly prefer finding an IE spot over DE

?

The thing is I didn't know how much difficulty I would have finding a job, so with the recruiting agency I signed up with I listed my min. acceptable salary as $2500/mo. Maybe I should have gone higher? (agency is only for China)

PsyGuy wrote:

> Your benefits lists dont really address your issue of which one is better
> for your future marketability (flight differentials have nothing to do with
> your marketability).

This is a fair point, maybe I should should backtrack/re-phrase my objective. Future marketability is not my only priority, but it's my biggest priority. If one place gives me significantly better value going forward, I'm willing to sacrifice significant quality of life.

If however the future utility is essentially the same and one is only better in this regard by some technicality that is very unlikely to make a real difference (I'm not saying this is the case here, I don't know), then quality of life/budget stuff matters.

(copied from members forum editing out school names/identifying info)

Hello,

I am looking at offers from the following schools. I am more concerned about which position will open more future doors, than I am which one gives a 10% (or whatever) better standard of living at the moment. Both provide health insurance, I believe only the second provides free lunch. Both provide a legal work visa, it's not clear to me if "cover" means assist with or actually pay for the costs (I will be following up on this).

1. School is located in Dongguan, has a mutual-diploma agreement program with a US high school.

Salary: 17,000 RMB/month, 10,000 bonus for completion of contract. 3 weeks paid leave during winter break, 2 weeks paid leave during summer.

Teachers requires to work 40 hours/week. Up to 25 teaching hours, the rest are office hours. No days longer than 8 hours unless teacher and school agree.

Grade level/subject: High school students, unknown (??). They told me they are thinking about adding a math program this year, but asked if I would be open to other subjects (I said I would to ones like Am. Govt. and History, no to ones like British Lit. that I have no business teaching).

Housing: Provided by the school. I've seen photos, it's nothing lavish but seems fine, comes with Western-style amenities. 15 mins. walk or 5 min. cab-ride from the school. Housing is not on school grounds, but is rented out by the school so most of the western teachers are in the same area. There is wording in the contract saying that any family or guests at the apartment need to be approved by the school administrator, which seems odd to me.

Flight: only covered up to $500 USD, reimbursed in first paycheck (this won't cover the full flight).

Curriculum: They tell me Common Core, though school is listed on IB website's list of schools. I guess they only use IB for certain grades?

Misc: Regular teleconferencing with teachers from the US school with which the dual-diploma agreement exists.

2. Bilingual school in Qingdao.

Salary: 18,000 RMB/m

Schedule is 7:50am - 4:30pm, one hour lunch included. No more than 22 teaching periods, 40 mins per period. Teachers can pick two days to leave at 3:30. For winter/summer breaks, teachers receive half of their salary.

Grade level, subject: Primary, Math

Housing: 3,000 RMB/m stipend pre-tax

Flight: Covered up to 9,000 RMB, reimbursed after completion of 1-year contract.

Curriculum: A-levels and IG.

--

My thoughts...

Pros for first school:

-Teaching high school aged students (my certification is MS Math, but would like to get my HS Math cert eventually).

-Cheaper cost of living based on my research

-Seems like there may be more support for new teachers (although it seems like there could be a lot of variance regarding the actual effect)

Pros for second school:

-Actually reimburses an amount that will cover the entire cost of the flight (but unlike the former, I have to wait until the end of contract for it)

-Friendlier schedule

-Qingdao seems like a nicer city

-Better, or at least more marketable curriculum

-I will be teaching the subject I'm certified to teach

Thoughts?

@intotheblue

Were you able to get a letter from OSSE and get QTS? If so, how long did that part take?

I don't know anything about Andrew Hallam but +1 to all the advice in Heliotrope's post.

Another update, my certification was finally approved on the 19th, but the physical copy possible won't be mailed until the 27th and arrive as late as April 12th.

Is anyone familiar with the agency "CanGoChina"? They have separate ads for ESL schools and international/bilingual schools, I sent my application into the latter. I mainly want to verify that they are legitimate/not a scam, but of course additional info is welcome/appreciated.

I'm also looking at QSI, but I need to wait for a copy of my license in order to even be able apply on their site. I know a lot has been written about QSI with mixed sentiments, but would I have a decent shot at landing one of their "less desirable" locations with just my license and 3 months practice teaching?

On a side note, I ordered one of the online Praxis 7-12 math practice tests to see how it went, and got what would be a comfortably-passing score, though I did go over the time limit by a decent amount. I wish I didn't work so many hours at my current job, otherwise I'd probably study/refresh for a couple weeks and go take the real thing. It will be a goal at least for the coming year, though I doubt I can get it done in time to take advantage of for the beginning of the 2019-20 school year with everything else going on.

Just replying to follow up on this and maybe get some more feedback as this develops. I got a temp job as a site admin at a nearby energy plant - I think I was offered it purely because it's in a remote (and frigidly cold) part of the US and have trouble finding workers. In any case, it pays surprisingly well and fits my timeline perfectly as it ends in June, giving me an income now and some time to continue sending applications for the fall.

I have two interviews coming up with schools (or perhaps more accurately, companies). One is a huge ESL chain in Korea - from what I've heard the interview is a formality as long as you tick the boxes, so I plan on using this as my backup/plan C.

The other one is working at a public high school in China that offers a dual high school diploma program with the US. They mention "US curriculum" a number of times so I assume that means Common Core but they don't explicitly state it. They asked me if I would be open to teaching other subjects, I gave a tentative yes (obviously depends on the subject).

They cover flight and an apartment near the school. Salary is 17,500 RMB/month +/- depending on the province (I think 16,000 is the minimum). They take care of health insurance and take care of the visa. Class sizes 25-30 with max 25 teaching hours per week. They have schools in the following cities: Guangzhou, Quanzhou, Chengdu, Dongguan, Julong, Jinjiang, Shenyang, Dalian, Mudanjiang, Hegang and Kaifeng.

Thoughts on the China opportunity? I think it's not bad given my situation. Of course they haven't made an offer yet, just planning ahead. Also, thoughts on any of the cities, which ones are more/less preferable? I've been doing some research on them but it's always better to hear from people who are more informed.

PsyGuy, thanks for the very informative reply. Will start sending applications as soon as I hear back from my references (only 1 teaching reference unfortunately).

What are your thoughts on the SA intern option? I imagine it would be tight getting by at first on whatever they pay interns, but it could be a good opportunity to make connections at a better school than I might otherwise get placed at, get some experience at an IS (though I realize it doesn't "count" as experience in the same way as full IT), and serve as a buffer for all the mistakes I'm going to make throwing myself into the fire as a first-year teacher.

Regarding Dave's ESL Cafe, I have been looking there as well but sometimes it's hard to tell which positions are for math teachers, and which are actually for ESL classes where math happens to be the tool of delivery. I realize there's some grey area here, but the majority of postings there seem more like the latter.

I will definitely use the other free resources and consider Schrole as well.

Curious about the China situation now. The last couple replies seem to be indicating that some schools there are flexible with what they count as experience (ESL, TA in college, etc.), but I have none of that. Never taught ESL, the only thing I have is my 3 months of practice teaching.

If there's nothing I even hope to spin as 2 years experience, does that mean China is just a hard "no" then?

Where should I be looking besides TIEOnline? I see JoyJobs seems to have a similar service, but are those going to be mostly repeat listings from TIEOnline? JJ seems to offer a bit more in the way of resume help etc., but I have no idea about the level of quality.

expatscot wrote:
> Sometimes it's a school requiring two years, sometimes it's visas - I think
> China and UAE both require 2 years' experience minimum, so you probably
> need to exclude these. If you can stick out two years in, say, Thailand or
> Malaysia at a bottom tier school, then you might be able to move up, but I
> really think it's better doing them in your own country before moving
> abroad unless there's good reason not to stay.

Thanks for the advice. I should clarify that I mentioned ME/China specifically because I will go anywhere, and from what I've read, they seem to have a lot of jobs and less desirability for most people. I assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that I would have the best odds of finding something there. I would be very happy with anything in Thailand/Malaysia.

wrldtrvlr123 wrote:
> If you are relatively open to locations/school (and breathing) you have a
> good chance of finding a job. Your subject area will impact that for better
> or worse to some extent (Math/Science better, Elementary, Social Studies
> maybe a bit worse) but is not a deal maker or break either way.
>
> There are also some slightly dodgy/basic agencies that could likely get you
> placed somewhere overseas that was relatively safe. If you could land
> yourself in a country that would actually be an enjoyable place to live
> then it could be worth paying your dues at a less than desirable school
> (Thailand or Malaysia could be good for that).

I'm Middle School Math, so I guess that's sort of in-between in terms of demand?

In what sense are the agencies you're referring to dodgy? Can the agencies be listed here (and if not, are they on the first two pages of a "international teaching jobs" google search?)

Thailand/Malaysia would be amazing if I could land a spot at an accredited K-12 school there for the upcoming school year. Also would be very happy anywhere in South/Central America. But really like I said, I'm open to anywhere at the end of the day.

vandsmith wrote:
> maybe that's true but my first gig was at a decent school in the UAE with no prior
> international teaching experience (i had a few years pre-cert esl stuff, but that was
> it).
>
> point being: don't get your hopes up, but don't exclude anything either based on an
> assumption. you never know...

Thanks, will certainly be on the lookout for all regions. Hopefully DC gets back soon with my license!