Ask Headmaster Ken

Hi Guys,

I've survived my first two weeks in China. I can't say that its been easy but I'm still here. My teacher training was substandard and I have no Chinese teacher in my classes to help out. I'm not getting a lot of feedback from management or the other teachers on my job performance or anything else for that matter. I haven't made any friends yet which also doesn't help, I feel really isolated because I can't speak Mandarin.

I was just wondering if things don't work out and my school decides to fire me, which they do occasionally, what my options are. The man who owns the school was a big wig in the local government and he has a lot of power in the province I'm in, he could make it very difficult for me to find another job. I guess I'm just trying to prepare for the worst. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Wuxi

You seem to be assuming the worst. Try seeking some objective feedback and ask if there are areas you can improve.

If worst comes to worst and you are fired, your boss likely won't care where you end up.

Look for a new position and ask your new school to contact your old school and arrange to have your FRP transferred, (provided yours has been processed by now).

It is a straightforward process and your old school will be able to transfer you off their books.

I am assuming you arrived legally on a Z visa. If not, well then you really have little option except to return home or find a school that can get you a visa in Hong Kong on very short notice (unlikely).

Hi Guys,

The reason I posted this comment is because I have no teaching experience and I don't know what I'm doing half of the time. I'm basically training myself which can be a frustrating way to learn something. In addition, other teachers who didn't "work out" for whatever reason had a hard time finding a job elsewhere. The schools in my area are in cahoots with each other, if one school fires a teacher they let the schools know about it.

First, Take a deep breath.

It isn't the end of the world if you are fired from a job that you feel you are unqualified to perform.

Next, analyze your siltation. Even if all the local schools are in cahoots to not hire you, so what? China is vast and varied. There is always another school, another province. That is, if you want to pursue teaching in China right now.

If you think you can "get it together", by all means take another shot at it. There are countless ESL teaching resource sites on the Internet. Middlekingdomlife.com maintains a list of excellent EFL teacher resources. Try getting up to speed with self study if you are going to try and persist in teaching.

If you decide maybe you need longer to get up to speed, consider going somewhere and taking a resident TEFL or TESOL course of some sort to get you ready.

It could be you are doing okay and are just insecure and operating without peers or feedback. On the other hand, you may be one of those never meant to teach. Only you can discern what your case is.

If you are asking for assistance, please let us know:

1. On on what type of visa did you arrive.

2. What is your current visa status.

3. Your city and province.