Thanks for a level-headed response, sciteach.

There was actually an article published 5 days ago by the Financial Times discussing possible curbs on UK-Centric Bilingual programs, including schools like Harrow's.

https://www.ft.com/content/8bba46b4-16a ... f10e2d16cb

The most alarming passage is as follows:


" The central government in May stopped approving new private schools for the compulsory, or first nine of 12, years of education and last month at least four provinces said there was a goal to cut the proportion of children who attend such schools from more than 10 per cent to less than 5 per cent by the end of the year. "


Right off the bat, however, this is reported as simply a restatement of news that happened months ago, as opposed to something that was announced just this week. The article mentions a lot of remarks from interviews with leadership in a number of British bilingual / international programs, so it does read as a bit of a speculative piece.

I'll also admit that I am more paranoid than most, and it seems like only a couple dozen others across the entire internet have actually sounded the alarm, so to speak, over this news.

Maybe there's too much to keep up with and coverage results in nothing but whiplash for the average news reader.

Maybe ignorance is bliss. I still see hundreds of job openings and advertisements for positions in China (for those in country, anyway) even for sectors that were supposedly stomped on, such as training centers. If it weren't for these kinds of articles, it wouldn't seem like there was a lot to be panicked about.

https://www.sohu.com/a/482233135_120201386

Original article in Chinese. Still reads fairly accurately if translated to English.
This article basically states that 8 government bodies have come together and released a document that has plans for private schools to be assimilated as public schools within 2 years.

I know that there's a lot of speculation going around and there's lots of instability in the pandemic-era teaching market. As some of you may know, China, which has historically been a massive market, has been clamping down hard.

Just wondering if anyone on the ground has heard anything confirming that any school that is not a T1 (open to mainly foreign passport holders) is going to shut or restructure in the next two years, as this article implies? AKA doomsday scenario, flooding the rest of the markets at the same time.

How concerned should we be?

I'll be clear and say I probably know nothing. I just saw this and some other articles online, and there's quite a bit of panicking in other parts of the internet, like Reddit and Facebook. Forgive me if I'm fearmongering.

I think it's too early to call, honestly. Not just for China, but in general.

Did anyone expect cases to drop so quickly in the past two weeks?
We're still in the middle of winter, too. And vaccine rollouts will only improve.

The floodgates won't open, but when Spring starts in late-March, and the current trends have not reversed.....I'd expect only good news.

Just my two cents.

@expatscot.

Thanks for the response. I have been applying but I'm not confident given the unique difficulty of this winter. My visa stuff has been at the last step for several months, though countless others are in the same boat.

@sciteach

Yeah. I wouldn't mind lower quality schools at all since I probably will struggle to punch above my weight this hiring season. Thank you.

@PsyGuy

Thanks. Reality is tumultuous but sobering. Guess the waiting game persists.

and Are you sure? Well, here goes....

....PsyGuy, will you marry me??¿

Hi all,

Happy holidays / Merry Christmas / Happy new year!

My situation (also from a recent post) :
--> Stuck outside China Feb. 2020, taught spring semester online
--> Dismissed before Fall 2020 semester based on inability to return
--> Finished a Florida license, student teaching in Math & Business

Current situation:
-->. I am about to sign on as a long-term sub for a position teaching a business class and lower level maths (high school)
--> The term will end in May
-->. My goal is to return to China by Fall '21, where I left my belongings, important docs, life, S/O (hardest challenge) etc.
-->. By then, I will have 2 yr. IT experience in English and 1 sem. (plus 1 sem. student teaching) U.S. domestic experience in Math and Business
-->. I have endorsements in the above 3 subjects
--> I am to apply earned credits towards a M.ED in Leadership with a regionally accredited school in Feb/March. (will hopefully finish by Summer 2022).
--> Zero interest in staying any longer in the U.S. beyond spring

My question:
- This is probably the worst recruitment season we'll have for a long time. I know the more qualified teachers will be scooped up in January, but which part of the hiring season will I have the best chance?
- What happens if, miraculously, an international school offers me a job for March or before my sub-job is set to end? Consequences and steps to take?
I've been debating taking a cram-school / public school job just to return, but the borders won't open until March at the earliest. I just want to know I won't be screwing myself over by not taking the earliest opportunity to return.
- Lastly (and totally unrelated), any advice for a relationship hanging by a thread, only because of the pandemic, to last potentially another 6 months as long-distance? Lmao.....half-jokingly posting this as it is unrelated to the purpose of the site

I appreciate all comments and criticism.

@PsyGuy

Sure. Exasperated, unprofessional, uninterested....there's a whole host of adjectives we can use to describe recruitment.
I was just giving another angle of the same obstacle.

I do agree with your use of the word 'commodity'. While it's initially dehumanizing, one will find it's the reality all across Chinese recruitment (with a few exceptions). The best course of action is to respond in kind (not the dehumanizing part), and that's to go through recruiters like a commodity as well.

@kellysensei

3-4 schools is perhaps too early to call quits. Not sure how high your standards are for a school, but there's still a lot of demand.

For what it's worth, dependents being an issue is not about money or tax benefits, like this thread suggests. Currently, it's border/visa policy.
It's easy for schools, in certain regions, to get a teacher documents to enter the country. However, city-level Chinese bureaus and therefore international visa offices make it difficult to get documents together for dependents, and schools unfortunately think this is too much of a headache for now.

@PsyGuy

Thanks for the clarification. I took your advice and have requested a letter.

Not getting a credential from this DS, but it was the best I could find that fit the requirements for student teaching. Just ticking those boxes.

ES might be the move, indeed.

Cheers.

@kellysensei

I tested the waters in early October with some recruiters who then ghosted me at the time. Some eventually got back to me (literally 5 weeks later) just to tell me they aren't confident enough in the border situation to move forward with the process.

As everyone probably knows, the current recruiting environment is a circus. That said, I've seen some recruiters change tone, from "in China only!" to "in China preferred". Though the market favors teachers already in the country to the point that requirements for replacement candidates have lowered significantly, many schools are making it difficult (visa-wise) for current teachers to leave and jump ship to these better positions. It's a bit of a Catch-22 for both employers and job-seekers.

I think employers are hardcore hedging right now based on how unpredictable things are. Many are probably exasperated, which explains the erratic, often unprofessional correspondence that is happening in recruitment.

@expatscot

Thanks for the suggestion! I am indeed thinking about using a service to ship some essentials. I'll look more into the electronics fiasco as time goes on.

After I get my ducks in a row, you bet I'll write a review. Although I wouldn't be surprised if there are several reports on the institution already...haha

@PsyGuy

Thanks for the response. I've no current plans to work in Florida, but I am doing my student teaching (which is 95% finished) remotely for a title 1 school in another state. I've spent a lot on certification and will probably hold off on paying more fees for mutual recognition paperwork/tests.

I found the glossary and learned that ES means english language school. Is that referring to an IS that promotes an english-only policy, a school that primarily teaches english, or something else?

There are tons of jobs out there and many schools have expressed interest, but visa restrictions are the biggest obstacle, especially in China.

I'm hedging since ultimately I have to wait for my license no matter what, and hopefully I'll have a clearer picture if travel will be possible by late December. I'm prepared to wait it out a semester, but all my stuff except the suitcase I brought with me in February are still stuck in storage in China (including electronics which apparently can't get shipped out atm) so it's been a massive headache overall.

Thank you for the responses! I don't mind delaying things until Fall 2021. I am, however, really itching to leave the U.S. or at least change my environment after being cooped up for an entire year. Maybe I'll take a long vacation somewhere cheap.

I've definitely updated my CV, as well as contacted admin from my previous IS to get some solid references.

Hopefully by late January flu season and transmission will have already peaked and started to decline.

I was teaching at a T3 IS in China until COVID struck and since have not been able to fly back from the US. In the summer, my school terminated my contract despite having a year left on it. I'm primarily a high school and middle school teacher.

I've tried to make the most of this situation and will have finished the TeacherReady Florida licensing program by the first week of December. I know that I won't be able to score a T1 or T2 IS position yet but a license is better than nothing, right? I'm also a bit nervous because it may take up to 90 days to actually receive the certification. I have solid teaching experience in English, math, and business. I also got an endorsement for social sciences just in case.

My end goal is to still return to China sometime in 2021. Here are the options I'm looking at:

1.) Bite the bullet and find a T3 IS in China for the 2021 school year that is trying to replace someone for this upcoming semester. Pay all the fees, the flight tickets, quarantine----just get back ASAP.

2.) Focus on securing a slightly better position for Fall 2021. This, however, leaves the first half of the year in question....
2a). If no IS will take me, work at a training center or public school for the first half of the year, then jump ship come summer and transition back to IS teaching (seems like a waste of a license but these are special times).
2b). Stick it out in the US and teach for a semester----not ideal, but a possibility.
2c). Teach in a different location for one semester (Korea, Vietnam, South America, etc.) then leave for China when summer arrives.

3) ????

Will the timing of receiving my license throw a wrench into the entire process? I know option 2 includes probably breaking a contract but it seems like less of a nightmare than what I've had to endure in 2020, for what it's worth. What would you recommend I do given these circumstances?

I appreciate any and all feedback, no matter how critical it may seem.