I'm less jaded than sciteach. Spent 5 years there, left a couple of years ago, looking to move back again because where I am now just isn't as interesting a place to live.

1. Before you do anything else, download and subscribe to a VPN. Express VPN and Astill seem to be the most reliable at present, with Astrill just ahead. From a teaching perspective, this lets you use Google, YouTube, etc; for home stuff, it means you can access Netflix / BBC / whatever.

2. I don't think the Didi English app is available at the moment - if you had it you were OK and it updated, but it got blocked in 2019 and I don't think it was ever restored. You can access it though through WeChat or Alipay (again, get these downloaded and set up before you enter China.)

3. You can now attach a foreign Visa credit card to WeChat before you arrive, but you have to do this when you are abroad.

4. If your school offers direct payment to an overseas account, usually as a % of salary, take it. It's much easier and cheaper than going to the bank to do it yourself. When I had to do this, it usually took at least an hour to process everything and you have to be there for the full time.

5. If your school doesn't offer direct payment, then they should allow you the time to go to the bank to do this (banks are helpfully only open during school hours.) If your school doesn't allow or like this, then maybe this is a school to avoid.

6. Despite what some will try to tell you here, not all the 'rent a name' schools in China are bad - Dulwich has a good reputation in both Beijing and Shanghai.

7. Sometimes you just have to roll with it. China can be really frustrating because of its bureaucracy - have a look at the official in the Simpsons episode "Goo Goo Gai Pan" - and even getting things like a train ticket can be difficult because you have to show your passport, visa, the birth certificate of your third cousin once removed's granny's neighbour (or at least, it can seem like that!) Take a deep breath, say to yourself "it's just China" and move on.

8. The people you will meet professionally will generally be more educated than the average Chinese person - you would be working in a school, after all - and will have had more contact with Westerners. This means they *might* be more open to different ideas, especially if you work in one of the schools under scitech's band 1 or even 2. However, many Chinese outside the major cities still haven't had much contact and you will be a novelty to them. You might also want to consider how you introduce yourself - British friends never really had a problem, but I know some Americans who said they were Canadian.

9. Be clear that, the further down the school scale you go, the less English there will be. At the top, almost every communication will be delivered in English, Mandarin and often also Korean. Further down, it will be in Mandarin and English, with the quality of English deteriorating the further down you go. The kids reflect this - at the top level schools, the English spoken by some in IBDP is of a higher level than their counterparts in the UK, USA or Australia.

10. Your first long holiday will be around now in October (Golden Week.) You might have your work permit by this time; if not, you have to stay in China. And anywhere you go will be busy - and I mean busy. Think Times Square on New Year's Eve, the Notting Hill Carnival, or other big events in the West busy, then double it. Thankfully, there are lots of places in China you can go which have lots of space - but book these well in advance.

11. Put politics out of your head. You learn that there are points when the rhetoric increases - in the run up to a major CCP congress, for example - but most of the time it's easy just to let it bypass you, as most Chinese do. Yes, there are cameras watching you, but genuinely if you are going about your normal business as a teacher or a person, they're not really interested. There are things you can talk about and things you can't - these are usually pretty obvious if you know China's history - and your school should help guide you around these.

PsyGuy wrote:

>
> Whats wrong with dictatorships? Lots of organizations (militarys for
> example) are very effectively run autocratically or as dictatorships. Many
> professional soldiers are still professionals despite taking, following,
> and executing orders. Leaders need to say do this, and have it done, and it
> doesnt matter the field its in whether a military organization, the
> director directing the cast of a film production of a classroom. It
> shouldnt even be that alien to an IT, we do the same with students all the
> time. From the leadership perspective its not autocratic leadership styles
> thats the issue, its ITs who want more autonomy than leadership and by
> extension what ownership is comfortable with, thats a 'you' problem, not a
> 'them' problem.

The problem with dictatorships is that they rely on having people in place who are either happy to be subordinate and do what they are told, or who are kept happy with sufficient scraps that they don't intervene (thinking here of the proles in '1984'). If either of those don't happen then the only other option is brainwashing (see North Korea).

I disagree about the definition of the leader though. A leader needs to have a clear vision of what they want done, but they need to be open to different roads to doing it. Sometimes, the dictator role is appropriate - if something needs done urgently, such as pruning a staff body, or in an emergency. Most of the time, though, is it not better to get what you want done in a way which keeps the majority happy, even if it's not your idea? If, as teachers, we behaved in an autocratic, not-listening way, then we'd never actually improve our teaching skills because we wouldn't be open to other ideas as to how to improve. It's not unrealistic to expect our leadership to do the same.

PsyGuy wrote:
> Even the good leaders (they do exist)
> see it as criticism, constructive criticism or non-personal criticism but
> still criticism, because if we are being honest thats what it is. The
> current system, practice, idea, thing is less effective or efficient than
> the system, practice, idea, thing I have in mind, which when you collapse
> down to its salient qualities is a critique, the root of all
> criticism.

Good management though should always be open to that. The best leaders I've seen (in and out of education) are the ones who know they need someone on their shoulder to challenge them, because that way they avoid making bad decisions (bearing in mind that good decisions are not always popular decisions.)

The problem in education in particular is that Principals aren't necessarily trained in management; and that senior management behaviour tends to reflect the types of senior management they themselves have seen. That means there are too many for whom 'my way or the highway' is their mantra, and while that is sometimes necessary it can frequently be detrimental to the school especially where management see this as being 'good' or - worse still - 'strong' leadership. It's not really leadership then - it's a dictatorship.

It depends on the school and the group. Psyguy puts it all in his inimitable, rather negative way, but as always it's not as clear cut as that.

The number of staff child places is certainly diminishing. Ask any head and they will tell you they will almost always prioritise "single, no kids" or "couple, no kids" ahead of anyone with kids. You could take this as a sign of how the school is doing financially - if they're scrabbling to make sure every potential fee place is filled, then maybe there is an issue.

However, it's still not unusual to have at least one fully funded place per teacher; or even two per family. Three, though, does often cause a problem and there's actually only one of the school groups I can think of who I know allow this.

In terms of tax, it depends on the country. There is still a threat hanging over Chinese schools that this may be implemented, and in the higher-fee schools like Dulwich or WAB (in Beijing) this could be really challenging to get around.

I don't agree that children always have no benefit though. In "proper" international schools I can see that argument, but in the lower tier schools where there may be less international and more local students, this may be something which bosses will consider. Whether it would be a reason to employ, I'm not sure.

So to answer your question in short - most schools will cover tuition for some kids, but usually only one or two. Schools who cover three fully will be the exception rather than the rule.

Thames Pirate wrote:
> PsyGuy, we rarely agree, but this "a closed mouth gathers no
> foot" is a great phrase that hits the nail on the head.

*faints*

PsyGuy wrote:

> 2) This is a BS, and like most BSs ITs often have a schedule with more
> instructional hours and are assigned a broader range of classes. Its very
> likely ITs teach a full day with only a lunch and a prep period. The LWs
> schedule may be different but if it isnt than somehow those ITs with little
> time already have to now be carefully scheduled so that they can fill in
> for a Friday/Monday. This might be doable in a large IS with a
> substantially sized department, but if the department is small there is
> isnt likely the warm bodies to do it.
> 3) There will be a continuity issue in the courses for the students. They
> will have IT X for 2-4 days a week and then effectively have a substitute
> from within the department for those Monday/Friday classes because classes
> are either T, TH, M,W,F, or M-F.

However, as it's a British school, the SMT will most likely be British too and therefore well used to making these adjustments. Certainly for 3 - yes, there's a continuity issue, but it can easily be resolved through careful planning (eg the teachers teach different parts of the course, one focuses on exam skills while the other focuses on content, etc.)

PsyGuy wrote:
> @expatscot
>
> Because recruiting is a chore and the only real joy in it is crossing it
> off the to do list.

Surely though that's the argument to get it right first time? If you hire someone in October, that person might - by January - have realised they could have had a better offer elsewhere. So you end up with a new start who's lacking a bit in motivation and already thinking about where they're going in two years' time, rather than being keen to get started.

> As to missing anything, you can go to the bakery anytime in the day and get
> a loaf of bread made that morning, or you can wake up early and go when its
> the freshest out of the oven. For many recruiters and leadership, you dont
> know what you dont know, and youre not missing anything you dont know.
> Maybe the morning bread had a better loaf available, maybe not, and maybe
> the loaf bought later is just fine.

Not quite sure that's the right -. But taking it further, if you arrive at the bakery too early, then you find that the baking either hasn't started or the bread that's there isn't properly baked because the oven wasn't hot enough. Too late, and the bread has gone stale or you're left with the broken ends that nobody really wants.

The main point is you want to hit the sweet spot when you have the maximum number of candidates available. Of course, the principal might not have the confidence in his own school to fight his corner for various reasons such as location, salary or whatever, and I guess in that instance a smaller pool - which is generally the less well-baked international teachers - might suit.

buffalofan wrote:
> I've normally seen non-renewal done early on in the school year, around the
> time letters of intent are issued. Seems to work out best for both parties
> that way.

Some schools go so early though you wonder why. I've heard principals boasting "we got all our contracts done and almost all our hiring before Christmas" without realising that, by going so early, they have tied up their posts before most teachers have made up their mind to leave, thus missing a huge pool of staff.

Sometimes schools can be too quick to fire teachers. They need to have in place the support for them to try to improve, and really firing should only be as a last resort - where all attempts at getting the teacher to improve have failed and there's no real other action.

Equally, though, I've seen situations where, while it's easy enough to fire expat staff, local staff are much more difficult. This has led to underperformance by those staff (they know that, almost whatever they do, they're not going to be sacked) and this can start to cause issues with other staff who are working hard, and also resentment resulting in staff turnover. As a result, your good staff leave (because they can) and your poor staff stay.

Another couple:

University of Dundee does an online Masters which is linked to the IB, so useful if you're in an IB school.
University of Buckingham also does online Masters and also an online MA Education.

Heliotrope wrote:

> That's why I assumed the location of the school that offered you the contract is ok,
> otherwise why even interview with them if the location isn't acceptable? (that's why
> I said: "I assume you wouldn't have considered the school in the first place if
> that was the case.")

The location might have been fine at the time of the interview, but much less appealing now. I reckon there are many teachers, for example, who accepted jobs in China at the start of last year who now regret it, and there will be some who might have accepted a few weeks ago who are now having second thoughts.

Generally, though, I take your approach - if you accept, you stick with it regardless. However there has to be flexibility to allow for an allegedly Keynsian approach if the facts change.

Just go ahead and start applying. Schools know that not everyone has all the documents they need (and China can change these on a whim and also depending where you are in the country) so they realise that it will take a while after appointment.

Don't restrict yourself to "non-Tier 1" schools. You're a maths teacher, so in demand. Also, don't restrict yourself to MS either - there is an opportunity here for you to dip your toe into IBDP or A Level as well - they're not too bothered about the level you are qualified in, just that you are qualified.

FWIW, the better schools still tend to be in the Chinese Tier 1 cities.

Apparently as the retirement age has now moved from 60 to 65, it's becoming easier for older staff to get jobs in China.

30 hours seems pretty high, even for a British school though - assuming a 6 period day of about 55 minutes each, that means you'd be teaching every single lesson! However if you're looking at 30 45-minute lessons, that would equate to 22.5 hours teaching which is frankly much more acceptable. You might want to check with the school about the lesson timing.

If it is a British school, you're not going to be able to reduce the number of 'preps' you have. The expectation in British schools is that you are willing and able to teach at all levels from Y7 to Y13 (6th to 12th grade in the US) and teachers who are unable / unwilling to do this can find this difficult to adjust to - to be absolutely honest, you won't get much sympathy from your colleagues if you complain about it. On a personal level, I actually enjoy the variation of teaching energetic Y7s and then near-adult Y13s, and the variety in content, rather than teaching the same thing repeatedly through the week (I get bored quite easily.)

In short - check the lesson lengths first. Then, if they are asking you to teach right through the school, think more about whether the school would actually be right for you - if like me you enjoy the challenge, then go for it, but if you prefer to be a 'master in depth' of one or two particular courses then think about whether you could bear this for a couple of years. Once you've worked that out, then you're in a better place to figure out what you want.

I think it very much depends on the school and your relationship with the SLT.

I told my first school at the end of my first year that I wouldn't be renewing at the end of my contract. I knew I could do this because I got on well personally with the head, and he'd been supportive through the year when something happened that other teachers could have run from, but I stuck out.

I told my current school at the start of this year, before the formal requests went out. I'd made up my mind over the summer, I've been here quite a while, so it probably wasn't a surprise.

Personally, I'd always try to give as much notice as I could. That's for my own peace of mind - yes, the school might not 'invest' in you in terms of allocting jobs or PD, but then that in turn gives you more time to look for a job. I also think that if you play fair, then it's much more difficult (though not for really psycho leaders, obvs) for leadership to mess you around. And if they did, I'd prefer to leave with my own head held high than drop to their level.